Egyptian Court Favors Islamists: Al Sisi’s Statement to Macron Justifies Verdict

Below is the latest report by Ashraf Ramelah on the plight of Egyptian Copts.

Egyptian court favors Islamists: Al Sisi’s statement to Macron justifies verdict

by Dr. Ashraf Ramelah

Nearly five years ago now, I wrote about a courageous Coptic Christian woman and a brave Coptic Bishop who stood with her and her son in the “Bedouin arbitration” court after she fell victim to a heinous crime.

As justice is never served through the “Bedouin” process of arbitration, shortly thereafter the woman and her son brought a civil lawsuit against the perpetrators in the state court. This past December 2020, her case was lost in favor of Islamists. The religious deep state found the offenders innocent, and the court set them free.

The handing down of the acquittal judgment was the final act in the prolonged Al Karm village drama and eradicated any hope of healing sectarian differences among Egyptians. The verdict showed the decadence and indecency inhabiting Egyptian society. In conjunction with an unrelated statement made by Egypt’s president earlier the same month, this case revealed Egypt’s ugly truth.

It began with collective punishment and expiation in the streets

Al Karm is a small, miserable village in the Al Minya Governorate, which is one of the poorest governorates in Egypt. In Al Karm village, as in other parts of the country, Muslims and Christians live as neighbors. The common denominator of its villagers is simplicity of life permeated with poverty and ignorance. Such conditions aid in the diffusion of Salafi fundamentalists and Muslim Brotherhood influencers that are able to control behavior and handle religious matters.

In July 2016, a rumor started everything. It circulated that a relationship existed between a Christian man and Muslim woman — unacceptable to the Muslim community. Seeking reparations, a religious mob struck back.

After the targeted man was seized by the radicals and arrested by the police, his mother, a woman in her 70s, was stripped naked, dragged from her home and paraded through the village streets. As the mother of a Coptic man who had been convicted in the court of public opinion for a religious crime, she paid a dear price.

During this humiliating and brutal exercise the mob screamed “Allahu Akhbar,” signaling great satisfaction as if winning an Islamic invasion (Gazwa). State authorities and Al Azhar Sunni Institute both turned a blind eye. There were no statements of condemnation coming from either direction.

“Peace and tolerance” in the international media

Despite the benign image of Islam portrayed by Al Azhar propaganda around the world, local mosques in Egypt steadfastly continue to spew “hate speech” embedded in prayers against Christians and Jews through open-air mics blasting the streets during weekly Friday services.

December court ruling and Al Sisi’s morality lesson to France that same month

During their press conference in France on Dec 6, 2020, the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi offered a morality lesson to President Emmanuel Macron when a journalist asked each of them for his vision concerning religion and social issues. Macron responded:

“We consider the human value to be the most important of all … Any person has the right to choose the religion he wants to believe in … The religious issue should not be related to the political issue.”

Al Sisi countered Macron by stating that:

“The rank of religious values is much higher than human value, it is the right of a person to embrace what he wants and reject what he refuses, but it is important, as we express our opinion, that we do not violate religious values, because religious values are much higher than human value.”

The clash between the two leaders demonstrates the hierarchy of values in Arab-Muslim culture. Differing from the Western view and dominating the Islamist mentality, the embracing of ideas, rejecting them and expressing opinions remains confined to religion alone. Religious values come before that which makes up human value — life, liberty, free speech, free will, i.e. all human rights. In the West, human rights (God-given) stand above all else, and religious freedom is one of those rights.

The battered and humiliated Coptic family that was assaulted due to an Islamic “insult” and under the auspices of religious values was finally defeated in the pursuit of justice. This is how Al Sisi’s “rank of religious values is much higher” comment actually plays out over and over in horrible tragedies. Egypt’s society suffers at the hands of religious values incongruent with human rights and ranked above them in governing the country.

It is this basic concept that does anything but deter Egypt’s internal divisions. It fosters all types of crimes against the Christian minority. Islam’s rooted perception of values appears as the heavy stumbling block to fairness and equality under the law. The president’s message in the international arena discourages any potential for modification to religious teachings, which could lead to gradual change in outlook and respect for life and liberty.

Also, Al Sisi’s statement to Macron illustrates Islam’s double standard. Al Sisi indicates that without violating religious values one can “embrace what he wants and reject what he refuses…” and as well express opinions. This implies that individuals with Islamic “religious values” must embrace, reject and express only while adhering to approved doctrine, and those outside of Islam must not embrace, refuse or express their truths at any time because it is merely an exercise of intrinsic human value (rights).

Religious values in Egyptian court

As with the tragic incident of this family, the tremendous danger in statutes and decisions coming from the “rank of religious values” over human value lies in giving absolute immunity to those believing in Islam’s religious values. This carries in its essence an absolute threat to the humanity of the country — especially to those who do not embrace the religious values of the ruling, majority religion. Egypt has become a cruel society due to the diminution of human value.

The message to women sent by the verdict

The verdict from the Egyptian court is in keeping with Islamic doctrine where it is permissible for a man to violate a woman’s body and dignity. Al Sisi’s statement made it clear; religious values supersede human value.

Dr. Ashraf Ramelah is founder and president of Voice of the Copts, a human rights organization, and a board member of Stop Islamization of Nations (SION). For his previous articles, see the Ashraf Ramelah Archives.

12 thoughts on “Egyptian Court Favors Islamists: Al Sisi’s Statement to Macron Justifies Verdict

    • The most numerous victims of Islam are Muslims, especially women, even if they’re so deeply indoctrinated they’re not fully aware of it.

      • Mark Six of one half a dozen of the other, makes no difference, no more muslims = no more problems, it is that bloody simple.

    • Actually, they are as human as anyone else. There are good people and bad people in every race, nationality, and religion. I heard from a former Muslim that about 80% of Muslims would leave Islam if it didn’t mean a death sentence for them. If that’s true or not, I don’t know.
      The Muslims that I bring to church don’t seem to know as much about Islam as I do. Muslims “in name only” would be a good description of them. For them, Islam is more of a cultural thing rather than a religious, political, or totalitarian system.
      I don’t hate Germans because of the holocaust. I don’t hate the Japanese because of Pearl Harbor. It’s the 5 or 10% of any group that starts all the trouble. Then, everyone else gets dragged into it.

      • Not all cultures, religions and people are all equal, never have been and never will. Allowing islam into our western countries always ends in bloodshed, without exception. You go ahead and be sheep for the slaughter, I’ll be the Wolf and praise Jesus and pass the ammo.

        • Didn’t say all were equal. Just said there are good and bad in all.
          A good question to ask is why are Muslims being allowed to immigrate to other parts of the world? Why do people keep voting for politicians who bring in more Muslims? Who is more of the enemy, the Muslims or the voters and politicians bringing them in? If someone opens the fence gate and allows the wolves into the sheep pen, is it the fault of the wolves for killing the sheep or should the blame be put on the one who opened the gate? Why blame the wolves for doing what wolves do? You will never fix the problem until you figure out who is causing it.

          • The bloody muslims and their leftist marxist enablers are the reason why we are headed for massive bloodshed and strife. They will be held to account when the time comes. Like ole Madam LeFarge who knitted the names of those whose who had a destiny with the big blade, there are those here who are doing the same thing.

  1. Egypt is not alone in backward and totalitarian practices. The same thing could have happened in Pakistan and any other country which adopts islamic ideology. One thing is certain, this ideology and behaviour does not belong in civilised western societies. Unfortunately crazed leftists have let them in along with their religious baggage.

    One thing I do object to is the use of the word “Islamist.” It is a device which those who use it think will absolve them from the consequences of criticising islam. There is only one islam. It is not a religion of peace. It is not a religion at all and must be confronted.

  2. Just imagine for five minutes that instead of turning the other cheek we would send Special Forces soldiers on vacation to these places – without the government of that country knowing. Or we sent James Bond.

  3. By all means kill for defence . It says not to MURDER. The latter is done out of envy , anger , jealousy , malice , spite etc etc . If I insult you , yes , turn the other cheek ie. put it behind you .

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