Egypt – Researched and compiled by the Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland on 30 May 2017

Re: Request for up to date information on the situation for Coptic Christians in what difficulties they face. Also particular issues if returned after being away for 15 years.

The 2017 US Commission on International Religious Freedom report for Egypt, in a paragraph headed “Key Findings”, states:

“Despite the government's widespread repression of human rights, religious freedom conditions improved in several areas over the past year. President Abdel Fattah Sisi consistently condemned sectarian attacks and pressed for assistance for victims and accountability for perpetrators, pushed for reform in religious discourse, and attended a Coptic Christmas Eve mass for the third consecutive year. In August, the newly-seated parliament passed a long- awaited law on the construction and maintenance of churches and, by early 2017, the government completed rebuilding and restoring more than 50 churches destroyed by extremists in 2013. While sectarian attacks targeting Christians spiked, particularly in Upper Egypt and North Sinai, and a major suicide bombing occurred near St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Cairo, Egyptian courts made some progress in bringing to justice perpetrators of past attacks.” (US Commission on International Religious Freedom (26 April 2017) USCIRF Annual Report 2017 - Tier 2 countries – Egypt)

A report from Amnesty International, in a section headed “Background on sectarian attacks”, states:

“Attacks against the Egyptian Coptic Christian religious minority have escalated since the ouster of former President Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. Coptic churches and homes have been set on fire, members of the Coptic minority have been physically attacked, and their property has been looted. Over the past three years there have been 400 sectarian incidents according to the Tahrir Institute’s tally. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights has documented at least 64 sectarian incidents between 2011 and 2016 where the authorities resorted to reconciliation instead of applying the law.

The government’s persistent failure to protect Coptic Christians from sectarian violence is alarming. In December 2016 a bombing of a Cairo church killed at least 25. After the killings of seven individuals in North Sinai between 30 January and 23 February 2017, a Sinai affiliate of IS announced more violent attacks against Copts were planned. In Tanta, a week earlier a police officer was killed and 15 were injured as a result of bombing one of the training centers run by the Ministry of interior

The Egyptian authorities have consistently failed to prosecute those responsible for sectarian attacks against Christians, resorting instead to state- sponsored reconciliation agreements which sometimes involve financial

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agreements or even the forced eviction of Christian families from their homes. As a result, there has been no punishment of the instigators of sectarian violence against Christians.” (Amnesty International (10 April 2017) Egypt: Authorities must address sectarian violence, not abuse emergency powers)

An article from the New York Times states:

“A church-building law, passed last year, discriminates against Christians. Mob attacks stoked by rabble-rousers and Islamist ideologues, like the one in Minya, are rarely prosecuted. Few Christians serve in the top ranks of the military, security services and academia. ‘The highest people can never be Christian,’ said Wahid Hanna, an Egypt expert at the Century Foundation in New York. ‘They never are. It’s systemic.’ Ibrahim Khalaf Fahmy, a resident of the Minya village where clashes erupted on Thursday, described a situation of boiling frustrations. ‘The Muslims insult us and spit in our faces, even before the police,’ Mr. Fahmy said by telephone. Mr. Sisi’s state of emergency had been imposed ‘not to protect the Copts,’ he said, ‘but to prevent a revolt of the Copts.’ Violence against Christians is rare in , a city with a rich literary and intellectual tradition. Even so, many complain of less visible forms of discrimination that sting nonetheless.” (New York Times (15 April 2017) After Church Bombings, Egyptian Christians Are Resigned but Resolute)

A report from the Associated Press, in a paragraph headed “Targeted By Extremists”, states:

“While sectarian killings did happen as early as the 1970s, they have been mostly sporadic over the years, with the exception of the 1990s, when the state battled an Islamic insurgency and Copts faced some retaliation. On New Years' Eve 2011, a bomb in an Alexandria church killed over 20 people - the first major assault with a high death toll in living memory and a crime still unsolved to this day. Attacks picked up in the aftermath of the army's overthrow of an elected but divisive Islamist president in 2013. Last December, an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 30 people at Cairo's Coptic Cathedral. The extremist group pledged more attacks on the Christian minority, which it views as an ally of the West in a war against Islam. In February, a series of murders and killings claimed by IS in northern Sinai led hundreds of families to leave the area for safer parts of Egypt.” (Associated Press International (16 April 2017) AP Explains: Who are Egypt's Coptic Christians?)

A BBC News report states:

“Christians in Egypt always feel they are second-class citizens. In some parts of the country, especially in the south, their houses have been set on fire and they have been beaten up by some Muslim neighbours. It seems the state is unwilling to fix this issue. It is not just about lax security here, it is more about a culture of discrimination. There is a view among Egyptians that the Coptic Church is siding with the state. The Church has paid a heavy price for such a stance. It is considered a supporter of the regime, and therefore is becoming a target for the militants' attacks. Besides, whenever sectarian incidents take place, the Church issues statements which do not reflect how outraged Christians really are. The frequency of these attacks is quite alarming. In the past, there was some sort of public resentment for attacking churches. But

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when they become frequent, people will just get used to it. It won't be shocking any more. It might even encourage other radical Muslims to do the same.” (BBC News (10 April 2017) Egypt Copt attacks: 'I feel so scared')

An article from UK newspaper The Guardian refers to attacks on Coptic Christians in the Sinai region as follows:

“Rami Yasser Labib was at home when he heard gunshots in the street. His friend Wael Youssef, the owner of the downstairs grocery store, had been targeted by Islamic State militants. ‘Three bullets killed him in front of his wife and son in the street,’ Labib said.

Youssef was the first victim of a string of attacks on Coptic Christians by Isis this year in the northern Sinai coastal city of Arish. The attacks have prompted hundreds of people to leave in search of safety. Labib fled his home of 16 years in fear, taking ‘only the clothes I was wearing and nothing more’.

Isis released a video in February, weeks after the attack, saying Christians in Egypt were their ‘favourite prey’ and vowing to wage sectarian war similar to that in Iraq and Syria, where large numbers of Christians have been displaced.

The video came as the death toll in Arish was mounting: veterinary surgeon Baghat Zakhar, labourer Adel Shawky, teacher and shoe shop owner Gamal Gurgis, plumber Kamal Youssef, and father and son Saied and Medhat Hakim were killed.

The video also claimed responsibility for an attack on a Coptic church in Cairo last December in which 29 people died. Then came twin assaults on 9 April, Palm Sunday, in which suicide bombers targeted Coptic churches in Alexandria and Tanta, killing at least 45 and injuring more than 100. On Maundy Thursday a 16-year-old boy, Gamal , was found with his throat cut in Qai village. ‘It’s a war on Christians,’ his father told World Watch Monitor.” (The Guardian (27 April 2017) 'It's a war on Christians': Egypt's beleaguered Copts in sombre mood before papal visit)

A report from Qantara, an internet portal founded on the initiative of the German Foreign Office, states:

“In the small Evangelical church in the Egyptian town of Ismailia on the Suez Canal, half a dozen Christian families wait to see what fate has in store for them next. They are among those Christians who have, over the past few days, fled IS terror in North Sinai. The older people look tired, sit around on chairs and drink tea. A few children are playing football. They have fled from El Arish, the largest city in North Sinai, which is less than two hours by car from here. For years the city has been the scene of fighting between militant IS jihadists and the Egyptian army, which has already lost hundreds of soldiers. No one knows how many people have been killed on the other side and whether those victims really were militant Islamists. The media are de facto barred from North Sinai. Then two weeks ago, reports arrived in Cairo that gave the conflict a new dimension. This was the point when they began killing Christians. Unlike the military, these Coptic Christian families living in North Sinai were an easy target for the militants. The murders always followed the same format. A handful of masked men arrived at the home or

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workplace of Christians and executed them in cold blood. At the same time, IS released a new propaganda video warning of its continued ‘campaign against Christians and crusaders’ in Egypt, after bombing a Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo last December and killing 28 people attending a Sunday service.” (Qantara (6 March 2017) "They're slaughtering us like chickens")

A report from Human Rights Watch states:

“Coptic Christians, an estimated 10 percent of the Egyptian population, face widespread legal and social discrimination and are routinely denied high-level government and security services jobs. They have been the victims of increasing sectarian attacks since the 2011 uprising, particularly since July 2013, when the military removed Mohamed Morsy, Egypt’s first freely elected president. On a number of occasions, Human Rights Watch has documented how Interior Ministry officials and prosecutors fail to conduct proper investigations or prosecutions into sectarian attacks on Coptic Christians.

In an April 10 statement, ISIS identified the two bombers as Egyptians, using the pseudonyms Abu al-Bara al-Masri and Abu Ishaq al-Masri. The group threatened further violence, describing Christians as ‘crusaders’ and ‘apostates’ and declaring that ‘the bill between us and them is very large, and they will pay it with rivers of blood from their children, with God’s permission.’” (Human Rights Watch (12 April 2017) Egypt: Horrific Palm Sunday Bombings)

A report from the Global Observatory, a publication of the International Peace Institute, states:

“Militants attacked two Coptic Christian churches in northern Egypt on April 9, killing over 40 people and wounding dozens more. In reaction to the blasts, which were claimed by the Islamic State, President Fatah el-Sisi deployed military forces to protect vital assets countrywide and declared a state of emergency. In following up on these actions, Sisi will need to walk a fine line between options that may stem the violence and merely intensify it. The regime’s approach to similar insecurity since 2013 has typically relied on brute force, against political as well as military opponents. This has ultimately caused further instability.

The bombings occurred on Palm Sunday, which begins a week of celebrations for Christians culminating in Easter Sunday. In addition to condemnation of ISIS, the attacks have seen criticism of Sisi and his government over perceived security lapses, by the Coptic Christian community, Muslim groups, civil society, and opposition political forces. Coptic members of parliament have even called on Sisi to fire Interior Minister Magdi Abdel-Ghaffar. These requests follows similar pleas in December last year in the wake of an ISIS-claimed bombing on St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Cairo, which left 27 dead.

ISIS has increasingly focused attacks on Egypt’s Christian community, which it presents as closely allied with the regime. This includes playing on perceptions that the Copts were tied to the forces that ousted the popularly elected Islamist regime of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013. ISIS has conducted regular attacks against Copts in the North Sinai region, causing large displacements of populations. It has a well-established pattern of seeking to aggravate social tensions between opposing religious groups, as

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well as between these groups and the state.” (Global Observatory (17 April 2017) How Will Sisi Respond to Attacks on Egypt’s Christians?)

A report from UK newspaper The Times states:

“Dozens of Coptic Christians were killed when two bombs were detonated in coordinated attacks on churches as worshippers celebrated Palm Sunday. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for both suicide bombs, the first of which, at Mari Girgis (St George's) church in Tanta, 60 miles north of Cairo, killed at least 27 people and wounded more than 70 just after 9am. Four hours later police officers stopped a suicide bomber entering St Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria, but he detonated his bomb, killing 17 people. Tawadros II, the Coptic Pope, had been inside leading prayers but was unhurt. Isis said that there were more attacks to come, and a third bomb was found at a nearby church and defused. The Alexandria bombing was carried out by an Isis militant it identified as Abu Al-Baraa Al-Masri, while the Tanta church bombing was carried out by an individual it named as Abu Ishaaq Al- Masri. Egypt's President Sisi declared a three-month state of emergency, allowing for arrests to be made without warrants. It will have to be ratified by the country's parliament. Survivors of the Tanta explosion said they had been in the middle of prayers when the bomb went off. It was detonated from the front of the church in the men's section. Photographs showed bodies lying on bloodied palm fronds.” (The Times (10 April 2017) Copts massacred in Palm Sunday church bombings)

An article from the Jerusalem Post states:

“The bombings of two Egyptian churches by Islamic State on Palm Sunday emphasize the grim reality that nowhere in Egypt is safe if you are a Coptic Christian. The day is normally a festive one commemorating the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, according to the gospels, but instead it was turned into a bloodbath.

Hardly had Coptic Christians any time to absorb the devastating blow of a bombing at George's Church in Tanta, less than a hundred kilometers outside Cairo in the Nile Delta, when a suicide bomber's explosion killed at least 25 at Saint Mark's Cathedral in Alexandria, where Pope Tawadros had just attended Mass. The bombings spread terror and cast doubt over the ability of the government to secure Pope Francis during a planned visit to Egypt later this month.

The carnage is a major ‘success’ for Islamic State, which has in recent months morphed its insurgency against security forces in Sinai into a campaign against Christians that reaches deep into the heartland of Egypt. Not only did ISIS kill more than 40 ‘infidels’ on Sunday, it succeeded in challenging the very legitimacy of the regime of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and raising the specter of Egypt descending into sectarian conflict and disarray like Syria and Iraq.” (Jerusalem Post (10 April 2017) No place for Copts)

A BBC News report states:

“At the ancient Monastery of St Mina in the desert sands of Egypt, a low concrete tomb holds the remains of Christians slaughtered for their faith - not

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in Roman times, but earlier this month. They were among almost 50 people killed in co-ordinated attacks at two churches. The bombings - on Palm Sunday - were claimed by the so-called Islamic State (IS). Priests at the monastery say persecution is as old as the faith. ‘The history of the Christians is like this,’ said Father Elijah Ava Mina, his flowing white beard contrasting with his black robes. ‘Jesus told us “narrow is the gate, and difficult is the way”.’ The burial chamber now holds seven coffins but there is space for more. Future attacks look all but guaranteed. The Egyptian branch of IS has said Christians are its ‘favourite prey’.” (BBC News (27 April 2017) Egyptian Christians living in fear for the future)

A Wall Street Journal report refers to a recent attack on Coptic Christians as follows:

“Gunmen killed at least 28 people on a bus carrying Christian pilgrims in Egypt on Friday, prompting Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi to order retaliatory airstrikes in Libya as he faces an emerging national security crisis. The airstrikes, Egypt's first in Libya since 2015, came as Mr. Sisi, in a televised speech, blamed Islamic State and other terrorists for sowing discord in Egypt with a wave of attacks. Ten of the dead in Friday's bus attack were children, traveling with their parents to visit an ancient monastery in central Egypt; many suffered bullet wounds to the head and chest, said Makarios, the highest Coptic clergyman in Minya Province, where the attack occurred. Mr. Sisi, a former army chief who took power in a 2013 military coup and later won election with a vow to stamp out terrorism in his country, has cast himself as a regional leader in the fight against extremism. As Islamic State's territory shrinks in Iraq and Syria, Egypt has seen more frequent and widespread attacks claimed by the group, particularly targeting the Christian minority. Coptic churches haven't been the only targets: Hundreds of families have fled their homes in the restive Sinai Peninsula after Islamic State extremists killed seven Coptic men and vowed to target others.” (Wall Street Journal (26 May 2017) Gunmen in Egypt Attack Bus Carrying Coptic Christians, Prompting Airstrikes on Libya: After gunmen kill dozens of pilgrims, leader blamed Islamic State and other terrorists for sowing discord)

A report on this incident from The Times states:

“Masked gunmen have killed at least 28 Coptic Christians, including several children, as they were on a pilgrimage, the latest in string of deadly attacks. Unknown assailants in three SUVs opened fire on vehicles carrying the pilgrims in Minya, about 190 miles south of Cairo, according to Egypt's interior ministry. The victims had been going to the remote monastery of Saint the Confessor in Maghagha. There were between eight and ten attackers dressed in military uniforms, according to security officials who were quoting www.witnesses.No one has claimed responsibility for the shooting, which took place on the eve of Islam's holy month of Ramadan, but the attack bore the hallmarks of Islamic State.” (The Times (27 May 2017) Gunmen kill 28 Copts on pilgrimage)

This report also states:

“Egypt's minority Christians in Minya have been particularly hard hit by Islamists living in the area. Since the military overthrow of the Islamist President Morsi in 2013, dozens of churches and Christian homes in the town

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have been set on fire, and many members of the community have been kidnapped for ransom. Critics of the government say that few people have been punished for the crimes, encouraging violence against Christians, who in Minya are often encouraged to participate in reconciliation meetings. There they are encouraged to agree to drop charges in exchange for small sums of money.” (ibid)

A report published by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia, in a section titled “Protections for Returnees” (paragraphs 5.44 to 5.46), refers to persons returning to Egypt as follows:

“5.44 Egypt accepts involuntary returnees. The International Organisation for Migration runs a program in Egypt that assists voluntary returnees, in cooperation with the country from which they are returning. Such voluntary returnees are met at the airport, provided training or other assistance to enable them to find legal work or begin their own business in Egypt. DFAT understands that Egyptian authorities cooperate with the IOM in these arrangements.

5.45 DFAT assesses that people who return to Egypt after several years' absence will not face any adverse attention on their return on account of their absence. Likewise, DFAT assesses that failed asylum seekers will not face adverse attention on account of their failed application for asylum when they return to Egypt.

5.46 Egyptian officials generally pay little regard to failed asylum seekers upon their return to the country, though it is possible that some individuals will be questioned upon entry or have their entry delayed. Many thousands of Egyptians enter and leave the country every day. Those Egyptians that out- stay their work or tourist visas in other countries are regularly returned to Egypt with no attention paid them by authorities. DFAT does not believe the return of failed asylum seekers will be reported by airport authorities to the Ministry of the Interior or any of the security services beyond the normal processes whereby returning Egyptian nationals have their entry into and exit from the country recorded.” (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia (28 January 2014) DFAT Country Report: Egypt)

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research and Information Unit within time constraints. This response is not and does not purport to be conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please read in full all documents referred to.

References:

Amnesty International (10 April 2017) Egypt: Authorities must address sectarian violence, not abuse emergency powers https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/04/egypt-authorities-must- address-sectarian-violence-not-abuse-emergency-powers/ (Accessed 30 May 2017)

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Associated Press International (16 April 2017) AP Explains: Who are Egypt's Coptic Christians? http://www.lexisnexis.com (Accessed 30 May 2017) This is a subscription database

BBC News (27 April 2017) Egyptian Christians living in fear for the future http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39694408 (Accessed 30 May 2017)

BBC News (10 April 2017) Egypt Copt attacks: 'I feel so scared' http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39553079 (Accessed 30 May 2017)

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Australia (28 January 2014) DFAT Country Report: Egypt http://www.ein.org.uk/print/members/country-report/dfat-country-report-egypt (Accessed 30 May 2017) This is a subscription database

Global Observatory (17 April 2017) How Will Sisi Respond to Attacks on Egypt’s Christians? https://theglobalobservatory.org/2017/04/sisi-response-to-attacks-on-egypt- christians/ (Accessed 30 May 2017)

The Guardian (27 April 2017) 'It's a war on Christians': Egypt's beleaguered Copts in sombre mood before papal visit https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/27/egypt-christians-papal-visit- pope-francis (Accessed 30 May 2017)

Human Rights Watch (12 April 2017) Egypt: Horrific Palm Sunday Bombings https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/04/12/egypt-horrific-palm-sunday-bombings (Accessed 30 May 2017)

Jerusalem Post (10 April 2017) No place for Copts http://www.lexisnexis.com (Accessed 30 May 2017) This is a subscription database

New York Times (15 April 2017) After Church Bombings, Egyptian Christians Are Resigned but Resolute https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/world/middleeast/alexandria-egypt- coptic-church-suicide-bombing.html?_r=0 (Accessed 30 May 2017)

Qantara (6 March 2017) "They're slaughtering us like chickens" https://en.qantara.de/content/egyptian-copts-flee-the-sinai-theyre- slaughtering-us-like-chickens

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(Accessed 30 May 2017)

The Times (27 May 2017) Gunmen kill 28 Copts on pilgrimage http://www.lexisnexis.com (Accessed 30 May 2017) This is a subscription database

The Times (10 April 2017) Copts massacred in Palm Sunday church bombings http://www.lexisnexis.com (Accessed 30 May 2017) This is a subscription database

US Commission on International Religious Freedom (26 April 2017) USCIRF Annual Report 2017 - Tier 2 countries – Egypt http://www.refworld.org/docid/59072f4013.html

Wall Street Journal (26 May 2017) Gunmen in Egypt Attack Bus Carrying Coptic Christians, Prompting Airstrikes on Libya: After gunmen kill dozens of pilgrims, leader blamed Islamic State and other terrorists for sowing discord http://www.lexisnexis.com (Accessed 30 May 2017) This is a subscription database

Sources Consulted:

Amnesty International BBC Electronic Immigration Network European Country of Origin Information Network Google Human Rights Watch Lexis Nexis Refugee Documentation Centre Query Database UNHCR Refworld

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