Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, for the opportunity to speak to you today.
I want to provide an update on the situation of Egyptian Coptic Christians in the context of Egypt's ongoing transition to democracy, and also say a few words about what Canada—that is, our department and missions—has been doing about this question.
On June 30, 2012, President Mohammed Morsi took office following Egypt's historic presidential elections, the first in that country since the Arab awakening transformed the political landscape of the region.
The pressures facing the Coptic community in Egypt have been a concern for Canada for some time. A number of incidents over the last several months have been particularly worrying. These include a situation in the town of Rafah last week in which Coptic Christians were threatened with violence by extremists, and an outbreak of sectarian violence in the village of Dahshour in early August. Both incidents forced members of the Coptic community to flee from their homes.
Since taking office, President Morsi and members of his government have committed to govern in the interest of all Egyptians and to protect the rights of Egypt's religious minorities.
The newly appointed Prime Minister, Hisham Kandil, named the members of his new cabinet in July, two of whom are members of the Coptic community, as is one of President Morsi's advisors.
A new constitution is being drafted, and once completed it will be put to a public referendum.
Article 2 of the current draft constitution deals, in part, with religious freedoms. An unofficial translation of the draft text is as follows:
Islam is the religion of the state, Arabic is its official language, the principles of Islamic Shari'a are the main source of legislation, the honourable Azhar is the final source of its interpretation and the adherents to Christianity and Judaism have the right to refer to their own doctrines in matters of law and performing their religious affairs and selecting their religious leaders.
The government has pledged that the new constitution will reflect the guidelines of the Al-Azhar document, a proposed set of guiding principles put forth by Egypt's pre-eminent Muslim and Christian leaders on how religious freedoms, human rights, and interfaith dialogue should be defined in the new democratic Egypt.
The adoption of the new constitution will be a critical benchmark in Egypt's transition to democracy. It will be a key opportunity for the new government to demonstrate its stated commitment to ensuring the human rights of all citizens, which was, of course, a central demand of the Egyptian people during last year's uprising.
Mr. Chair, Egypt has a long history of religious diversity. Coptic Christians have been an integral part of Egyptian society dating back to the second century AD.
Unconfirmed estimates indicate that Coptic Christians constitute somewhere between eight and 12% of Egypt's population of 82 million, making Copts the largest Christian minority in the region.
Over the centuries, Muslims and Copts have co-existed and today the overwhelming majority of Egyptians support religious tolerance.
A poignant manifestation of this was seen during the uprising, when thousands of Egyptians of all faiths, including Muslims and Christians, marched together in Tahrir Square in support of the slogan "We are all Egyptians".
However, Coptic Christians in Egypt have felt vulnerable to threats on a number of occasions from mobs and extremists who do not accept the religious plurality of the country.
As I mentioned, over the past few months, Copts living near Alexandria and Dahshour, a village near Cairo, have been forced from their homes following violence and attacks at the hands of their neighbours, generally arising out of feuds between individuals from the Coptic and Muslim communities.
In the past week, Coptic Christians living in the city of Rafah in the Sinai Peninsula have been particularly affected by the lack of stability in the area, and some Coptic Christians have been threatened with violence and even death by militant extremists, causing some Coptic families to flee to neighbouring towns.
Prime Minister Kandil has spoken out against these threats, and has assured the families that Egyptian security personnel will ensure their protection in Rafah.
This comes in the context of a wider conflict between Egyptian authorities and extremists in the Sinai, where insecurity has affected all residents, especially in the northern part of the peninsula. We welcome these assurances, as we believe that it is of utmost importance that Egyptian authorities take all the necessary steps to protect members of religious minorities from violence and extremism. It is also important that perpetrators of violence against members of religious minorities are brought to justice.
In January 2011, an individual was tried and found guilty for the shooting deaths of six Copts and a Muslim policeman in Naga Hammadi in January 2010.
However, no one has been brought to trial to date in connection with the suicide bombing that targeted Copts in Alexandria in January 2011. The Egyptian police forces are still using the "reconciliation" model to address violence, a practice which generally avoids prosecuting the perpetrators of violence and vandalism.
There was a serious incident on October 9, 2011, the so-called "Maspiro incident", in which at least 25 Coptic Christian protestors were killed and over 300 were injured in clashes with Egyptian military personnel.
Following that tragedy, Canada welcomed the commitment by the Egyptian government to bring those responsible for the violence to justice.
Two parallel judicial processes, one civilian and one military, have taken place. Earlier in September, three soldiers were convicted of manslaughter in connection with the deaths of 14 protesters. They were sentenced to two to three years in prison. A civilian trial against two Coptic defendants who allegedly stole weapons from military personnel during the incident is scheduled to take place today. We are monitoring this closely. We hope that the remainder of the process will be fair and transparent, and bring justice to the families of the victims.
I would like to highlight some of the positive measures that the Egyptian government has taken over the past year to address concerns about intolerance and discrimination against religious minorities.
In October 2011, following the Maspiro incident, the Egyptian government added a new article to the Egyptian legal code which increased the penalties for discrimination based on gender, ethnic origin, language, religion or belief. The Egyptian government also committed itself to addressing all claims of discriminatory practices against Coptic Christians. Religious leaders in Egypt are also working together towards increased understanding and tolerance, most notably through the Bayt al-A'ila (family home) initiative, which includes representatives from Al Azhar, the Coptic Church, the Anglican Church and others.
As mentioned earlier with respect to the Azhar document, the results of inter-faith dialogue can have a tangible effect on Egypt's transition.
We fully support these efforts, and encourage Egyptians to continue working together to build a culture of respect for pluralism and religious freedom, as the importance of strong social norms that make it unacceptable to discriminate on the basis of religion cannot be overstated.
Mr. Chair, Canada and Egypt have long-standing ties and a bilateral relationship that is mature and multi-dimensional. We look forward to working with the new government and we stand ready to assist with efforts to build a more democratic, inclusive, and prosperous country.
With respect to human rights, for many years the Canadian government has encouraged Egypt to respect its obligations, including those related to the treatment of religious minorities. When serious concerns have arisen—for instance, following the Maspero incident in October 2011—Minister Baird has made public statements calling on Egypt to ensure freedom of religion and the protection of religious minorities.
On October 17, 2011, the House of Commons passed a motion expressing “solidarity with...religious minorities around the world” and condemning attacks on Egyptian Coptic Christians and their institutions. The motion called on the Egyptian government “to ensure that the perpetrators of attacks be brought to justice” and asked the UN human rights council to investigate the situation of Coptic Christians in Egypt. At the minister's request, Speaker of the Senate Noël Kinsella subsequently raised the situation of the Copts in Egypt and the House of Commons motion with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Our officials will continue to monitor closely the human rights situation in Egypt and will make representations to the Egyptian government as appropriate and needed.
Canada is a strong and committed supporter of the individual's right to freedom of religion and has made the protection of religious minorities and the promotion of pluralism a foreign policy priority. We believe that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right and a vital component in a healthy democracy.
Mr. Chair, Egypt is a vibrant and dynamic country with a rich tradition of philosophical and intellectual discourse. We recognize that there are many challenges going forward as Egyptians seek to define the political and legal foundations of their new system of governance. Despite these challenges, we believe that the vast majority of Egyptians are committed to building a society where people of all religions can worship freely according to their beliefs and can live their faiths in peace.
We believe it is vital that the new Egypt be guided by respect for democratic principles, including human rights and rule of law, and we will continue to urge the Government of Egypt to ensure that Copts and all other religious minorities are protected from violence and are free to play an equal and meaningful role in society.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I'll be happy to take your questions and those of the committee members.
