Christians in the Middle East and North Africa are facing increasing insecurity as their countries undergo huge changes in their political structures.
It's a time of great opportunity for all those nations caught up in the Arab Spring, and as Andrew Boyd, press officer for "Release International" says, "nobody is going to stand up and say three cheers for hardline dictators who've kept their countries repressed for years. It's fundamental that there should be a move towards democracy in these nations, but at the same time, because the lid has been taken off - nation after nation - in that world, what we are seeing is an increasing tension beteween secular factions who want democracy, and islamist factions who want to see in one form or another, a form of islamic law brought into these nations".
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia (right) speaks with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. 'It’s no secret that they have been terrified of the prospect of the Egyptian 'contagion' spreading to their societies.' Photograph: Reuters
While protesters were fighting street battles with the military police in Cairo last week, Egyptian officials were bowing courteously before King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia asking forgiveness for the unruly behaviour of demonstrators outside his embassy in Cairo.
Senior generals promise to cede power to new president by 30 June – a pledge regarded by many Egyptians with suspicion
Major General Mokhtar al Molla (left) and Major General Mohammed al-Assar at the news conference in Cairo. Photograph: Asmaa Waguih/Reuters
Egypt's ruling generals have launched an aggressive defence of their record in power since the country's revolution last year and denied any involvement in the deaths of up to 20 protesters killed in violent clashes outside the Ministry of Defence on Wednesday.
Actor Adel Imam attends the Awards Show and Closing Night Red Carpet and Screening of 'The First Grader' during the 2010 Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Doha October 30, 2010.
Credit: Reuters/Mohammed Dabbous
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's Adel Imam, the Arab world's most famous comic actor, had a conviction and three-month prison sentence for insulting Islam in his films and plays overturned on appeal, a state newspaper reported on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia jails Egyptian lawyer for defaming king
Egypt's foreign ministry is trying to secure the release
of an Egyptian lawyer detained in Saudi Arabia on charges of defaming King
Abdullah.
Ahmed al-Gizawi was arrested last week as he arrived in Jeddah to undertake
Umra, the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca.
Unknown to Mr Gizawi, a Saudi court had earlier sentenced him in absentia to
a year in prison and 20 lashes. He is due to receive the lashes on Friday.
Mr Gizawi's case has aroused widespread anger in Egypt.
Ultraconservative, Hazem Abu Ismail, became a frontrunner in the presidential race
With his signature smile and long, whitish beard, Hazem Abu Ismail, can still be seen on posters all across Cairo - on cars, roadsides and even on the walls of some schools and government buildings.
His short-lived presidential campaign, unambiguously calling for a tighter application of Sharia, or Islamic law, quickly gained appeal among ordinary Egyptians.
Egypt's military takes
bigger role in constitution
File Photo: Egyptian protesters sit by a banner that reads in
Arabic "The Constitution first" during a rally at Tahrir Square 27 May (PHoto-
AP)
Egypt's ruling military
council demand constitution be written before a president is appointed sparking
fears that the short timeframe may allow them to remain in power past the
handover deadline to civilian authority
Egypt's ruling military has inserted a new
element of confusion even as Egypt tries to sort out turmoil surrounding its
upcoming presidential elections. The generals now insist a new constitution be
written before a new president is seated, a rushed timeframe that some fear may
prolong their hold on power.
For weeks, the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists sought to dominate the
writing of the country's first new constitution since the fall of President
Hosni Mubarak more than a year ago. But after Islamist domination of the process
sparked a backlash of criticism, the military has stepped back in to take a more
direct role.
Mr Cameron will express his concern for the rights of millions of Christians, especially in Egypt, where the Coptic minority say they are facing increasing persecution
Muslims 'must embrace democracy' says David Cameron
Muslims must embrace democracy and respect the rights of Christians around the world, David Cameron will say.
Prime Minister David Cameron in Jakarta, IndonesiaPhoto: EPA
By Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent, in Jakarta
Speaking in Indonesia, the world’s largest Islamic country, the Prime Minister will urge young Muslims to abandon “the dead-end choice of dictatorship and extremism” by forcing their countries to hold elections.
He will claim it would be “the greatest defeat that Al Qaeda could ever suffer,” if more rebel and follow the lead of the young Muslims who sparked the Arab Spring.
Mr Cameron will express his concern for the rights of millions of Christians, especially in Egypt, where the Coptic minority say they are facing increasing persecution. In a strong rebuke to Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood party, Mr Cameron will demand it does not “deny the rights of religious minorities who do not share their specific religious views”.
An Egyptian court on Tuesday suspended a 100-member panel selected by MPs from the Islamist-dominated parliament and tasked with drafting the country's new constitution.
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate, Khairat al-ShaterPhoto: EPA
The ruling was a blow to the Islamists, who have catapulted into the centre of Egypt's political stage since the ouster 14 months ago of longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.
It followed complaints by political groups, secular politicians and constitutional experts over parliament's decision to give MPs half the seats on the panel.