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A
Muslim man has received a conversion certificate from
the Coptic Church for the first time in Egypt, according
to a report in the Daily News Egypt.
This is a significant development in the ongoing debate
on the right to change one's religion on Egyptian
identification cards. The man, Maher Al-Gohari, needed
the certificate from the church in order to verify to
the court that he had converted from Islam to
Christianity and request the change to be made on his
identification card.
Converting to Christianity remains a sensitive issue in
Egypt. Officially it is not illegal, but securing the
necessary paperwork and approval for it has so far
proved nearly impossible. This is only the second time a
conversion certificate has been requested. Last year a
court rejected a similar request from Mohamed Hegazy to
change his identification status from Muslim to
Christian.
Arab Vision is monitoring these developments in Egypt
closely, watching for further ramifications that could
impact the freedom and rights of many of its Muslim
television viewers who are drawn to Christ through its
programs. About 10 percent of Egypt's Christians 80
million inhabitants are Christians.
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