Aussie Pride

We celebrated Australia day yesterday. The flag was burnt in an Aboriginal demonstration, flyers with white supremacist slogans were distributed at the beach in Sydney, Mr Iemma called for teaching kids about Aus values at school, and getting them to sing the national anthem every morning, Mr Howard talked about respect and loyalty to the Australian values and how to integrate migrants into our society….but mainly, Aussies around the country relaxed, had a BBQ and a couple of drinks…watched the tennis or went to the beach.

This has got to be one of the best countries to live in, no matter where you come from. We are all free to voice our opinions here, a right that is not afforded to many of us in our countries of origin. But lately, and especially after the Cronulla riots, there’s been a lot of talk about Australia being a racist country. What? What country are these people living in?

A couple of days ago, there was a news item about Mr Iemma’s proposal on the evening news. He basically wants tour children to learn the national anthem and understand the importance of having common Australian values. Nothing wrong with that. Yet, many people said “oh! Well, we wouldn’t want to get too “American” about it”. As if being patriotic is limited to the American people. As if it’s bad to be patriotic?!

Mr Howard’s speech on Australia day also raised a few objections. “He wants us to have shared values? He wants us to share Judeo-Christian white values? Noway!” they said.

It seems there are so many people in this beautiful country of ours, who believe we should sacrifice good old Aussie values “just so we don’t offend the migrants” or “just so we don’t foster an us and them atmosphere”

Well, my friends, I am a migrant. And I am telling you that even though you have the best intentions; it seems you might be the ones generating the us and them atmosphere. Why do you assume that all migrants want to isolate themselves from the rest of society? This is one country where people come from all corners of the world. It’s not fair to ask them to abandon their heritage…but it is equally unfair to expect this society to change just to suit everyone’s heritage, beliefs and values.

When my family and I came here over 15 years ago, we were happy to have the opportunity to live in a place where we had actual real freedoms…not just on paper. As long as we had the right to practice our faith, have our own opinions on issues, vote and generally exist here as respected citizens we were happy…happy to accept our responsibilities as citizens, respect others and most of all happy to be loyal to the country that offered us a chance for a better life. We never had the expectation that Australia must change to fit into our value system.

That’s the way it should be guys. Australians are by far the most tolerant people I have met, and I am ecstatic to be counted among them as a proud Aussie girl. This is our home and there’s nothing wrong about being proud of it and protecting its safety. Nobody forced anyone to come here. In fact many come here on boats seeking refuge in this great country. The law here protects everyone equally and if you work hard, you get rewarded no matter what your colour, ethnicity, sex or religion you are. The least we can do in return is to be loyal to this country…our country and our fellow Aussies.

Happy Australia Day All.

A Mother's Journey: Those Wise Eyes

I have neglected my "Mother's Journal" for a while now. Ironically, mainly because my little princess "Angel" has kept me very busy. What little time I had left I had decided to dedicate to my other passion in this life, the suffering of Copts in Egypt. No matter, it is time to resume my journal because each day that passes brings more and more that I want to write down...want to capture for fear I may one day forget.

The other day I was doing some grocery shopping. As I walked past a florist shop I caught the lovely smell of fresh flowers. Two years ago I would have been delighted to smell fresh flowers, in fact it was on my top 3 favorite smells list along with fresh baked bread and a good strong coffee aroma. Not anymore! Now smelling fresh flowers takes me back to that lovely room in the maternity ward where I had my Angel. To the beginning of my feelings of despair and inadequacy. To the great rush of love I felt for her that was mingled with a strange fear that something bad might happen if I should close my eyes and leave her alone in this world for a couple of hours, just to catch up on much needed sleep.

The day she was born is as fresh in my memory as ever. What I recall the most about it, is the late hours of that night. My Angel was but 5 hours old, swaddled in her soft wraps. Face so perfect she looked more like a 2 week old baby...no wrinkles or closed eyes. In fact her beautiful almond shaped eyes were wide open. Everyone had left and my poor husband fell into a deep sleep on the couch. It was just me and Angel. She had that look on her face...that look of someone who "knows"...as if she's been here before. It actually made me shiver. It made me want to protect her so much more for some reason.

My Angel baby...my sweet Angel baby. My gift from the Lord. She's no longer a baby of course. According to her she's a "big girl" and also "mummy's best friend" (no argument from mummy here sweetness). Back when she was a newborn, I was afraid she didn't love me back. I was afraid I'd fail her and she would just not love me. I sometimes wished I'd die...But then I go scared...scared that if I died, nobody would know how to love her as much as I do. Those days were horrible. That feeling of helplessness, of being put through the motions every day with not a soul aware of the pain inside of me. I couldn't even bring myself to be aware of that pain. Couldn't explain it.

I still remember those days because they help me appreciate the happy moments all the more now. The moments when she showers my face with kisses, or squeals with delight when I get back from work, or hides in my arms when she's tired...and all the little things like how touches my face and smiles, and how she insists on feeding me little pieces of her food. If I ask God for anything, it is to keep her from harm and help my husband and I raise her in Christ's love. I also pray that no mother should feel alone or lost...it does get better, so much better than you could imagine.

A Silent World

If the events that took place in the Udayssat village in Upper Egypt last week, had taken place in any civilised country on the face of the earth, you'd expect to see some media coverage of it.

Mysteriously, the Egyptian media has steered clear of the events. Even the seedy newspapers that delight in publishing such events (AlOsboa and Al Naba)The BBC reported it...or should we say, misreported it, initially. But there was no updates on the man who succumbed to his injuries and died, or the 13 year old child who suffered a heart attack as a result of the horror he witnessed that day. Why the silence??

Do these people mean this little to their government that the attacks on their liberties, their place of worship and their safety is so trivial? Listen to me...I'm hallucinating!! As if the government cares. The police present AT THE TIME OF THE ATTACK said "we're not here to protect you" to the priest!!! So why are you here sunshine? To aid the attackers?? it would seem so.

2 lives lost. Many more ruined. The world turns away. Why? Scared of being labeled anti-Islamic if they say something, if they dare report the events as they happen...Even the BBC, which has been a reliable source of news for the Arab world takes extreme care not to show Islam in a negative light.

I wonder how many would have expressed their outrage around the world if a group of Muslims were attacked while trying to build a mosque??

POLICE OBSTRUCT SEARCH FOR MISSING CHRISTIAN WOMAN

Another installment in the painful saga of the stolen Coptic women.
This is the story of Marianna Rezk Shafik Attallah
taken from compassdirect and coptichistory.org

Three months after his 20-year-old daughter disappeared while on an errand from work, Coptic Christian Rezk Shafik Attallah remains convinced that she has been kidnapped by a former police constable.


Attallah said his daughter, Marianna Rezk Shafik Attallah, left work May 30 at the Al-Ra’ay medical laboratory in El-Fayoum, 60 miles south of Cairo, to pick up a patient’s blood sample from a residential address. Neither her family nor her fiancé have heard from her since.


When she failed to return home, her fiancé, Bishoy Hosni, went searching for her at her workplace. Mohammed Salah No’man, owner of the No’man Computer Center neighboring the Al-Ra’ay lab, told him that a Muslim employee of his, Ali Mahmoud Abdel Rasoul, had kidnapped the young woman.


Reportedly Rasoul, who had been maintaining the Al-Ra’ay laboratory computers, had previously been fired from the police force for “bad behavior.”


Police Obstuction

After hearing this, Attallah filed a report with the police on the day of his daughter’s disappearance, naming Rasoul as her suspected kidnapper. But the officials on duty refused to give him the case number.

At the same time, a State Security Investigation (SSI) officer declared that Rasoul had packed up his household goods and moved 250 miles further south to Sohag, taking Attallah’s daughter with him. But he warned the young woman’s father and fiancé to stop looking for her, declaring she had left of her own free will.


The woman’s fiancé remained skeptical. “If she went of her own free will,” Hosni told Compass, “then why didn’t she come to say that [to us]?”


Soon afterwards, rumors spread in their district of El-Fayoum that Marianna Attallah had left her Christian faith and converted to Islam. But Hosni dismissed the claims, saying that during their courtship, it had been her close relationship with God and active involvement in the church that had helped bring him to a deeper understanding of his Christian faith.


Employer Involvement in Abduction
It also became evident to him that Marianna Attallah’s employer, a Coptic woman named Ivon Asa’ad was involved somehow in the young woman’s disappearance.


A graduate of a local school of commerce, Marianna Attallah had taken a job at the lab on March 15, her meager salary of 90 Egyptian pounds ($15) per month supplementing her father’s limited income as a tailor.


But the young woman’s parents realized that something at work was disturbing her, causing her to spend long hours alone crying. So despite their financial straits to provide for her and her four siblings, they encouraged Marianna Attallah to quit her job. Relieved, she resigned on May 28. The next day Asa’ad visited her at the family’s house, offering to more than double her salary if she would return.


The offer was too good to turn down, and she returned to the lab on May 30. But when Hosni later telephoned Asa’ad, questioning the circumstances of his fiancée’s errand and disappearance, within an hour police summoned him and the young woman’s father.


“Why did you call Miss Ivon?” the SSI officer asked them. “Don’t call her again. Marianna was not kidnapped. She went of her free will.”


Cruel Joke on Desperate Father

The SSI has continued to stonewall the Attallah family’s attempts to recover their daughter. On August 11, a security officer called the father, suggesting that he buy a cell phone so that the police could contact him whenever they learned his daughter’s whereabouts.


Attallah scraped together enough money to buy the phone and gave the police his number. Soon afterwards the officer called, telling him that his daughter was in Alexandria and promising that if he went to meet her, he could bring her back home.


Burning with hope, the father traveled the 200 miles north to Alexandria, where the officer called him again. “Your daughter is across the street from you,” he was told.


Spotting a veiled woman, the father approached and tried to speak with her, but she ran away from him and got on a bus. When he followed and tried again to speak with her, other passengers thought he was harassing the woman and started beating him, finally forcing him to get off the bus.


“They are enjoying torturing that poor father,” commented a human rights activist who interviewed Attallah in late August.


Although Attallah sent faxed petitions about his daughter’s case to the interior minister, SSI headquarters in El-Fayoum and Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenoudah III, he has received no reply.


Hundreds of young Coptic women disappear and are reported kidnapped each year in Egypt, but their families’ claims are difficult to prove.


At the same time, security officials frequently prevent Christian parents from having contact or private access to their daughters once they have been located, instead leaving them in the custody of the Muslim “protector” who abducted them.

Here we go again...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4628168.stm

Egyptian church clash injures 12
At least 12 people were injured in clashes in Upper Egypt when a group of Muslims attempted to stop Christians converting a house into a church.
Security officials said the Muslims set fire to building materials for the building in Odaysat, near Luxor.

Several members of both communities were reported injured in the subsequent clashes, as well as two policemen.

It is the latest in a series of violent sectarian incidents in Egypt in the past few months.

A security source quoted by Reuters said the Christians did not have official permission to build the church.

Police arrested 10 young men and the owners of the house, reports say.

Correspondents say curbs on building churches have been one of the main grievances among Copts, although these restrictions have been eased recently by presidential decree.

The Coptic Christian community is believed to make up 10% percent of Egypt's population of about 70 million.
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Every time something like this happens, you hope and pray it is the last. When will it end?? When has it become so acceptable for the people to take the law into their hands and burn others property over a permit?

Like a bunch of villagers in Upper Egypt care about permits!!! Please!

Truth is they don't want the Christians in the village to have a place to worship. As if that would somehow weaken their faith!! It is absolutely confusing sometimes, how Muslims are determined to wipe away all other faiths and ideologies by force. Why not just live and let live?
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Matthew 10:28-30
28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny[d]? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all

ولا تخافوا من الذين يقتلون الجسد ولكن النفس لا يقدرون ان يقتلوها .بل خافوا بالحري من الذي يقدر ان يهلك النفس والجسد كليهما في جهنم .

29 أليس عصفوران يباعان بفلس .وواحد منهما لا يسقط على الارض بدون ابيكم .

30 واما انتم فحتى شعور رؤوسكم جميعها محصاة .

Mercenaries of God

A thought occured to me this morning as an Egyptian Muslim guest, Mohamad told me I should "find the truth" about Islam.

In fact I have learnt much about Islam throughout my life. At school in Egypt, we studied Islamic history, learnt the Quran and Ahadith and studied the life of prophet Mohammad. I have recently re-read the Quran, just to satisfy myself I wasn't being irrational or single minded about this religion.

What stood out to me the most as I was contemplating Mohamad's request for me to find teh truth, was that in Islam, for the first time God suddenly started asking men to fight and kill for Him.

In the Old Testament, which Muslims believe in and believe in all the prohets mentioned in it, when God was displeased with His people's deeds He always dealt with it. He didn't ask Noah to kill the people. He asked him to speak to the people and show them God's way. But when they didn't listen, He told Noah to leave with his family and animals. God sent the flood.

Similarily, Lot was never asked to burn Soddom and Gemorah. He was just asked to leave. God sent the fire. Moses wasn't asked to fight the Egyptians...God sent the 10 plagues.

Suddenly in Islam, God required His people to fight, kill and maim to preserve God's word (read sourat El Tawba or soura 9 for example or refer to Sahih El Boukhari). Why? Why did God suddenly need the help of mercenaries? Is Islam's God so weak that he requires the hands of men to do his bidding?

I only want Christ…no one else will do

I only want Christ…no one else will do
This is the story of Niven Maher Albert, of Camp Shizar Alexandria.

Niven was 19 years old when she disappeared on the 14th of February 2005. To all those who claim these girls went willingly to Islam…pay attention to this story….

Niven wanted to be a nun.

Niven had a sister Susan to whom she was very close. Niven was enrolled in a travel and tourism course, but she didn’t attend classes. She got lecture notes from friends and only attended exams. Her time was spent at church, home and a small store where she had a part time job. That store was right next to her sister Susan’s place of work. Niven didn’t go anywhere else on her own. She had spent several days traveling to several monasteries, convents and spiritual retreat spots. She came back home on the evening of the 13th February. Her sister Susan noticed she was quieter than usual so she asked her what was wrong.

Niven said “I’m not sure if I’ll be around here much longer”
Susan: What do you mean? Where are you going?
Niven: I want to become a nun. I spoke to Mother Simone and asked her to accept me into the convent.

Susan says she was upset to hear this from her sisters. They were close and Niven was her only sister. She knew if Niven became a nun she would never marry, have children and Susan would in a sense lose her sister’s companionship. Susan asked their brother Sabri to speak to Niven. When Sabri spoke to his sister about it that night she said to him and to Susan “It’s OK, I only Christ…I don’t want anyone else, no one else will do”

Her brother and sister implored her to take some time to think it over and talk to her confession father, father Thomas of Al Wardeyan. So the next day, 14th February she left home to go see him. Witnesses say they saw her arrive at the church and ask for Father Thomas. When she didn’t find him, she called him on his mobile. Father Thomas says that when she called him he was in “St Demiana’s Bait Al Karma” which is in El Baheira, outside Alexandria. She was insistent to meet him and told him she’d come to see him there. The last thing she said to him that day was that she’ll ask her parents permission and she’ll go see him that afternoon. She did call home and ask her mother’s permission to travel to see father Thomas and her mother said it was OK.

She never got there.

When she didn’t come back that evening her family was extremely worried and started to look for her everywhere. The next day, 15th February, Susan went to report her missing at the police and Sabri to lodge a report at Moderyat Al Amn (National Security) and there was a detective called Essam Shawqi. Det Shawqi reassured Sabri and told him “I will find her for you, don’t worry. Living or dead, I will find her” and the distraught family waited fearing the worst.

8 days later, Father Thomas called Bishop Armeya who told him he will help search for the missing girl. Bishop Armeya took her details and started making some calls. He found out, by sheer coincidence that there was a session booked for Niven on the 28th February to confess her conversion to Islam at Moderyat Al Amn (another conversion surrounded by security police)

This came as a shock to Father Thomas and the family who knew of their daughter’s intent to become a nun. It was also a shock that all along the authorities claimed they didn’t know anything about Niven when in fact the session was to be held in their offices. Also, the authorities are required by law to inform the girl’s family (because she is a minor according to Egyptian law) and her parish priest.

In any case, father Thomas of St Demiana’s church in Al Wardeyan, and Father Mikhail of Al Mansheya church (father Mikhail was a police officer prior to being ordained, and as such has knowledge of the due process meant to take place). They both went to attend this session on 28/02/05. Her family couldn’t see her because the authorities wouldn’t issue them with permits.

When Niven entered the room she barely greeted father Mikhail then sat as far away from him as possible. She said “they’ve warned me not talk to you specifically” (most probably because they knew he was a police officer). She also said “I’ve talked to very important people and they said not talk to you”. Father Mikhail told her that her family was outside and wanted to see her. Upon hearing this she yelled “No NO!! not my family…please not my family”. He mentioned her sister missed her, and he said, you want to see Susan?? I’ll call her for you. She was frightened and gritted her teeth saying “don’t say Susan. Don’t do this to Suzie”

Father Mikhail asked Niven if she had an Identity card. She said she never had one. Knowing the law, he said to the officer present “this session must be cancelled. She doesn’t have an ID card” At that, the officer said he had Niven’s ID card. He produced an ID card in the old paper format (ID cards are all plastic cards now in Egypt, the paper version is no longer produced for new applications) The ID card he produced to father Mikkhail was issued on the 15th of February 2005!!! ONE DAY AFTER HER DISAPPEARANCE (a major feat of accomplishment in a country where burucracy reigns supreme. It usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to obtain an ID card) This ID card was issued to a minor, without her guardian’s signature (required by the law) or a birth certificate!!!!!!!!!!! Moreover, the address on the card is at 2 Abu El Feda street, Al Attareen. When this address was investigated later, it was found to be the address of a group of warehouses!

Niven was visibly shaken and kept repeating 2 phrases as if she had memorized them “I am convinced. Don’t worry” When asked by her priest “Can you tell me what attracted you to Islam?” she answered “Oh no, I don’t want to talk about religion. Lets not talk about religion” Father Thomas said “what about Jesus? You always told me you loved Christ so much that you wanted to be a nun” At that she lowered her head and stared at the floor and said nothing. The priests told her not to be scared, no matter what. They said to her no matter what happened to her, if she was raped, if she was pregnant…don’t be afraid and tell us what’s going on. She said nothing.

The priests said she visibly distressed and asked to see her again for another session. They were told to come back 10/03/05. The family also tried to obtain permits to go see their daughter. Susan went on the morning of the 10th March and was lead into a room by a low ranking officer who upon learning what she was here for said “Niven is not coming today” Susan said she’d wait for her sister. An officer called Khalid Al Agamy started to yell at Susan and said to her “Even if you bring your whole family, your whole street, then the street next to yours…and there’s only half a meter between you and sister, I won’t let you touch her…we’re not scared of the likes of you” Then he just sat at his desk swearing under his breath, and after a while, without making or receiving any calls or speaking to anyone just said “She’s not coming. She must’ve changed her mind”

Sabri and his father went back to see the detective he saw at the start, Essam Shawqi who was sympathetic. Sabri asked him “how do you expect me to believe that after she often expressed her desire to be a nun, even the night before her disappearance, then she wakes up and thinks suddenly that she wants to be Muslim!!!???” Shawqi didn’t answer him. Sabri asked him again;” why was the session of 10/03 cancelled??”
Shawqi said “its one of two things: She either changed her mind about becoming Muslim, or “they” decided to spend more time working with her”

No one heard anything about Niven since then.

Now for these questions:

1. Why would a girl on her way to becoming a nun suddenly find Islam in one morning?

2. Why did the authorities tell her family they didn’t know where she was, when they in fact issued her an ID care?

3. How can they issue an ID card to a minor without any birth certificate or the signature of her guardian?

4. Why was the ID card in the old paper format? Whats the rush? And whats that address??

5. Why was she so frightened if her sister became involved? Did she fear her sister could meet the same fate?

6. Why warn her not to speak to the priest who was a police officer?

7. Who are “they” that have access to her and are “working with her” when her own family is denied even the knowledge of her whereabouts?

The Truth According to Who?

After posting the first of the stories concerning the controversial topic of forced conversions in Egypt, I received a comment from Mohamad. I really wanted to address your comment properly Mohamad and that's why I thought I'd put my reply in a post.

First of all, let me tell you I respect your zeal for your faith. I also respect the fact that you try to seek the truth. If you read my post titled "Stolen" you would have seen that I stated "You may or may not believe what you read....that's up to you" and I still stand by that comment. However you raised a couple of things I felt I needed to discuss with you. I pray you receive my reply with an open mind as I do not intend to attack your views at all. I am merely addressing your comments.

"If you know Gamal As'ad(a CHRISTIAN egyptian thinker)he said that he lived near alot of these accidents and after the reality of disappearing revealed the truth was that the christian girl LOVED(is love is forced to be created) the muslim boy and marry him and then she read about Islam and convert to Islam by her own freedom."

Like in any community, there are those who are respected members, and those who aren't. Just because Gamal As'ad says something it doesn't make it true. Unfortunately the Coptic community has some members who like to publicly side with the government and say things that mostly harm their community. This is usually due to one of the following reasons:
1) they have problems with church leaders
2) they are trying to achieve personal gain
3) they are under pressure to say these things

My question to you Mohamad; why do you believe what he says as opposed to what 100's of 1000's of Copts are saying?

You pose a question about whether love can be forced to exist. No I don't believe you can force someone to love you. But when that someone is a 15 year old girl, and you lead her on instead of doing the right thing then that's a crime. In fact Egyptian law clearly states that a minor cannot legally marry or convert without her guardian's permission.

My question for you Mohamad: if your sister came to you and said "Mohamad; I love this Coptic guy and I am going to marry him no matter what...." What would you do?

"If you know Al-Osbo' newspaper it published an article with Marian and Kristin and narated their story date 2\1\2006.Ask any egyptian friend to send it to you!"

I heard about the article although I haven't read it. I think you live in Egypt so I would have thought you'd know by now what kind of paper Al Osboa is. It is a newspaper that was branded by many Egyptian journalists as a "yellow newspaper" (a term that indicates it is a cheap paper that can neither be trusted nor respected)It is the same newspaper that published the article which sparked the Alexandria Violence a couple of months ago. Same one that published a horrible article defaming Coptic convents and monasteries in Egypt. So would I really pay attention to it? With that history, afraid not. However, (and sorry I'm going to start with a question this time) do you really believe the girls would have said "actually, you know what...we didn't really want to be Muslims. Made a mistake and wanna go home now"???????????????
I don't think so. Why? first of all rejecting Islam is not allowed and you should know that. It's a one way street and you can't turn back. Many do I know, but they have to do it in secret. How could a couple of teenage girls say they want to go back in a newspaper??

Which brings me to my next point...they are TEENAGERS...MINORS. What kind of man or men allowed themselves to get involved with a couple of minors, to the extent that they lead them to abandon their families and their religion??? How would you feel if they were your daughters?? MINORS!!! their conversion is illegal and so is their marriage.

"And do you know the full story of Wafa'a Qustanteen?!!So who force who?!!"
AH! I was waiting for that one. Of course I know her story...as much as anyone really knows her story. Fact is Mohamad, nobody knows the reality of what happened there. She also released a statement saying she is embracing Christianity again...why don't you believe that? Why have you chosen to be selective about what you believe? You'll say she was coerced to say that, well I could tell you that those girls were coerced too. In fact I would go as far as saying they didn't even give that interview and it was all fabricated. It's not like we're talking about a respected newspaper here.

Have you personally spoken to Wafa Qostantin?? Do you know what is in her thoughts or heart? I don't. And frankly I don't really care to know. She's a grown woman in her 40s.

One final thing. I am not a mathematical genius, but I know a couple of things about statistics. I know enough to tell me that one case (Wafa Qostantine) doesn't really set a trend or indicate Christians are forcing people to convert. But 5000 reported cases in one year kinda have a bit more pull. Even if some are not really kidnappings or coercion, you have to wonder what could possibly make 5000 families in one year to claim their daughters were kidnapped or forcibly converted.

Mohamad; I said before that I respected your search for the truth. I pray that you find the courage to accept the truth even if it goes against what you think and believe.

God Bless you Mohamad, and Bless All His Children

Mum; your daughter is dead

These were the words a young Coptic girl said to her mother at a police station after her ordeal with Muslim gangs, who specialize in kidnapping and converting Coptic girls to Islam.

This is the story of Dr. Maryanne Makram (23) and her friend Dr. Therese Ayad (23) of Al Fayyom in Egypt’s south.

Maryanne and Therese were in the process of finishing their final year in their medical degree when tragedy struck. They were both interns at the Fayyom university hospital, and it was their habit to contact their families if they had to stay back due to an emergency.

However, on February 28th, 2005 they were late, and there was no phone call. So their families contacted the hospital and were told that their daughters left on time. After an agonizing search and after reporting their daughter’s disappearance, the families learnt that Maryanne and Therese were at the National Security office and that they have converted to Islam. This came as a shock to the distraught families as there were no signs of either girl showing interest in conversion.

When news of this came out, people feared this was another kidnapping and forced conversion. The police weren’t saying or doing much to relieve the anxiety of the parents and the Coptic community. So thousands of Coptic youth came together to demonstrate at St George’s church. They were outraged at the injustice that often befalls their community and at the apparent cooperation of the police with the kidnappers.

The families of Maryanne and Therese wanted to meet with their daughters and talk to them. They were understandably hurt and bewildered. However their requests were initially denied. After a while they were allowed to see their daughters in the presence of heavy security….heavy ARMED security.

A brother of one of the girls is a pharmacist. When he saw his sister he noticed her pupils are dilated and her speech is slurred. He deduced she was drugged. Both girls were shaking and repeating the exact same words over and over again. They would say “Your daughter is dead…I am dead to you. It’s ok. I’d sacrifice myself for you. I love you and am afraid for you”. One of the girls embraced her mother and cried saying “please mum don’t leave me”. Then she looked up and saw the armed police around her, so she pushed her mother away screaming “leave me alone…leave me” A family member present in the room at the time noticed the policemen looking threateningly at the girls if they showed any signs of wanting to leave with their families.

In order to break up the demonstration at St George’s church, the police summoned two priests and informed them they can have access to a private discussion with the girls, as is stated in by law before a conversion is deemed official. The demonstrators went home but the fate of one of the girls is still unknown.

One of the girls is said to have returned to her family. It is suspected that this is a result of the girl’s uncle, who lives in Italy, and who submitted a complaint to the Vatican. However, this has not been confirmed. It’s worth noting that the police seized the families’ mobiles and warned them not to report the events to any party outside Egypt.


Questions that beg to be answered:

To those who claim that the Coptic girls are merely attracted to Islam and that’s why they abandon their church and families willingly:

1. Conversions usually take place at Al-Azhar. Why were these girls kept at the National Security office??
2. If they were willing converts, why were their families denied access to speak to them? (My humble opinion is that this was done to allow time for drugs and coercion to be effective)
3. Why didn’t the police call the priests and allow them time to speak with the girls as is demanded by the law? Are the police not supposed to protect the people and uphold the law?
4. What is the meaning of “I’d sacrifice myself for you…I’m afraid for you”??? It seems they were threatened that their families may be hunted down and killed if they didn’t convert. Many returned victims of kidnapping report they received threats of this nature.
5. Finally, if the girls wanted to run away and willingly convert, why didn’t they just run away that morning? Why did they turn up to the hospital and spend a normal day performing their duties then suddenly disappear at the end of the day? Fayyom is a small town and if they wanted to run away, they would have had to go to another city…possibly to Cairo. What difference was one more day at work going to make?

STOLEN: Stories of the Victims of Islam in Egypt

If you read any of my previous posts, you'll know about the kidnapping and forced conversions of Coptic girls in Egypt. This, among other forms of discrimination, is what Copts have endured for about 1400 years. In my opinion, this is one of the worst kinds of oppression...I would even go as far as saying this is a type of ethnic cleansing. Yet it goes on and the perpetrators are never punished. What is worse is that most Muslims deny it even takes place.

That is why I decided to publish a series of accounts of these crimes. These accounts are taken from sources such as:
www.coptichistory.org
www.copts.net
www.amcoptic.com
www.meca-love4all.com

You may or may not believe what you read....that's up to you. But I felt that ignoring the pain of these women adds more humiliation to what they have already suffered. It's the duty of anyone with a conscience to, in the very least, give a voice to their suffering.

You're kidding...right?

That's what I said to my husband this morning as I was giving my daughter her breakfast. I missed what the news reader said...I just caught "Bondi...flag ban..." you see and I asked him "what was that about?" He said "The Aussie flag can't be erected at Bondi because it might incite violence"
"You're kidding...right?"

What is happening to this country?? How in God's name is it "the right thing to do" to ban the symbol of this nation? If any group of people is offended to see our flag...DON'T STAY HERE. It's easy. You have the right...the RIGHT TO LEAVE.

If we as a society keep shedding our identity bit by bit, just to appease a group of people then it will be over. It'll be over for democracy and free speech. It'll be over for freedom of expression. It'll be over for all the things that make this a great place...possibly the best place to be in the world.

My family came here to find a life where their children could grow up free and safe. Now I worry about raising my own daughter in an atmosphere where we're told Christmas is offensive, serving ham in hospitals is offensive, and now our own flag is offensive.

Shame on you Waverly council...SHAME!