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“THE REAL STORY ABOUT COPTIC CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E2328 on Sept. 22, 2009.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE REAL STORY ABOUT COPTIC CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT
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HON. FRANK R. WOLF
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, DC, recently sent the following e-mail to their distribution list:
``Egypt has the largest and oldest Christian community in the Middle East, and is home to 2,069 churches.
``The Coptic Orthodox Church was founded in Alexandria by the apostle Mark in AD 57, making it one of the oldest churches in the world.
``A law requiring Presidential approval for church construction was changed in 2005, transferring that duty instead to the country's governors who are obligated to process churches' requests within 30 days.
``In 2003, President Mubarak declared Coptic Christmas, celebrated on January 7, a national holiday.''
In spite of these overtures by the Egyptian government, the situation for Coptic Christians in Egypt is far from ideal. According to the State Department's 2008 International Religious Freedom Report, ``The approval process for church construction continued to be hindered by lengthy delays, often measured in years. Although government officials maintain that President Mubarak approves all requests for permits presented to him, independent critics charge that delays by the MOI and/or local authorities cause many requests to reach the President slowly or not at all. Some churches have complained that local security officials have blocked church repairs or improvements even when a permit has been issued. Others suggest unequal enforcement of the regulations pertaining to church and mosque projects. Many churches face difficulty in obtaining permits from provincial officials.''
On September 7, The Los Angeles Times reported that Egyptian authorities arrested 155 people in Aswan for publicly eating, drinking or smoking during daylight in the month of Ramadan, including non-
Muslims.
There is clearly much that needs to be done by the Egyptian government to ensure the preservation of the Coptic community in Egypt.
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