Kamilia Shehata
Encyclopedia
Kamilia Shehata Zakher or "Camellia Shehata Zakher"(born 1985) is a school teacher Deir Mawas
, Egypt
and the wife of Tadros Samaan, the Copt
ic Priest
of Saint Mark's Church in Mowas Cathedral in Minya
. She disappeared in July 2010 following a family dispute. According to some reports the dispute was over her desire to convert to Islam. And that sparked protests tensions between Egypt's Muslim
majority and Coptic Christian minority.
Kamilia Shehata was discovered on July 23 at the home of a friend in Cairo. She denied being kidnapped and Church officials conceded she had left her home of her own free will. Differing accounts claim that after she was located, police either returned Shehata to her family or turned her over to the custody of the Church. Shehata herself has made no public statement with the exception of a video whose authenticity is disputed. Her whereabouts are unknown and the Church claims she is under its protection, saying she was "transferred from her family's home in Ain Shams in Cairo to a church guest house to keep her away from the tension." On the 7th of May 2011, Kamilia stated that she never converted to Islam in a program in a Christian Channel called "El Hayat".
-clad of Shehata are widely displayed in protests and on internet sites devoted to her supposed abduction and detention, although the authenticity of the images has been questioned, the Egyptian daily Almasry Alyoum
describing them as "photo-shopped"
.
In August, Egyptian lawyers Nezar Ghorab, Gamal Tag and Tarek Abubakr filed suit against the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque
and the Egyptian Minister of Interior, asserting that they had colluded to prevent Shehata from converting to Islam, a claim denied by the Secretary General of Al-Azhar’s Fatwa Committee, who said that "Kamilia never came to Al-Azhar and we know nothing about her." The trio mounted a related suit against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
. Another lawyer, Mamdouh Ismail, submitted a request with the attorney-general
that Christian places of worship be searched to ascertain her whereabouts, and filed an administrative suit
against Coptic Pope Shenouda III
that alleges Shehata is being held against her will and demands her release.
Representatives of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
, an independent
Egyptian human rights
organization, also criticized the security forces for handing over an adult to the Church against her will, an act the organization says violates the Egyptian constitution. EIPR director Hossam Bahgat characterized the actions of the authorities and the Church as a misguided attempt to avoid sectarian strife, telling Daily News Egypt
that "Church leaders and police might think that they've suppressed the beginnings of a sectarian problem through 'delivering' a grown up citizen to her family like a piece of furniture, but the truth is that the whole society, including all its sects, loses when it gets involved in this flagrant violation of one of its citizens."
Deir Mawas
Deir Mawas or Deir Muas is a city in Egypt. It is located in the Minya Governorate, on the west bank of the Nile.-History:On 18 March 1919, the people of Deir Mawas joined the revolution against Great Britain, which swept across Egypt...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and the wife of Tadros Samaan, the Copt
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic Priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
of Saint Mark's Church in Mowas Cathedral in Minya
Minya, Egypt
Minya is the capital of Minya Governorate in Upper Egypt. It is located approximately south of Cairo on the western bank of the Nile River, which flows north through the city...
. She disappeared in July 2010 following a family dispute. According to some reports the dispute was over her desire to convert to Islam. And that sparked protests tensions between Egypt's Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
majority and Coptic Christian minority.
Background
Kamilia Shehata disappeared from her home in Deir Mawas on July 18, 2010, according to a police report, following a family dispute. According to some reports the dispute was over her desire to convert to Islam. Rumours of her forced conversion to Islam began circulating among Egypt's Copts after Shehata's husband and family at first claimed she had been kidnapped, a claim discounted by police. Ensuing Coptic protests in Cairo and in her home province of Minya demanded her return.Kamilia Shehata was discovered on July 23 at the home of a friend in Cairo. She denied being kidnapped and Church officials conceded she had left her home of her own free will. Differing accounts claim that after she was located, police either returned Shehata to her family or turned her over to the custody of the Church. Shehata herself has made no public statement with the exception of a video whose authenticity is disputed. Her whereabouts are unknown and the Church claims she is under its protection, saying she was "transferred from her family's home in Ain Shams in Cairo to a church guest house to keep her away from the tension." On the 7th of May 2011, Kamilia stated that she never converted to Islam in a program in a Christian Channel called "El Hayat".
Controversy
Shehata's return was met with rival protests by Egyptian Muslims who believed Shehata had converted to Islam but had been forcibly returned to the Church. Images of a niqābNiqab
A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijāb...
-clad of Shehata are widely displayed in protests and on internet sites devoted to her supposed abduction and detention, although the authenticity of the images has been questioned, the Egyptian daily Almasry Alyoum
Almasry Alyoum
Al-Masry Al-Youm is an Egyptian privately owned daily newspaper that was first published in June 2004. It is published in Arabic and has a website in both Arabic and English...
describing them as "photo-shopped"
Photo manipulation
Photo manipulation is the application of image editing techniques to photographs in order to create an illusion or deception , through analog or digital means.- Types of digital photo manipulation :...
.
In August, Egyptian lawyers Nezar Ghorab, Gamal Tag and Tarek Abubakr filed suit against the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Mosque
Al-Azhar Mosque
Al-Azhar Mosque is a mosque in Islamic Cairo in Egypt. Al-Mu‘izz li-Dīn Allāh of the Fatimid Caliphate commissioned its construction for the newly established capital city in 970. Its name is usually thought to allude to the Islamic prophet Muhammad's daughter Fatimah, a revered figure in Islam...
and the Egyptian Minister of Interior, asserting that they had colluded to prevent Shehata from converting to Islam, a claim denied by the Secretary General of Al-Azhar’s Fatwa Committee, who said that "Kamilia never came to Al-Azhar and we know nothing about her." The trio mounted a related suit against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
Hosni Mubarak
Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak is a former Egyptian politician and military commander. He served as the fourth President of Egypt from 1981 to 2011....
. Another lawyer, Mamdouh Ismail, submitted a request with the attorney-general
Egyptian State Lawsuits Authority
The Egyptian State Lawsuits Authority is an Egyptian judicial institution that resembles, in respect of competencies, the Attorney General in common law disciplines and particularly the United States Solicitor General....
that Christian places of worship be searched to ascertain her whereabouts, and filed an administrative suit
Administrative law
Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda. Administrative law is considered a branch of public law...
against Coptic Pope Shenouda III
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria is the 117th Pope of Alexandria and the Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy Apostolic See of Saint Mark the Evangelist of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria...
that alleges Shehata is being held against her will and demands her release.
Representatives of Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights is an independent Egyptian human rights organization, established in 2002.-Vision and Mandate:...
, an independent
Non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any government. The term originated from the United Nations , and is normally used to refer to organizations that do not form part of the government and are...
Egyptian human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
organization, also criticized the security forces for handing over an adult to the Church against her will, an act the organization says violates the Egyptian constitution. EIPR director Hossam Bahgat characterized the actions of the authorities and the Church as a misguided attempt to avoid sectarian strife, telling Daily News Egypt
Daily News Egypt
Daily News Egypt is an Egyptian daily newspaper established in 2005 and owned by Egyptian Media Services. It is affiliated with the International Herald Tribune...
that "Church leaders and police might think that they've suppressed the beginnings of a sectarian problem through 'delivering' a grown up citizen to her family like a piece of furniture, but the truth is that the whole society, including all its sects, loses when it gets involved in this flagrant violation of one of its citizens."