Egyptian court hears appeal of Coptic Christians

CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court heard a final appeal in June for 45 Coptic Christian citizens who were denied their attempt to legally reclaim their Christian identities after officially converting to Islam. All 45 plaintiffs have declared they want to return to their Christian faith.

Coptic lawyer Naguib Gabriel told the court June 18 that a lower administrative court’s April ruling against his 45 clients’ joint-action suit had “embarrassed the Egyptian government at an international level.” The state refusal “says that the government is forcing people to embrace beliefs against their free will,” Gabriel said. “It is forcing them according to their official papers to belong to a religion they don’t believe in.”