The Weekly Report on Religious Tolerance in Egypt

            Tensions flared high in the Upper Egyptian town of Al-Nawahid this past Tuesday as rumors of a relationship between a Christian man and a Muslim woman led to attacks on Christian homes. During the incident, Muslim townspeople set several homes and shops on fire causing serious damage in the town 450km south of Cairo. Incidents of violence in response to rumors of inter-religious love affairs are becoming more common as tensions between Egypt’s Muslim and Coptic communities run higher than ever

Controversial Egyptian blogger Abdel Nabeel Karim Suleiman has been released from prison this past Monday where he had been imprisoned for four years under the charges of insulting President Hosni Mubarak and inciting hatred towards Islam. One of Abdel Karim’s most controversial posts regarded a report on an incident in Alexandria where Muslims and Chrstians clashed over the sale of a DVD. The DVD, depicting a play involving Islamic fighters trying to kill a Coptic Christian boy, sparked riots that resulted in three deaths and the stabbing of a nun. 

            The US State Department released its annul report on international religious freedoms this week, with Egypt’s treatment towards the Copts, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood being, subject to criticism. The inclusion of the Brotherhood in the report sparked criticism from experts who say that their oppression is due to political, not religious reasons, and that they cannot be considered an oppressed religious minority because they represent the mainstream faith in Egypt.

Lastly, in one of the most talked about stories of the week, Alexandria resident Ahmad Shabaan, was killed while in the custody of local police who tried to frame the death as a suicide. Shabaan was arrested with his friend on the way to a wedding was found this past Saturday dumped in a local river with obvious signs of torture. Incidents such as these are being increasingly reported in a country where police brutality presents a pervasive problem.