Are Muslims in Egypt Really Kidnapping Coptic Christian Girls and Forcefully Converting Them?

You have Seen the Propaganda (left)...now see the truth.

Hoax Anti-Muslim Stories are Floating Around in Cyber Space!

There have been a few stories circulating the internet of this nature; “Muslims in Egypt are abducting Christian girls and enforcing their conversions in to Islam”.

I always considered most of these stories to be highly spurious. However, as somebody who is not familiar with Egyptian current affairs and its canopy I remained uncertain concerning the validity of such claims. The claims (to me) appeared to be nothing more than propaganda pieces in order to scare monger against the influence of Islam as well as serving a purpose of scare tactics in order to keep Coptic girls (and Christian girls in general) from dating Muslim men.

At this juncture I would like to state dating is strictly forbidden by Islam; however, I am a realist and realise it does take place even within religious communities be they Muslim, Christian or Jewish.

Recently an apologist (Islam Responses) who is familiar with current affairs of the Middle East passed me three names of Coptic women as well as denouncing the claims of these Coptic ladies being abducted by Muslims as false. The three names were:

1-Kamilia Zakher كامليا زاخر

2-Christine Kileeny كريستين قلينى

3-Wafaa Constantine وفاء قسطنطين


Now, I did a spot of quick digging and have come to the conclusion the Western audiences are NOT being fully informed of what is taking place between Coptic Christian ladies, their respective Coptic communities/families and the Muslims they align themselves with.

Islam Does NOT allow Forced Conversion

Let us be frank and clear. Islam does not allow forced conversions. ALL reasonably educated Egyptian Muslims would know this (I would take this to be 99% of the Muslims in Egypt or more):

“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in Allah has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And Allah hears and knows all things.” [Sûrah al-Baqarah: 256]

http://en.islamtoday.net/artshow-262-3441.htm

Kamilia Zakhir (Camillia Zakher)

So here is a relevant snippet from what the good person at Islam Responses stated in the email:

The first woman (Kamillia Zaker) has converted to Islam, she is a wife of a Coptic priest. She went to Al- Azhar to declare her convert but Al Azhar refused and gave her back to the church

One may be thinking; why in the world did this lady (a wife of a Coptic priest) want to convert to Islam? Whatever one says the fact remains there was NO force involved.

Coptic Christians FALSELY alleged Camillia Zakher was abducted and forcefully converted to Islam. This is evidently untrue:

When Camilia Zakher, the 25-year-old wife of a Coptic priest, went missing for five days, Coptic Christian activists promptly staged a series of angry protests in her home province of Minya and in Cairo accusing Muslims of her abduction and forced conversion to Islam. [3]

But on Friday, Camilia was located at a friend's house by security services who escorted her home and it has since emerged that she had left home of her own will, following domestic quarrels. [3]

So Camillia Zakher was not abducted and acted on her OWN accord:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spaUr8MCtt0


Wafa Constantine and Camillia Zakher Parallels

IslamResponses draws a comparison between Kamillia Zaker’s story and that of ANOTHER Coptic Christian lady (Wafa Constantine). Wafa Constantine was said to have been abducted by Muslims. The critics and Islamophobes are all shouting; “oh those nasty Muslims”

Myth: Wafa Constantine Abducted by “Nasty Muslims”

Here is a dose of truth. Wafa Constantine wanted to divorce the Coptic priest (who allegedly abused her) and was denied such a divorce. As a result of having her divorce request turned down she appears to have turned to Islam and the Muslims as a cry for help:

Less than one year earlier in the delta town of Abul Matamir, a melee ensued following the disappearance of the wife of a Coptic priest after she was denied divorce. Wafa Constantine threatened to convert to Islam after the church denied her permission to divorce her husband who purportedly abused her, despite having lost both legs to diabetes. [1]

So the story of Wafa Constantine is nothing of abduction. The real issue here is one of a Coptic lady entrapped in an abusive relationship and a strict Coptic community where she felt stifled and disaffected. Of course the rumour/propaganda merchants within the Coptic community (who were interested in the honour of their family, community and priest) worked assiduously and deceptively


Rumors spread like a wildfire, some saying Islamic extremists had held Constantine captive so to shield her from the church’s influence. Violent protests erupted, and Pope Shenouda retreated into isolation at his monastery. [1]

Was Wafa Constantine abducted by “nasty Muslims” and forced to convert to Islam?

No. Saying otherwise would be inaccurate.

Know the Truth: Coptic Girls are NOT Forced into Islam by Muslim Extremists

Some Coptic Christians may not like the idea of Coptic women converting to Islam on their own accord but it is the truth; they do opt for Islam due to their OWN choice without any Muslim force whatsoever. IslamResponses sums it up:

Christians claimed that Coptic women are being force to embrace Islam in Egypt but the truth is; they willingly embrace to Islam

This statement of IslamResponses is emphatically agreed upon by Nahed Abul Komsan, head of the Cairo-based Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights:

“A key reason for the so-called ‘kidnappings’ is that Coptic women have no right to divorce,”

“This means that if their parents tell them they are going to marry their cousin, they have to submit to this and have no choice . . . So they turn to Islam, not because of a spiritual belief in the religion but because it gives them more of an opportunity to choose their life’s path,” [2]

The Coptic community should stop vilifying Muslims because strict Coptic practices are repelling Coptic females from Christianity and ultimately leading them to Islam. Is this the fault of the Muslim? No.

Why do the Coptic Christians Fabricate (make up) such claims of Abduction?

We can get the answer from Laura (a Coptic lady):

Laura, a Coptic woman in her mid-20s living in Alexandria who asked that her surname not be used, agreed. She said that while a few of the kidnappings may be authentic, most of the media reports are based on fabrications made by the families to disguise their daughters’ dissatisfactions. [2]

“We, as Coptic women, have to deal with what our priests tell us and force upon us on a daily basis and often many women just can’t take it any longer so they just leave their families and run off with a Muslim man,” she says. [2]

These are serious insights which make a sincere individual’s stomach turn inside out. We have ALL been fed lies. People have being going around the internet and media outlets falsely demonizing Muslims, portraying them as people who prey upon innocent Christian girls and abduct them in order to convert them to Islam. Nonsense, we all KNOW the truth now.

These Coptic girls flee the harsh and restrictive community of the Copts in favour of the more tolerant Islamic communities within Egypt. Again, hardcore Coptic Christians may not like this reality but the fact of the matter is it is a reality whether liked or not. Simply disliking a reality does not give the Christian Coptic community free reign to make untrue claims of abduction and kidnap.

Let this be a stern rebuke to all those who peddle and regurgitate the false claims of the Coptic community. I ask you; does the truth matter more or does your agenda of demonizing Muslims (falsely) overarch the truth?

The Coptic Christian’s Strict Church is Pushing People to Islam

Komsan said her organization has received numerous reports from Coptic women who seek their help in deciding what to do with their lives, especially in a situation when legal divorce is not an option. She said another major factor spurring young Coptic women to flee their families is the move in the 1990s by Coptic Christian churches to forbid conversion to another Christian sect in which they might have found more freedom. [2]

“We, as Coptic women, have to deal with what our priests tell us and force upon us on a daily basis and often many women just can’t take it any longer so they just leave their families and run off with a Muslim man,” she says. [2]


Advice to Coptic Christian Girls

Converting to Islam should be a spiritual exercise and not merely an exercise to gain freedom from your strict Christian families.

If you (or any Assyrian/Coptic Christian) are interested in Islam or some encouragement to convert to the Truth then please see:

http://thefactsaboutislam.blogspot.com/2010/08/assyrians-and-arab-christians-please.html

Useful site for non-Muslims: http://www.islam-guide.com/

Appendix

NOTE: I am not saying there has never been a genuine case of abduction. I must state any abduction and forceful conversion of somebody to Islam is not permitted by Islam:

Muslim leaders have condemned the alleged kidnappings as contrary to Islamic thinking. Al-Azhar grand sheikh Sayyed Al-Tantawi told Al-Ahram, an Egyptian daily, that “these actions are contrary to Islam and we hope to receive more information concerning alleged kidnappings and would like to have an open dialogue with our Christian brothers and sisters in the country.” [2]

References

[1] http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1252

[2] http://bikyamasr.com/wordpress/?p=4012

[3] http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100725/wl_africa_afp/egyptreligion_20100725235245

Yahya Snow (yahyasnow@hotmail.com)

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