In a Feb. 26 briefing to the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum,
Khalil outlined what he termed an organized campaign against the estimated
eight million Copts, who comprise about 10 percent of Egypt. He said Copts
have sustained more than 1,500 attacks and millions of dollars worth of
damage to their property.
"In fact, when it comes to religious freedom, Egypt ranks just behind
nations such as Saudi Arabia and Iran," Khalil said.
In December 2009, the Coptic community was rocked by an Islamic ambush
of a church in Cairo in which six Christian worshippers were killed. Khalil
said police took several hours to respond to the killings.
"The massacre was likely carried out with the sanction of state security
forces," Khalil said.
Khalil, echoing assertions by Coptic sources, said Coptic women have
been leading targets of the Islamic repression campaign in Egypt. He said
many Christian women have been abducted, raped and forced to convert to
Islam.
"Yet not a single perpetrator has been prosecuted by the state," Khalil
said.
Khalil said Mubarak has used the opposition Muslim Brotherhood as a
pretext to maintain his dictatorship in Egypt. He urged Americans to demand
an improvement in conditions for Egypt's Coptic community.
"The hope for political reform in Egypt rests primarily on the Copts
themselves, as they are by nature Egypt's foremost proponents of secularism
and democracy, and better relate with the West and Israel," Khalil said.
