It has taken the world centuries to arrive at our current situation, a society where we must try to accept one another for who we are—regardless of race, gender or religion. It takes hard work to be able to tolerate one another and to be able to live together, and not just next to one another.
It is very sad to see certain racial groups destroying what has been built after years and decades of hard work; it is very disappointing to waste the efforts of the human race on wars and fighting.
One of the achievements that mankind has developed over the years is the introduction of democracy.
When I looked up the meaning of democracy in the Oxford dictionary, it was defined as: “Social equality, equality, classlessness.”
It hurts and infuriates me to admit that in our region, the Middle East, there is an absence of democracy. It makes me uncomfortable to confess that in my mother land, Egypt, we do not understand the meaning of democracy in “nation and government.”
But democracy is not the topic that I am here to tell you about; rather, the lack of it, and how it is very clear that neither the government nor the people comprehend or relate to any of the elements of Democracy.
I am also going to share my fact-finding experience in Egypt last spring. What I am about to tell you now is FACT, and not imagination or allegation or fabrication, as loads of the Egyptian media would imply.
As an example of the hundreds of cases in Egypt, I will present four to you. Each one represents a tragedy of its own. Two victims have come back to their homes and families, yet they have no life.
The other two have not yet returned to their lives. Special thanks to our police force for making it possible for the abductors to run free in our society, with the protection of the Egyptian government.
Case 1—Neveen Maher Albert Morcos
Born in 1985, Neveen was a student at the Tourisms and Hotel College in Alexandria. She worked with her sister as a salesperson at Carrefour department store near Alexandria. Neveen did not interact much with others at work. Neveen, a Copt, practiced her Christianity actively and regularly attended church services at St. Demiana Church, El Wardian-Alexandria, regularly visiting Father Thomas for confession.
Neveen, it should be noted, suffers from low blood pressure and hormonal deficiencies, which result in a loss of consciousness. Her family describes Neveen as a sensitive person; Neveen also was planning to be a nun prior to her kidnapping.
I met with Susan, Neveen’s older sister, who said that Neveen returned on the 13/2/2005 from a retreat to St Demiana’s Monastery in Damyat. Neveen surprised her family when she announced her intention of becoming a nun.
On the 14/2/2005 at about midday, she wanted to go to Damanhour to see Fr Thomas, as he was not in Alexandria. Damanhour is about an hour away by train from Alexandria. Neveen came back home to seek her mother’s permission to see her confession father in Damanhour. Neveen did not return that evening.
The family phoned Fr Thomas, who confirmed that she did not go to see him. Many retreat houses in Damanhour and St Demiana’s convent at Damyat were checked, but Neveen wasn’t there.
A missing persons report was filed at the local police station and the State Security office by her brother, Sabry. An officer named Essam Shawky told Sabry “We don’t have any clue about her whereabouts, but I will do my best to find her, dead or alive, so that we can alleviate your suffering.” The family called the officer several times, though each time he would respond by telling them that the search hadn’t turned anything up, and was ongoing.
After 8 days, the State Security Service informed Fr Armia, a Priest in Alexandria, that Neveen had decided to convert to Islam. Fr Armia notified the family. Fr Thomas and Fr Mikhail and invited them to participate in a ‘religious guidance’ session on 28/02/2005.
Father Thomas and Father Mikhail attended the session and the reverend fathers were convinced that Neveen was under intense pressure and/or drugged. The reverend fathers came to this conclusion because it was obvious from the way Neveen was responding to their questions.
I would like to highlight the following:
• The family was not given permission to attend the ‘religious guidance’ session.
• Neveen did not have an ID at the time of the “religious guidance” session, however a police officer left the room and returned not long thereafter with an ID which was issued on 15/2/05, and one day after she disappeared.
• The ‘religious guidance session’ was held at the National Security headquarters in Alexandria, and not in a neutral place as required by law.
• A second session was scheduled on 10/3/2005. This time, the family was permitted to enter the building but they were forced into a room on their own, far from the ‘religious guidance’ session room. Neveen, however, did not attend the 2nd session.
There have been many letters and appeals to the State Security Police, but until this moment there is no news about Neveen. It has been 9 months since her disappearance and the police still have no developments.
Let me draw a few more points to your attention before we move on to the next case:
1. Neveen disappeared after she left home to meet with her confession father. She never made it to her destination.
2. The sequence of events does not make logical sense. If she was going to run away with a Muslim man, why would she announce that she was going to be a nun? Why would she spend a lot of time in prayer and reflection?
3. If the police managed to get her for the 1st meeting why did they fail then to get her back for the 2nd session?
4. What efforts have the police made apart from helping to keep her whereabouts a mystery until this moment? And why?
5. Ahmed Mohamad Sayed El Batanoni, a retired high ranking police officer, whose name was linked to two cases of kidnapping in Alexandria, coincidently happens to be running a law firm and also is the main legal representation of the Islamic Brotherhood in Alexandria. He was never questioned by the police.
Neveen’s mother later suffered a stroke as a result of her daughter’s absence and from the absence of fairness and helping. The family members are destroyed financially, emotionally, socially and physically due to the vast pressures that they are enduring.
Case 2: Heidi Hakim Mankerious Salib
D.O.B 04/02/1987
Heidi’s story was published on a number of Coptic sites on the internet, in addition to the newsletter of “Tears of the Oppressed” in Australia. I came across Heidi’s case before I left to go to Egypt, through contact with her brother who lives in Australia. When I was in Egypt, I met with other people who showed me where and how she lived.
Heidi’s story started 4 years ago. A Muslim man in his early 30’s worked across the road from Heidi’s residence in a panel-beating shop. His name is Mustafa. Heidi was only 14 at the time, and this man—old enough to be her father—started to play with her emotions.
A religious leader in the area who is well known to the police and the rest of the neighborhood, Sheikh Osama, knew Mustafa and his family very well. He used Mustafa and his sister to manipulate young Heidi into running away, convert to Islam and marry a Muslim man.
On 6th of April 2004, Heidi left at 2:00pm to meet her tutor, and never came back. A report was filed at the Rod El Farag Police station in Cairo. Mustafa was questioned and openly admitted to knowing the whereabouts of Heidi. Heidi was not seen until 7th April when the family spotted her in a car, arriving at the police station with Sheik Osama. Heidi was clothed in traditional Islamic clothing. Her family was not permitted to speak to her, however permission was granted that Mustafa could communicate with her. After all, Mustafa was the one who abducted her.
After negotiating with the Sheik and Mustafa, Heidi was handed back to her family. The family was ordered to sign a written contract stating that they were not to harm or abuse her. Mustafa walked out without any charges. He also made a promise to Heidi’s family to take the girl again.
Mustafa and a few other men damaged the car that Heidi left the police station in, right in front of them. The police did not interfere. The crucifix tattooed on Heidi’s wrist had been removed, it was apparent that she was under the influence of drugs, and that she’d been raped.
The family returned home with Heidi and tried to mend recent occurrences but two months later she disappeared again, this time failing to return.
The family knows where Heidi lives; they know that the man made her convert with a written contract of marriage, but not through a proper marriage celebrant or Imam. She was converted to Islam before she reached the age of 18 and there was no consultation with the church to guide her.
Points to draw your attention to:
1. No one was charged or convicted with the kidnapping of Heidi
2. Al Azhar accepted her conversion without any consultation with the church, as had been agreed upon between al- Azhar and the Church (in case of any conversion to the other religion); additionally, she was underage at the time of conversion (7/4/2004).
3. There was no effort, once again, by the police to rescue Heidi from her abductors.
4. The family was attacked and thrown out of the police station because they were asking to press charges against Mustafa.
5. Until this moment, I have not heard of any Muslim man charged with any kidnapping or rape of a Coptic girl—and we have numerous cases.
We move on to the 3rd case, and the name of the person involved is blocked for security reasons.
Case 3 (of which I will give the name Nadia)
Nadia is a Christian woman who is 30 years of age. She has a personal trauma that continues to haunt her, and will for the rest of her life. It came about because of her motherly instincts to try and save her daughter’s life.
In the beginning of 2001, Miriam (once again name blocked), Nadia’s five year old daughter, was diagnosed with severe anemia. Miriam needed one litre of blood every month. She was sent to the university hospital in El Menya to be treated. Blood in Egypt is sold just like any product. Nadia, who is married to a handyman who goes from house to house looking for work, and has another 4 children to care for, couldn’t afford to buy any blood.
The Muslim doctor who treated Miriam told Nadia to go and get blood from the nearby Mosque. She did what she was told, walked to the mosque and asked for the Imam of the mosque. After asking for the blood, she was also given sweets for the child and food for herself. The Imam of the mosque told her that she was more than welcome anytime to get free blood, and that he would look after her in every way. Nadia went home that day, happy that her daughter would live for a few extra days.
The following month came, and Nadia had to go through the same routine to get blood for her daughter. This time the Imam of the mosque sent a man, Shaban, with her to the hospital. She knew the man from her neighborhood. Nadia trusted Shaban, was happy that he went with her to the hospital and helped her to get the blood from the Mosque.
Shaban, by the way, was a married man with 4 kids of his own. The following month, Shaban went again with Nadia, and this time he told her directly that she needed money to bring the kids up, that he had the money, that Islam was the solution.
Once she converted, he promised, he’d marry her and look after her kids, put them in good schools, feed them, look after Miriam and make sure she gets well, and look after her—Nadia—and make her a mistress of a clean house.
He asked her if she would gather her 5 children and run away to Cairo the next morning to convert. Nadia did not have the nerve to go home and get the kids out of the house without the knowledge of her husband. So Shaban was happy to take the mother and child right after they finished at the hospital. It ended up taking 4 months of that relationship for Nadia to flee her new home with her daughter. But let’s have a look at Nadia’s road to Islam, first...
In August 2001 and after the hospital visit, Shaban took Nadia and her little girl to Cairo to Al Azhar to convert to Islam.
The legal procedures to change the records were done in a speedy way and without hassle. The Police did not notify the church in El Menya that one of its children intended to convert, and didn’t notify a priest to arrange for the proper counseling and procedures. Just like that, the conversion was complete.
Nadia was taken back to El Menya with her daughter to what is called “The Juristic Association”. The Juristic Association is an Islamic association that is funded by the government. In the Juristic Association, there is free medical consultation, free medicine, a social worker and a “Kottab,” which is a school that teaches the kids to recite the Quran. All these services are provided to Muslims free of charge. There is also another service in the juristic associations all over Egypt, a hidden service.
There is a separate part of the building that is kept under lock and key which is kept solely for those who are forced into conversion. They are kept in this building under video surveillance and security guards. They are taught the Quran every morning and every night. No one can enter that part of the building, apart from the veiled women who teach the converts the Quran, and about Islam.
Nadia was taken to this particular building with her daughter. The ISS (Internal Security Services) took Nadia to the clinic in the Juristic Association and removed her tattoo from her wrist (the Coptic cross). And not with a laser, either.
From day one, the president of the Association, Mr Mohammed Abd El Zaher (who also happens to be a lawyer), gave her a drink every morning.
According to Nadia, the drink was clear like water, and only half a glass. She used to take it and go straight to sleep.
After a few days, she asked the caretakers of the building (Habashy) about the drink. She was among a lot of other girls who were forced to convert. She was also the only one who was getting that morning drink. Nadia and her daughter stayed for two months in that place. When she was sober from the drugs that she was given, she would ask about her family—if they asked after her, etc.—but the answer she received day after day was that no one wanted to know anything about her.
After two months, Mohammed Abd El Zaher went to Mecca for 10 days. There was no morning drink and no drug. Nadia went through withdrawal symptoms. It took her a few days to calm down and regain a clear head.
At that time her sister in law visited her, wearing the long Islamic dress and the veil. After paying the caretaker, the sister in law managed to get into Nadia’s room and spoke with her, to confirm to her that the family wanted her back and that she was to escape.
It was Ramadan 2001, at the time of “Fotoor” when Muslims eat after fasting all day. It was a cold day in November. Nadia agreed with her sister in law that during the evening at 6pm, she would send her daughter one way or another onto the street and Nadia’s brother would be waiting with a car to take the little girl and for Nadia to escape. Nadia took her daughter down to the guard and told him that the girl will go across the road to get some sweets from the shop. As the little girl went out, she was taken by her uncle and aunt.
After a few minutes, Nadia screamed that her daughter was kidnapped by her family and that she wanted to go to the police. The person in charge took Nadia to the ISS to report the kidnapping of her daughter...
