EGYPTIAN JEHOVAH'S WITNESS ACTIVIST DESCRIBES GOE

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 008397

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/ELA AND DRL/IRF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015
TAGS: PGOV SOCI PHUM KIRF EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN JEHOVAH'S WITNESS ACTIVIST DESCRIBES GOE
PERSECUTION

REF: R. KENNA-LE CLAIRE E-MAIL 10/31/2005 AND PREVIOUS

Classified by ECPO Minister Counselor Michael H. Corbin for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: A senior member of Egypt's small community
of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) said that the GOE's persecution
of the group is intensifying. He linked the persecution to
the strident opposition to the group's beliefs by Coptic Pope
Shenouda III. End summary.


2. (C) Raymond Girguis (protect) is a retired civil servant
who worked for the GOE's Ministry of Insurance and Social
Affairs. Born into the Coptic Orthodox faith, he joined the
Jehovah's Witness community in 1964 after meeting with a JW
activist. Girguis estimates that the JW community in Egypt
numbers approximately 1000, most of whom have their roots in
Egypt's Coptic Orthodox community. According to Girguis,
shortly after he joined the JW community, during the GOE
crackdown on various suspected disloyal groups by Nasser in
the aftermath of the 1967 defeat, GOE persecution of the JW
community increased, extending to a formal ban on the use of
existing "Kingdom Halls." Since the 1967 uptick in
persecution, said Girguis, the members of the community have
been limited to holding small meetings, "secretly and
underground," without any singing (which he said is an
essential part of their worship),because they fear it would
attract unwanted attention. (Note: JW members practice
active evangelism, preach the imminent approach of the
millenium, and are strongly opposed to war and the authority
of organized government in matters of conscience. End note.)


3. (C) According to Girguis, the Coptic Orthodox Church
under the leadership of Pope Shenouda III is the "main
barrier" to securing a safe and legal existence for the JW
community in Egypt. Girguis said that the Pope has
repeatedly attacked the JW community as heretical, zionist,
anti-Muslim, and immoral. (Note: In a series of articles
that have been running since July in Al-Watany, the weekly
Cairo paper aimed at the Coptic Orthodox community, Pope
Shenouda has strongly criticized the JW belief system,
denouncing it as a heresy. In addition to his strongly held
views on the JW community, Pope Shenouda is also highly
critical of other heterodox Christian groups, including
Adventists and Mormons. In addition, he has expressed strong
opposition to homosexuality and abortion, and he is also
known to be critical of Zionism. End note.) Girguis also
asserted that his group had previously applied to the
Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs, after securing
Interior Ministry approval, for legal recognition, but had
been unsuccessful due to "a ruling from Al-Azhar that we are
against Islam."


4. (C) Girguis asserted that GOE harassment of the JW
community has worsened in recent months. He said that while
the GOE's State Security Investiagions Sector has always kept
tabs on the community, the SSIS officers in touch with the JW
members have recently begun to suggest that JW theology is
anti-Muslim. Girguis also said that "about a month ago," a
JW associate, Atef Fikry from Shoubra Al-Khaima, just outside
Cairo, was detained and "beaten" by SSIS officers who sought
to recruit him to serve as an SSIS informant. According to
Girguis, Fikry was released after five days. Girguis also
asserted that SSIS officers also recently detained a Canadian
JW visitor to Egypt when he sought to depart from Cairo.
Although SSIS did not harm the Canadian, they confiscated his
printed and electronic materials on the JW beliefs.
(Comment: We have not been able to corroborate the details
of Girguis's charges of SSIS persecution. The sensitivities
surrounding such allegations of religiously-motivated
persecution make it difficult to gather reliable information
on the topic. End comment.)


5. (C) Poloff advised Girguis that the Embassy stands ready
to assist in arranging meetings for JW advocates from the
U.S. and Europe who are planning to visit Cairo shortly to
raise the question of religious freedom for the JW community
with the GOE (ref). Poloff also asked if Girguis thought
that low-key USG attention to the JW issue with appropriate
GOE interlocutors in Cairo would be helpful. Giguis said
that it would.


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