Christian Twins in Egypt Forced to ‘Become’ Muslim

ISTANBUL, September 5 (Compass Direct News) – An Egyptian court on Monday (September 3) adjourned the hearing of young Christian twins legally forced to take Islamic education after their estranged father became Muslim. Mario and Andrew Medhat Ramsis unwillingly “became” Muslim after their father converted to Islam and used his legal right to change the religion on their birth certificates. The boys’ mother discovered that they had been placed in Islamic education classes at school to reflect their father’s choice, though the Muslim man was no longer living with his Christian family since his conversion and remarriage in 2002. The Ramsis twins’ future hinges on whether the court applies civil law, which allows them to remain with their mother, or certain interpretations of Islamic law, which stipulate that children belong to whichever parent is Muslim. In a related case, an administrative court yesterday postponed a verdict for another set of twins – 14-year-olds Imad and Nancy Halim of the country’s tiny Baha’i community – whose father is suing to leave the religion field on their identification papers blank.

Please read the full story at Compass Direct, and we thank them for serving the persecuted church with us.