CAIRO, Egypt — An Egyptian Christian who was arrested in August for alleged evangelizing of Muslims in suburban Cairo could be held indefinitely in prison on a false accusation of blasphemy, his attorney said. Medhat Ishak, a 35-year-old Christian from Ebid village in Minya Governorate, was arrested Aug. 7 while handing out Bibles to Muslims outside a mall and accused of evangelism. Although the charge was for “defamation of a revealed religion,” Ishak was held for 15 days, a detention that was extended an extra 15 days Aug. 24, according to Ishak’s attorney, Rafik Rafaat.
Rafaat said there is no such criminal charge as “evangelism” under Egyptian law, and that handing out Bibles or even promoting Christianity does not constitute “defaming a revealed religion.”
(MS)
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