Authorities in southern Egypt have arrested 155 Christians and other non-Muslims for publicly eating and drinking during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan. A Christian organization in the country warned the enforcement of Islamic law on non-Muslims would “create another Taliban in Egypt.”
The arrests, which occurred in the states of Aswan and Dakahlia and the resort city of Hurghada, were made to maintain order and decrease crime during the holy month, an unnamed government official said.
Human-rights organizations were quick to react, calling the arrests both illegal and unconstitutional.
“They violated personal freedom and will end up creating another Taliban in Egypt,” Samuel al-Ashay of the human-rights movement Copts for Egypt said. Copts for Egypt launched a campaign called “Save the Homeland” in response to the arrests, which were first reported Sept. 7. “We issued a statement to the Minister of the Interior calling upon him to investigate the arrests and put those in charge on trial,” Ashay said.
“There is no law that prohibits eating or drinking during the day in Ramadan. Every citizen has the right to eat and drink in Ramadan without being harassed,” Gamal Eid of the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information said. “This means that the government is implicitly endorsing turning Egypt into a religious state.”
This is the first time Egyptian officials have taken such steps. (BP)
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