CAIRO: The Administrative Court will issue a final ruling on April 27 in the case filed by a man who converted from Islam to Christianity to change his religious affiliation on official documents.
The case dates back to 2007, when Mohamed Hegazy, 26, who changed his name to Bishoy Armia Boules, filed a lawsuit demanding that his religious affiliation be changed on his national ID card and other official documents, causing a stir among human rights and religious organizations.
Hegazy’s lawyer, Ashraf Edward Kirolos, said he received a phone call from the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) requesting information and documents relevant to the case, to be used for a report to be presented to the UN’s Human Rights Council.
“We sent my client’s documents as requested by the OHCHR including his baptism certificate recently issued by the Orthodox Church, and we presented it to the court during the latest hearing a few days ago, Kirolos told Daily News Egypt.
“We expect the discussion of the case before the UN’s Human Rights Council to take place soon, and an organization for Copts’ rights will also be holding a press conference in Washington on Feb. 25 to raise international awareness about this case, he said.
Earlier this month, Kirolos sent a memo to the OHCHR in a bid to urge the Egyptian government to allow him to change his religious affiliation on official documents.
The memo urged the organization to pressure the Egyptian government into honoring its pledges and international commitments with regards to religious freedom, namely when it comes to converts to Christianity. “While the government facilitates the conversion from Christianity to Islam, it refuses to recognize citizens who choose to convert from Islam to Christianity, which is a double standard and a violation of citizens’ rights and religious freedom, the memo read.
Hegazy is the first in Egypt to file a legal case requesting to change his religious affiliation on official documents, stirring controversy around his case and in the realm of religious freedom in Egypt. He is married to a woman who also converted from Islam, changing her name from Zeinab to Christine.
