Coptic Christian Priest Unjustly Tried And Imprisoned In Egypt
Father Mattaos Wahba
(RSD) -- Not all the facts were taken into account in a case last year where a Coptic priest was tried and sentenced to an Egyptian prison for his involvement in the falsification of an ID card indicating a young woman was Christian, rather than Muslim.
Father Mattaos Wahba, the priest of Archangel Michael Church at Kerdasa, Geza, Egypt, 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 State argued successfully that the ID card enabled the woman to marry a Christian man and flee the country. An Egyptian court found Fr Wahba guilty last October and sentenced him to five years of hard labor.However, the facts dictate entirely a different story, according to members of his church and Mounir Bishay of the Free Copts organization.
According to a press release by Free Copts, "the young woman, named Reham Abdel Aziz Rady, was born to a Muslim family. She converted to Christianity and underwent unbearable degrees of torturous harassment from her family and Egypt's Secret Police. She was subsequently released from custody without an ID card. Such 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."
That press release also noted that "In 2004, a well-intentioned 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, who 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, according to the Free Copt organization.
More recently, this past April 24, 2009, Mariam appeared with Brother Rasheed on the popular Arabic Al Hayat TV program "A Daring Question," where she testified that "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."
According to Free Copts, "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."
Church members describe Father Mattaos as "a pious man of God who encourages his congregation with Jesus' message of loving one's enemy, blessing those who curse you; doing good to those who hate you; and praying for those who spitefully use and persecute you. (Mathew 5:44) Father Mattaos is a model Egyptian citizen who has never committed a crime or seen the inside of a prison other than in the context of ministering to inmates."
"We call upon officials in the US State Department; Human Rights organizations; the global community of Christian believers; and all freedom loving people to join us in our outcry," said Free Copts. "We urge you to contact the Egyptian Embassy demanding the immediate release of Father Mattaos. Insist in strong tones that every Egyptian citizen be granted the basic human right to follow the religion of his/her choice."