(U) EGYPT: CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002622 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR NEA/ELA, DRL/IRF NSC STAFF FOR SINGH, WATERS AND DAVIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/22/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM PINR KIRF EG SUBJECT: (U) EGYPT: CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER DISCUSSES RELIGIOUS FREEDOM Classified by Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Yousef Sidhom, a Christian publisher and chief editor of Watany newspaper, told the Ambassador that recent public debates in Egypt over conversion away from Islam are a "healthy" development. Sidhom opined that any direct public intervention by the USG in this complex and sensitive matter will likely be misconstrued by elements of the GOE and the media. Sidhom asserted that Egypt's National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) is demonstrating the kind of indigenous leadership that is needed now on religious freedom, and a range of other human rights issues. Sidhom opined that Egypt needs to maintain the listing of religion on national identity documents. Sidhom observed that Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa's statement, in a July interview with Newsweek, that conversion away from Islam should be permitted was an important development, but he wondered if the Mufti would be willing to reassert his comments unambiguously to a domestic Egyptian audience. End summary. ¶2. (C) In an August 22 meeting at the Ambassador's residence, Sidhom said that recent public debates over conversion away from Islam, sparked by the case of convert Mohamed Hegazy, were "positive and healthy" and long overdue. "We've been living with this phenomenon (i.e., conversion from Islam to Christianity) under the table for a long time," and now the Hegazy case has the matter out in the open. Sidhom did not speculate on how the Hegazy case might be resolved (a court hearing is scheduled in early September on Hegazy's request to register his religion as Christian),but said that "many" other converts from Islam to Christianity will be watching the outcome closely. ¶3. (C) Sidhom asserted that the USG is not well-positioned to champion publicly the cause of conversion from Islam to Christianity in Egypt, because some elements in the government and the media, as well as the Muslim community, may seek to portray the USG as "anti-Islam." Sidhom said that the NCHR, by contrast, is increasingly assertive as an authentic Egyptian voice that is able to straddle the divide between the GOE establishment and the human rights community. Sidhom pointed to an upcoming NCHR conference on citizenship rights as an opportunity for NCHR to demonstrate further leadership on freedom of belief and religion. ¶4. (C) The Ambassador raised with Sidhom the debate over the mandatory inclusion of the religion field on national identity documents. Sidhom expressed his hope that Egypt would eventually mature to the point where this discriminatory policy was eliminated, but observed that as long as marriage, divorce, and other civil law issues are determined exclusively by religious law, then almost all Egyptians would agree with the need to keep the religion field on the ID cards. Sidhom said that, prior to the adoption of a civil law governing marriage, divorce, and other family issues, a possible interim solution would be for the government to create a fourth category ("other") which would allow Bahais--and others who do not self-identify as members of ONE of the three "heavenly" faiths--to receive valid ID cards. Sidhom also noted that the Coptic Orthodox church, which is institutionally hostile to conversion away from Christianity, would continue to support use of the religion field on IDs as a means to preserve Christian identity, as long as it feels that the GOE bureaucracy facilitates conversion from Christianity to Islam, but not from Islam to Christianity. ¶5. (C) The Ambassador also sought Sidhom's views on the July comments by the Mufti about conversion away from Islam. Sidhom suggested that the Mufti's comments had been more forward-leaning than if he had been speaking to a purely Egyptian audience. It "would be good to remind the Mufti of what he says overseas," said Sidhom, but "don't expect a positive reaction." The Mufti, like other GOE officials, said Sidhom, is acutely sensitive to the perception that he might appear to be bending to foreign pressure. It is not realistic to expect that USG interventions with the Mufti could lead to immediate positive changes, but Sidhom indicated that the Mufti, like the NCHR, represents the sort of Egyptian voice of moderation and progress that should be supported. ¶6. (C) Bio note: Sidhom, who is a member of the Coptic Orthodox Church, is a judicious and careful observer of Egypt's Christian community, and has been a consistent advocate for an end to GOE discrimination against Christians in such areas as church building, conversion, and serving in CAIRO 00002622 002 OF 002 public office. His newspaper is the leading secular publication for Egyptian Christians. He serves on the board of the Ibn Khaldun Center. RICCIARDONE