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DE RUEHEG #2135/01 2741422
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R 301422Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0585
INFO RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 002135
SIPDIS
DRL/IRF FOR COFSKY; DRL/SEA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF KDEM EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT REACTS TO 2008 RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT
REF: SECSTATE 99226
Classified By: Minister-Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs William R.Stewart for Reasons 1.4(b) and (d). 1.(C)
Summary: The release of the 2008 International Religious Freedom Report for Egypt (IRFR), which assessed that the GoE's
respect for religious freedom declined, has elicited strong reactions in Egypt. Predictably, the GoE "rejected" the
report as "interference" in domestic issues. Despite this, our primary religious freedom interlocutor with the GoE
offered grudging praise for the report's accuracy and balance, while also criticizing as a "political decision" the
conclusion that the GoE's respect for religious freedom declined. Government controlled media also criticized the report
and its conclusion, although we've seen no specific factual criticism. The reaction from independent religious freedom
observers has been generally positive. We anticipate another round of reactions when we release the Arabic language
version of the report, which we expect to do in the next several weeks, as soon as the translation is completed. End
summary. ------------ GoE REACTION ------------
2.(SBU) On September 23, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the GoE's formal response, which reads as follows: "The
Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry stated that Egypt renews its refusal of the International Religious Freedom Report
issued by the U.S. State Department. This report contains false and confused information and allusions, and intervenes
in issues that only concern Egyptian society and government, and any interference by foreign parties in matters that
only concern the domestic sphere is unacceptable, outlined the Spokesman. The Spokesman added that Egypt has previously
refused this report, and continues to refuse it as well as any similar attempts by any foreign party to interfere with
Egyptian internal affairs." 3.(C) On September 21, we delivered the IRFR to Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Human
Rights Wael Aboulmagd. Aboulmagd reacted by claiming that nothing cited in the report justified the conclusion that the
GoE,s respect for religious freedom had declined. In his view, a "fair" reading of the information in the report would
lead an "impartial" reader to conclude that there had been a "slight" improvement in the GoE,s respect for religious
freedom. While he acknowledged that three court rulings - one affecting the rights of Egypt's Baha'i community, another
affecting individuals born as Christian who converted to Islam and subsequently converted back to Christianity, and a
third addressing the status of a convert from Islam to Christianity - that were cited prominently in the report
contained objectionable language, Aboulmagd said that the report should have focused on the substance of the rulings,
which he said were positive for the Baha'is and the reconverts, not the language used in the decisions. According to
Aboulmagd, the judges involved in the cases felt compelled to use harsh language to protect themselves from societal
criticism for issuing pro-minority rulings. Aboulmagd argued that in Egypt's code-based legal system, the specific
language of decisions is irrelevant. He also said that it was "inconceivable" even three or four years ago that these
cases would have been filed, let alone resulted in positive rulings.
4.(C) Aboulmagd said he had no specific factual criticism of the report. In fact, he praised the report for its
objectivity and for excluding unverified information, something for which he said he had criticized previous reports. He
said that he had been inundated with requests from journalists for reaction. He told us he was advising journalists to
read the report in its entirety and to not be overly swayed by the assessment that the GoE's respect for religious
freedom had declined, an assessment Aboulmagd attributed to a "political decision."
5.(SBU) According to media reports, on September 22 the quasi-governmental National Council on Human Rights (NCHR)
criticized the report for attributing the assessed decline in religious freedom to the GoE. According to the NCHR's
vice-president Kamal Aboulmagd (a retired Egyptian diplomat and father of Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister Wael
Aboulmagd), the GoE should not bear sole responsibility for the reported decline, which instead should be attributed to
Egypt's "political, psychological and cultural climate." -------------- Media Reaction -------------- 6.(SBU) The IRFR
received extensive coverage in Egyptian media, both state-controlled and independent. For instance, in a front page
article on September 21, the independent newspaper Al Masry Al Youm reported that "according to the U.S. State
Department, the Egyptian Government is backtracking on respect for religious freedom and failed to stop religious
discrimination." The state-controlled Al Ahram newspaper published a similar story, also on September 21. The same day,
pro-government newspaper Rose Al Yousef published a story noting the release of the report, and claiming that Egyptian
"lawyers" criticized the report for failing to distinguish between governmental action and societal discrimination. On
September 23, the independent newspaper Al Dustour reported that human rights activists generally applauded the report's
accuracy but complained that the involvement of the U.S. Government damaged its credibility. 7.(SBU) In subsequent days,
editorial writers weighed in. Al Ahram, in an unsigned editorial, claimed the report was used as a "political tool" and
said that it is not only Muslims who complain about Christian missionary work, but the Coptic Church as well. Rose Al
Yousef accused the State Department of failing to understand religious issues in Egypt and of "meddling" in other
countries' affairs. Pro-government Al Gomhoriya dismissed the report as "a pressure tool that the U.S. uses against
countries with which it has disagreements." --------------- Other Reactions ---------------
8.(C) Local activists generally praised the report. Hossam Baghat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal
Rights (EIPR), an organization that provides legal representation to minority groups facing discrimination, including
the Baha'is, told us that he found the report factually accurate and agreed with the overall assessment. The EIPR also
commended the report for not simply reciting facts, but also drawing conclusions. Ahmed Samih of the Al Andalus
Institute for Tolerance, which, among other activities, monitors the local media for discriminatory rhetoric, also
praised the report and noted the intense media interest. 9.(C) Yousef Sidhom, publisher of the independent Coptic
newspaper Al Watani and a frequent commentator on religious freedom issues, also praised the report for its factual
accuracy and balance. He was, however, less enthusiastic about the conclusion that the GoE's respect for religious
freedom declined. Instead, he told us that the court verdicts could be seen as positive steps, despite the negative
elements of the rulings documented in the report. In his view, the religious freedom environment in Egypt is slowly, but
steadily, improving. He said that it was only recently that religious minorities would even consider pursuing their
rights through legal action, and he sees the resultant public debate as positive. TUELLER