Keep Us Strong WikiLeaks logo

Currently released so far... 5420 / 251,287

Articles

Browse latest releases

Browse by creation date

Browse by origin

A B C D F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Browse by tag

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
QA
YM YI YE

Browse by classification

Community resources

courage is contagious

Viewing cable 09CAIRO1984, EGYPTIAN CONVERT CONVICTED OF FORGERY

If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs

Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
  • The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
  • The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
  • The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
To understand the justification used for the classification of each cable, please use this WikiSource article as reference.

Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09CAIRO1984.
Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09CAIRO1984 2009-10-19 14:02 2011-02-16 21:09 CONFIDENTIAL Embassy Cairo
VZCZCXRO3567
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #1984 2921451
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 191451Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 3923
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 001984 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/15/2029 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KIRF KISL EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN CONVERT CONVICTED OF FORGERY 
 
REF: CAIRO 1848 
 
 Classified By: Economic-Political Minister-Counselor Donald A. Blome for reasons 1.4 (d).
1. (SBU) On October 14, a Cairo criminal court convicted Einas Refaat Mohamed Hassan, a convert from Islam to Christianity, of forgery for possessing a false national identity card. Hassan apparently used documents formerly belonging to a deceased Christian woman to obtain a national identity card listing her religion as "Christianity." The court sentenced Hassan to one year in prison.

2. (C) According to Peter El Naggar, Hassan's attorney, his client can appeal, but it is unlikely that an appellate court would rule before Hassan completes her sentence, which she began serving immediately. El Naggar told us that security officials at the Cairo International Airport arrested Hassan, a professor of veterinary medicine at a large public university, in late May when she attempted to board a flight to travel to an academic conference in South Africa. Hassan has been in and out of detention ever since. El Naggar said that although Hassan attempted to leave Egypt using legitimate identification documents, airport security officials were somehow aware that she also possessed false identity documents listing her religion as Christianity.

3. (SBU) Hassan's case is complicated by the fact that she undoubtedly violated Egyptian law by obtaining a false identification document. Egyptian converts from Islam to Christianity, however, believe they have little choice as the GoE refuses to document conversions away from Islam. This refusal creates real hardship for converts as they are unable to marry outside of Islam, their children are required to study Islam in public schools, and they are subject to Islamic divorce and inheritance laws.

4. (C) Comment: In recent months, converts from Islam to Christianity have been subject to intense GoE scrutiny when attempting to travel through Cairo International Airport. (Ref A). Religious leaders at a Cairo church that regularly works with converts attribute this scrutiny to increased Islamic religiosity among working-level security officials. While they do not see the senior levels of the GoE as also becoming more religious, they believe the GoE is unwilling to appear "un-Islamic." It is, therefore, reluctant to curb restrictions on and the abuse of converts from Islam to Christianity. We recently raised the issue of heightened scrutiny and abuse of converts with the GoE and will continue to do so. Scobey