--- title: "CIHRS joins call on Congress to support Christian minority rights in Egypt" slug: "cihrs-joins-call-on-congress-to-support-christian-minority-rights-in-egypt" post_type: "post" published_at: "2020-09-28T13:16:43+01:00" modified_at: "2026-04-30T08:33:29+01:00" author: "CIHRS" url: "https://cihrs.org/cihrs-joins-call-on-congress-to-support-christian-minority-rights-in-egypt/?lang=en" category: - "Egypt /Road Map Program" - "Statements and Position Papers" causes_and_rights: - "Freedom of belief and the rights of religious minorities" country: - "Egypt" field: - "Regional and International Protection and Advocacy" interest: - "Statements and Positions" protection_and_advocacy: - "United States Congress" --- # CIHRS joins call on Congress to support Christian minority rights in Egypt The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) joined a letter calling on the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to advance a bill on protecting the rights of the Coptic Christian minority in Egypt. The bill has broad bi-partisan support. The letter was presented by an informal group of 25 organizations and individuals, including researchers, religious leaders, secularists, and human rights defenders. The letter came prior to the meeting of the Congressional Sub-Committee for the Middle East and North Africa, during which there was to be a discussion regarding the bill's resolution. It is worth noting that the Foreign Affairs Committee has recently held a hearing about the egregious human rights violations in Egypt, which featured the testimony of Bahey El din Hassan, Director of CIHRS. He spoke about how the Egyptian government retaliated against him for his human rights activities with a sentence of 15 years imprisonment. In this hearing, compelling evidence was presented by policy experts, as well as survivors of Egypt's worst crackdown in decades against civil society and the human rights community. From this standpoint, supporting the largest Christian minority in the Middle East will deliver a decisive message about accountability to the Egyptian government. The Honorable Eliot Engel Chairman House Foreign Affairs Committee United States House of Representatives 2426 Rayburn HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Theodore Deutch House Foreign Affairs Committee United States House of Representatives 2447 Rayburn HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Michael McCaul Ranking Member House Foreign Affairs Committee United States House of Representatives 2001 Rayburn HOB Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable Joe Wilson House Foreign Affairs Committee United States House of Representatives 1436 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 --- Dear Chair Deutch, We write as an informal group of 25 organizations and individuals - including scholars, religious and secular leaders, and human rights advocates and practitioners - who have joined our voices to respectfully urge that you bring **H. RES. 49**, ***Supporting Coptic Christians in Egypt*** to mark-up in the next MENA Subcommittee meeting. This resolution has strong bi-partisan support with 76 cosponsors During the HFAC hearing hosted recently, [***Egypt: Trends in Politics, Economics, and Human***](https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings?ID=56A33A4A-8ACB-4D21-B321-A4AFC0118F98) [***Rights***, ](https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearings?ID=56A33A4A-8ACB-4D21-B321-A4AFC0118F98)***damning*** evidence was presented by survivors and policy experts regarding the worst crackdown on civil society and human rights that Egypt has seen in decades. We believe that the passage of this resolution supporting the largest Christian minority in the Middle East would convey a critical message of accountability to the Egyptian government. While the current crackdown in Egypt has impacted Egyptians of all political and religious persuasions, the Coptic community suffers the double injustice of not only living under systematic discrimination by the Egyptian government, but it also experiences attacks from neighbors and fellow countrymen who attack Copts and their properties with impunity. Coptic Solidarity has documented and published on these issues extensively, including this [**analysis** ](https://www.copticsolidarity.org/2020/06/17/annual-state-department-report-what-constitutes-improvement-for-copts-in-egypt/)of the most recent State Department’s Egypt chapter of the annual IRF report. We previously wrote to you as a joint group of multi-faith NGOS and individuals, [**urging your**](https://www.copticsolidarity.org/2020/04/21/irf-roundtable-letter-to-congress-for-ramy-kamel/) [**action** ](https://www.copticsolidarity.org/2020/04/21/irf-roundtable-letter-to-congress-for-ramy-kamel/)on behalf of imprisoned Coptic activist, Ramy Kamel, who continues to languish in prison for no other reason than creating awareness and advocating on behalf of persecuted Copts in Egypt. UN Special Rapporteurs have also published statements on his behalf acknowledging that his imprisonment is in [**retaliation** ](https://www.copticsolidarity.org/2020/04/28/egyptian-government-guilty-of-reprisal-against-coptic-activist-ramy-kamel-for-cooperating-with-un/)for his human rights work and cooperation with the United Nations. As the second largest recipient of US foreign aid, we believe that the Egyptian government must be held accountable for its human rights violations that are in clear opposition to American values of equality and religious liberty. We urge you to mark-up H.RES. 49 before this session of Congress ends. Respectfully, **Organizations:** 1. Center for Studies on New Religions 2. Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) 3. Coptic Solidarity 4. Global Imams Council 5. In Defense of Christians 6. Institute for Global Engagement 7. International Christian Concern 8. Jubilee Campaign USA 9. Middle East Forum 10. Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church of America 11. The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies 12. The Uyghur Human Rights Project 13. 21Wilberforce **Individuals:** 16. Father John Anderson Saint John the Merciful Mission 17. Hamid Gharagozloo The US Representative, International Organization to Preserve Human Rights 18. Bishop Joseph K. Grieboski Senior Fellow, The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute 19. Carl Herbster President, AdvanceUSA 20. Lauren Homer President , Law and Liberty International 21. Shannon Kroner Executive Director, Freedom of Religion - United Solutions 20. Greg Mitchell Chair, International Religious Freedom Roundtable 21. Scott Morgan President, Red Eagle Enterprises 22. Daniel Pipes President, Middle East Forum 24. Nina Shea Director, Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom 25. Imam Shaikh M. Tawhidi 26. Susan Taylor National Public Affairs Director, Church of Scientology National Affairs Office Photo: Coptic Orthodox Christians attend a Palm Sunday mass at the Samaan el-Kharaz Monastery in the Mokattam Mountain area of Cairo, Egypt April 1, 2018. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany