DC: August 18 White House Protest by Coptic Organizations

Voice of the Copts, National American Coptic Assembly, and American Coptic Union plan to hold a peaceful demonstration at 9 AM on  Tuesday August 18 “in front of the White House” — see more details below:

VOICE OF THE COPTS along with National American Coptic Assembly and American Coptic Union are to organize a peaceful demonstration, on the occasion of President Mubarak’s visit to Washington DC, in front of the White House.

The human rights organization, VOICE OF THE COPTS, with offices In Italy and USA, invites all human rights organizations, activists, and freedom loving citizens to join us in our demonstration to show support for the Christian Copts.

On Tuesday August 18, 2009 gathering at 9:00AM, at Pennsylvania and 17th Street – Washington DC, then would move towards the White House.

The objective of our peaceful demonstration is to protest and expose to the world the unprovoked, continuous and escalating criminal acts against the defenseless and peaceful Copts in Egypt, their families, their homes, their property and the defaming of their Christian religion by the extremists, encouraged by the policy adopted by the Egyptian regime.

The list of human rights violations against the Christian Copts is too long, as long as the 1429 years of suffering, discrimination and oppression since the Islamic invasion of Coptic Egypt.

-We want to reiterate our rightful demands to President Mubarak and his Regime.

– We seek the deletion of Islamic Laws from the Egyptian Constitution.

– The return of all abducted Coptic women to their families immediately.

– We want equal rights for the over than 15,000,000 Copts in their own homeland.

– We want protection of life and property for the Copts.

– We want freedom of faith.

– We want laws to be passed which guarantees freedom to build our places of worship equal to the rights given to Muslims, without having to beg for a permission every time  renovations even to a Church’s lavatory is required.

– We want the Coptic file taken away from the hands of the radical Islamist State Security.

– We want a just and fair representation to the over than 15,000,000 Copts in public life, and their rights to organize themselves in civil non religious organizations.

– We want the immediate release of our innocent Coptic priest Father Metaos.  The return of all exiled Coptic spiritual leaders such as, Bishops Amonious of Luxor, Taklah of Isna, Mitias of Al Mahalah, and all others to their followers and parishioners.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
– We say no more to attacks on our churches and monasteries without any protection from the authorities.
– We say no more to Muslims killing Copts without being convicted, following Sharia law of the non-conviction of any Muslim for a crime committed against a Christian. Coptic blood is equal to Muslim blood.
– We say no more to the regime’s plan of systematic abduction, rape and forced Islamization of Coptic teenage girls, in conspiracy with the extremists and the security forces.
– We say no more to the enforced Islamization of Christians in Egypt. Even our monks have been subjected to torture to renounce their faith.
– We say no more to the marginalization of Copts.
– We say no to the government’s plan for the Islamization of Egypt.
– We say no to the government’s plan to eradicate the Coptic Identity.
– We say no to any disrespect to our Christian faith.

We appeal to President Obama to stand by his election promises concerning countries which do not respect human rights and freedom of religion.

Let us together send a strong message to Mr. Mubarak and his Regime that such policies will not be tolerated by the free and civilized world. We ask you as a believer in freedom and human rights to help us defend the rights of the Copts in Egypt, for freedom and security.

Support us to obtain justice and stop the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Copts.

For any information please contact us on the following e-mail address:
mubarak_18@voiceofthecopts.org

whitehouse

Map of area:

white-house-map

If you are taking the Washington DC subway (Metro), you should exit at the Farragut West (Orange/Blue Lines), Farragut North (Red Line), or McPherson Square (Orange/Blue Lines) metro stops.


FARRAGUT WEST METRO STATION to WHITE HOUSE Walking Directions:

1. Exit station through 18TH & I (EYE) ST NW entrance.
2. Walk approx. 1 block S on 18th St NW.
3. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
4. Walk approx. 3 blocks SE on Pennsylvania Ave NW.

FARRAGUT NORTH METRO STATION to WHITE HOUSE Walking Directions:

1. Exit station through CONNETICUT AVE & K ST NW entrance.
2. Walk a short distance S on Connecticut Ave NW.
3. Walk straight on 17th St NW.
4. Walk approx. 1 block S on 17th St NW.
5. Turn left on I St NW.
6. Walk a short distance E on I St NW.
7. Turn right on Connecticut Ave NW.
8. Walk approx. 1 block S on Connecticut Ave NW.
9. Bear right on Jackson Pl NW.
10. Walk approx. 1 block S on Jackson Pl NW.
11. Turn left on Pennsylvania Ave NW.
12. Walk approx. 1 block E on Pennsylvania Ave NW.


Pakistan: Islamic Televangelist blames Gojra massacre of Christians on “Western conspiracy”

— Dawn reports:
— “Hardly a week had passed after the shameful attacks on the lives and livelihood of the besieged Christian community of Gojra, that a well-known Islamic televangelist appeared on his show on a local TV channel and freely exhibited the audacity to explain this attack by vicious Islamic sectarian organisations as a conspiracy by the West to make Pakistanis question the contentious Blasphemy Laws.”
— “First of all, as usual, before spouting this claptrap, such TV hosts have absolutely no substantive proofs ever to back their demagogic finger-pointing rituals.”
— “But utmost is the fact that the tongue-wagging gentleman had himself been embroiled last year in a stunning controversy where he was directly accused by his former party, the MQM, and some bold journalists, for initiating and encouraging attacks against Punjab’s Ahmadiyya community through his show.”
— “Thus, what moral right does this highly animated fellow has to even address the issue of the attacks in Gojra, let alone offer bizarre and thoroughly unreasonable theories, pointing fingers at the usually elusive and unsubstantiated conglomerate of conspirators?”
— “His self-righteous and delusional take on the said issue must have come as a hurtful bolt of insensitivity to those who lost their loved ones in the insane fires of fanaticism that almost completely burned down the Christian community in Gojra.”

Pakistan – ICC Report: “Pregnant Christian Dragged Naked through Pakistani Police Station”

ICC Report: “Pregnant Christian Dragged Naked through Pakistani Police Station”

— “Miscarries after Police Arrest Her for Theft without Evidence, Hold Her Three Days”

— “Washington, D.C. (August 17, 2009) – International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that a pregnant Christian woman miscarried on July 26 after police beat her and dragged her naked through their police station in the Gujrat District of Punjab, Pakistan. Police had arrested her and a Muslim woman after their employer accused them of theft, but police did not even touch the Muslim woman.”

— “The woman, Farzana Bibi, worked as a maid in the house of a wealthy Muslim. During a wedding held at the house, some jewelry was stolen from some of the landlord’s female relatives. The police were called, and when they arrived at the scene they arrested two maids: Farzana and a Muslim woman named Rehana. Nazir Masih, Farzana’s husband, said, ‘Police registered a fake theft case against my wife and Rehana without any proof.'”

— “Nazir went on to say that the police tortured his wife even though she told them she was pregnant. He told ICC, ‘Sub-Inspector Zulfiqar and Assistant Sub-Inspector Akhter subjected her to intense torture. They stripped off her clothes and dragged her naked around the compound of Cantonment Area Police Station in Kharian. They humiliated and tortured my wife, but did not do anything to Rehana.'”

— “Although Farzana complained of severe pain, the police ignored her pleas and detained her for another two days. When her condition became critical, the police finally transferred her to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Kharian, where she miscarried.”

— “Nazir filed a report with the District Police Officer in Gujrat, detailing the abuse his wife received and her miscarriage. The District Office initiated an investigation after receiving the report, withdrawing the false accusations and suspending officers Zulfiqar and Akhter.”

— “The authorities have pledged to punish all those responsible. Please pray that God would comfort Farzana and Nazir and that justice would be carried out. Please also call your Pakistani embassy and ask them to defend the rights of Christians.”

— “Jeremy Sewall, ICC’s Advocacy Director, said, ‘While we were not able to confirm whether Farzana was innocent of robbing her employers, it is absolutely unacceptable for police to humiliate her and abuse her so severely that she lost her child. The fact that the Muslim woman accused of the same thing was at least treated like a human being just proves again that if you are not a Muslim in Pakistan, you have no rights. The government should go beyond suspending the two officers guilty of this crime and try them for manslaughter.'”

Iraq: “Honor Killings” and Attacks on Gays Continue to Rise

— BBC: Anti-gay attacks on rise in Iraq
— “So-called honour killings also account for deaths where families punish their own kin in order to avoid public shame.”
— “Witnesses say vigilante groups break into homes and pick people up in the street, interrogating them to extract the names of other potential victims, before murdering them.”
— “Recently, posters appeared in Sadr City – a conservative, Shia area of Baghdad – calling on people to watch out for gay men and listing not only their names but also their addresses.”
— “One gay man in Baghdad described the killing campaign as a witch-hunt.”
— “Nearly 90 gay men have been killed in Iraq since the beginning of January and many more are missing, local gay rights campaigners say.”
— “The report, called They want us exterminated: Murder, Torture, Sexual Orientation and Gender in Iraq, says horrifically mutilated bodies of gay men have been left on rubbish tips.”
— “Sometimes their bodies are daubed with offensive terms such as ‘pervert,’ or ‘puppy’ which is a hate word for gay men in Iraq.”
— “The report contains detailed testimonies of a range of brutal treatment of gay Iraqi men.”
— “‘We’ve heard stories confirmed by doctors of men having their anuses glued and then being force-fed laxatives which leads to a very painful death,’ says Ms Moumneh told the BBC.”

— AFP: Torture and execution of Iraqi gays on rise

— HRW report

Additional reports:

Turkey: Young Iraqi gays find safe haven in Turkey

Iraq: LGBT group claims Iraq is waging a ‘campaign of violence and murder’ against gays

Iraq: “a program of ‘sexual cleansing’ is being perpetrated against homosexuals in Iraq”

Iraq: Radical Iraq cleric orders ‘depraved’ homosexuality to be eradicated

Iraq: Extremists Kill 25 Gay Men and Boys in Recent Weeks

Iraq: Gay Men Murdered by Extremists in So-Called “Honor Killing”

Texas: Ku Klux Klan (KKK) Leaflets Distributed to Recruit White Supremacists in Abilene

Texas: Klan distributes leaflets in Abilene
— Abilene Reporter News reports:
— “The United White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan peppered some Abilene neighborhoods on Saturday night with leaflets.”
— “the local Klan group is seeking to recruit new members”
— “‘We try go white neighborhoods, but you can never guarantee who lives where,’ said the Klan member, who declined to give his name. ‘We don’t want to distribute to other races. We don’t want to upset anybody.'”
— “Rather, the local Klan group is seeking to recruit new members, the man said.”
— “‘The KKK is not a violent or prejudice group. It’s a Christian group. This is not the Old Klan,’ he said. ‘This is the second era. The way the political climate is now, we’re trying to give some stability, some help to the right wing.'”

Pakistani Christians Forced into Refugee Camps

Pakistani Christians Forced into Refugee Camps
— Christian Post reports:
— “Far away from Gojra, where a Muslim mob recently killed eight Christians, in the heart of Islamabad, about 2,000 Pakistani Christians are ‘forced to live in a refugee camp.'”
— “Their only crime is that they are Christians. Among the displaced Christians, two have already died due to poor hygiene.”
— “The displaced Christians told CNN correspondents, who visited them recently, that the government had kicked them off their land without warning only because they are Christian. However, the government has told a different story, saying that they were given plenty of warning. Moreover, the government said they will take care of this problem, which they claim they are well aware of.”

North Carolina: Police prepare for possible neo-Nazi meeting in Greensboro

North Carolina: Police prepare for possible neo-Nazi meeting in Greensboro (on August 29)
— News and Record reports:
— “Greensboro police are preparing for the possibility that a meeting of the neo-Nazi National Socialist Movement could be held in the city later this month.”
— “The NSM, a group which describes itself as ‘defending the rights of white people everywhere,’ is planning its Southeast/Mid-Atlantic Regional meeting on Aug. 29, according to the group’s Web site.”
— “The Detroit-based group, founded in 1974, says it is open to ‘non-Semitic heterosexuals of European descent’ and has core beliefs to ‘preserve European culture and heritage, strengthening family values, economic self-sufficiency and reform of illegal immigration policies.'”
— “The Anti-Defamation League describes the group as the largest neo-Nazi faction in the United States and states it has affiliations with the Ku Klux Klan, skinheads and other neo-Nazi organizations”

DC: Egyptian Christian Human Rights Group Press Conference – Monday, August 17 – 9:30 AM

npc-outside

“Voice of the Copts, a human rights group for 15 million Egyptian Coptic Christians, will hold a News Conference on Monday August 17th at 9:30am in the Lisagor Room of the National Press Club to detail violent attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt with the blessing of Mubarak’s regime and to demand action by Mubarak to stop such attacks.  Due to 28 years of Mubarak’s refusal to take effective action, President Mubarak is responsible for these violent attacks.”

“Dottore Architetto Ashraf Ramelah, Voice of the Copts’ president, will present a bill of indictment against President Mubarak as a silent partner to murder, torture, rape & other human rights violations against Coptic Christians by violent Muslim extremists in Mubarak’s Egypt.  Dr. Ramelah demands that Mubarak now begin take effective action.”

“Dr. Ashraf Ramelah said, ‘Our objective is to expose the unprovoked criminal acts and escalating human rights violations by President Mubarak and his Egyptian regime against law-abiding Coptic Christians and others in Mubarak’s Egypt.  For 28 years, Mubarak has encouraged and enabled such violence by against Coptic Christians by Mubarak’s refusal to take action.  At our News Conference and peaceful Rally in Washington, the Copts are finally confronting Mubarak.  We urge President Obama to demand that Mubarak now take effective action to ensure human rights for Coptic Christians and others in Egypt.'”

“Dr. Ashraf Ramelah said, ‘A significant Mubarak supporter called me to ask that I cancel the Voice of the Copts News Conference in exchange for a meaningless promise.  Until President Mubarak begins to take effective action to stop all Muslim extremist violence against Coptic Christians in Mubarak’s Egypt, we refuse to make any concessions.  We will not negotiate with terrorists — or with terrorist enablers.'”

“Fifteen million Egyptian Coptic Christians, the Voice of the Copts, and Dr. Ashraf Ramelah demand the following from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak:”

“1.     That Egyptian President Mubarak take effective action to stop the Muslim extremist torture, rape, and murder of Coptic Christian women, men & children;”

“2.     That Mubarak take action to stop Muslim abductions of Coptic Christians and that Mubarak effect the return of all abducted Coptics to their families;

“3.     That Mubarak take action to stop all Muslim extremist human rights violations & forced Muslim conversions against Coptic Christian women, men & children;”

“4.     That President Mubarak and the Egyptian parliament immediately take action to remove all remnants of Muslim law, also known as Sharia Law, from the Egyptian constitution — or outlaw the applicability of Sharia Law against Coptic Christians and other non-Muslims in Egypt;”

“5.     That President Mubarak and the Egyptian parliament take action to implement human and civil rights for Coptic Christians and other non-Muslims in Egypt equal to the rights of Muslims in Egypt — which rights are now guaranteed in Egypt’s constitution but are effectively denied by the Mubarak regime;”

“6.     That President Mubarak immediately take action to guarantee life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic, religious & other happiness in Egypt by Coptic Christians and other non-Muslims – in a manner that is equal to Muslims in Egypt; and”

“7.     That Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak (before he leaves Washington) pardon & release Coptic Christian priest Father Mattaos Wahba from a 5-year sentence of hard-labor imprisonment for performing a Christian marriage ceremony for a Christian man and a Christian woman (whom Mattaos did not know had converted to Christianity after being a Muslim — which may almost be a crime in Egypt).”

“Voice of the Copts president Ramelah said, ‘If Mubarak is unwilling or unable to release Father Mattaos, then Egypt’s 15 million Coptic Christians and I ask that President Obama or former President Bill Clinton fly to Egypt to persuade Mubarak — or others who are able — to release Father Mattaos from prison for the ‘crime’ of performing a Christian marriage ceremony.  If Clinton can do this with North Korean President Kim Jong Il, then Clinton may be able to do this with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.  After all, miracles do happen.'”

“Dr. Ramelah also said, ‘If Obama can discuss human rights for Arab Muslims in Israel and how to bring peace and prosperity for all Mid-East peoples, as Obama said when first meeting with Mubarak in Egypt, maybe Obama and Mubarak can now discuss human rights for Coptic Christians in Egypt and how to bring peace and prosperity for all peoples in Egypt.  After all, miracles do happen.'”

“Voice of the Copts — along with the National American Coptic Assembly and the American Coptic Union — has scheduled a peaceful rally at the White House during President Hosni Mubarak’s visit to Washington DC to meet with President Barak H. Obama on Tuesday August 18th.   The rally will begin on Tuesday at 9:00am at Pennsylvania Avenue & 17th Street NW and will then move to the White House.   Mubarak and Obama may then listen and take effective action.”
Specifics on Events:

Monday August 17, 2009 Press Club Event
– 9:30 AM – National Press Club — Lisagor Room
529 14th Street, NW 13th Floor Washington, DC 20045
Telephone: 202-662-7500 Fax: 202-662-7512
– Contacts:  John Edward Hurley (Hurley30@hotmail.com), Ashraf Ramelah (aramelah@voiceofthecopts.org)

– See Map and Directions – a few block away from “Metro Center” subway stop

By Washington DC Subway
* Take Metro to Metro Center.
* Take the 13th Street Exit, take escalator to 13th Street;  you should be at the corner of 13th and G Streets.
* Walk one block south to F Street.
* Turn right (West) and walk one block to 14th Street
* Turn left and walk downhill to the National Press Building lobby.
* Enter and take the elevators to the 13th Floor
Parking
* The PMI garage is located on the north side of G St between 13th and 14th Streets.
* Carr Park is located at the corner of 15th and F Streets.


Tuesday, August 18, 2009 Protest at White House – 9 AM


Indonesia: Christian congregation threatened with sticks, protests – every Sunday – for praying

“Congregation finds it hard to worship and pray in peace”
— Jakarta Post reports:
— “In Pisangan Jaya, Tangerang, Banten, congregation leader Bedali Hulu has lived in anxiety for the past two months ago, as dozens of members of Islam organizations confront him each time his congregation holds a Sunday prayer.”
— “Even though the extremists have yet to turn violent, their actions have intimidated Bedali and the 40 members of his Jakarta Baptist Christian Church (GKBJ), leading them to pray under pressure.”
— “‘How can we pray properly if there are a bunch of people screaming threatening words outside our church while we hold Sunday prayers?’ Bedali told The Jakarta Post recently.”
— “He says it was in 2005 when the protests against his congregation’s activities began to erupt.
‘We were in another place then, still in the same village,’ he said.”
— “‘Several members of Muslim groups ordered us to move because they didn’t want us praying there.'”
— “‘So we moved to keep them happy, but then another group of activists came and ordered us to move once again, and here we are now.'”
— “Asun, who lives across the street from the church, told the Post on Thursday he feared the protesters than the churchgoers.”
— “‘They come every Sunday, brandishing sticks and yelling ‘Allahuakbar’,’ he said. ‘If a brawl breaks out and our homes are damaged, who’ll take responsibility?'”

Other reports:

July 17, 2009 – Wall Street Journal: “Indonesia Is a Model Muslim Democracy”

February 18, 2009 – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – Indonesia “has demonstrated so clearly … that Islam, democracy and modernity cannot only coexist but thrive together”

See also previous reports:

July 23, 2009  – Indonesia: West Java, Protestant church demolished by local government

July 24, 2009 – Indonesia: Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir – terrorism won’t end until authorities respect the supremacy of Islamic law

July 15, 2009 – Indonesia – Muslims Order Halt to Church Building

July 7, 2009 – Indonesia – Church, Bible Students Fight Discrimination

May 19, 2009 – Indonesia – Muslim Group Threatens Newly Elected Christian
“Sole Catholic to win seat in district legislature told to convert to Islam” –  Dominikus Supriyanto

May 6, 2009 – Indonesia – Mayor Revokes Church Permit

April 27, 2009 – Christian priest, wife killed in eastern Indonesia

February 3, 2009: Indonesia – Sharia-Based Laws Creep into Half of Provinces

February 6, 2009: Indonesian cleric wants boycott of Islam film on Muslim women

January 23, 2009: “Under Indonesian law, men can marry at 19 and women at 16, although under some Islamic laws there is no age limit”

February 9, 2009: Radical Books Raise Fears in Indonesia of Spread of Militants’ Ideas

January 2, 2009: Indonesia fails to fight terrorists’ ideology

January 9, 2009: Indonesia: Protesters seal off synagogue amid pro-Palestinian protests

January 5, 2009: “More than 4,000 Indonesians have offered to support Hamas and fight against Israel”

January 5, 2009: Indonesia – Muslim Groups Plan to Send Violent Extemism Fighters

February 5, 2009: President attends inauguration of sharia economy festival

February 3, 2009: Radicals seek ban on Rotary, Lions clubs in Indonesia

January 18, 2009: Indonesian cleric calls for jihad in Gaza

January 8, 2009: Indonesian Muslims storm Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant

February 14, 2009: A “moderate” Indonesian examines the Valentine Day controversy among Muslims

July 9, 2008 – Indonesia: Church in West Java Bulldozed

June 25, 2008 – Indonesia: Islamists try to Destroy Church Buildings

April 2, 2008 – Indonesia – 110 churches closed in three years

November 28, 2007 – Indonesia Church Destroyed By Muslim Militants In West Java, Christians say

June 8, 2004 – About 100 men destroy church in Indonesia’s Bekasi

March 22, 2004 – Violent Extemism in Indonesia: Machete Wielding Muslim Motorcyclists Kill Christian Woman with Baby

Indonesian Islamists Try to Destroy Church Buildings

February 17, 2001 – Indonesia: Convert or Die!

Church burning in Indonesia

November 9, 2006 – The Australian: Indonesia – Beheaded girls were Ramadan ‘trophies’
“Three Christian high school girls were beheaded as a Ramadan ‘trophy’ by Indonesian militants who conceived the idea after a visit to Philippines jihadists, a court heard yesterday. The girls’ severed heads were dumped in plastic bags in their village in Indonesia’s strife-torn Central Sulawesi province, along with a handwritten note threatening more such attacks. The note read: ‘Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head.’ …. he decided that beheading Christians could qualify as an act of Muslim charity. Conscripting several accomplices at a local pesantren, or Islamic school, he directed one of them, Lilik Purnomo, to seek out “the head of a Christian’… They prepared six machetes and black plastic bags for carrying off the severed heads and spent several days surveying the area where the students regularly passed by. The attack was launched the following morning, but only four of the six targeted girls appeared. Lilik, directing the attack from a nearby hill, told his accomplices to act quickly so that the remaining two girls could still be killed should they appear behind their friends. The attackers cleanly beheaded three of the students but a fourth, Noviana Malewa, escaped after a struggle and ran away screaming. Her attackers gave chase but were unable to catch her. The bodies, dressed in school uniform, were left by the roadside near the execution site, but the heads were carried in a backpack to Hasanuddin.”