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Cairo:
Father Mattaos Wahba was imprisoned by Egyptian
authorities for allegedly helping a Muslim woman acquire
a false identity card.
Father Mattaos Wahba, is the priest of Archangel Michael
Church at Kerdasa, Geza, Egypt. Recently he was
arrested, charged and tried for aiding a young Muslim
woman in getting an ID card that had falsified data
indicating her religion as Christian rather than Muslim.
The ID card was said to enable her to marry a Christian
man and to flee the country. On October, 2008, the court
found him guilty and sentenced him to 5 years at hard
labor.
However, the facts dictate entirely a different story.
The young woman, named Reham Abdel Aziz Rady, was born
to a Muslim family. She converted to Christianity and
underwent unbearable degrees of torturous harassments
from her family and Egypt’s Secret Police. She was
subsequently released from custody without an ID card.
This prevents her rightful privileges of citizenship.
She cannot get employment, rent living quarter, apply
for a passport; much less apply for a marriage license.
Even, if she still possessed her old Muslim ID, it would
prevent her from marrying a Christian. There is no legal
way to change the religion of a Muslim in an ID card.
In 2004, a wellintentioned person attempted to help her.
They allowed Reham to use an ID card belonging to a
recently deceased young Christian woman of approximately
the same age, named Mariam Nabil. Two years later,
Reham, now called Mariam, and a Christian man fell in
love and decided to marry. The couple contacted Fr.
Mattaos to conduct the marriage ceremonies. The priest
knew nothing of the false ID and Mariam’s former Muslim
background. In good faith he conducted the ceremony and
the newly wed couple fled the country.
On April 24, 2009, Mariam appeared with Brother Rasheed
on the popular Arabic Al Hayat TV program “A Daring
Question”. She testified,” Father Mattaos did not have
any role in getting my ID card. I did not know him then,
as this took place in 2004 and I got married in 2006.”
Mariam added, “I have the right to have an ID card that
reflects my true religious affiliation. The Egyptian
government does not give Muslims who convert to
Christianity a legal alternative to get these papers.
Had I been a Christian who wanted to convert to Islam, I
would have had all the help I needed. But, because I am
leaving Islam they put hurdles in my way.”
Father Mattaos did not commit a crime. He does not
deserve to be imprisoned. He is paying a price of
Egypt’s present day policy of denying religious freedom.
Ironically, their policy is against the Egyptian
constitution and standard human rights laws to which
Egypt is a signatory. Make no mistake about it. Father
Mattaos’ imprisonment is designed to send a message to
Coptic Egyptian priests and Protestant pastors: The
Egyptian government will deal harshly with any clergyman
who is suspected in aiding Muslims converting to
Christianity.
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