Dear Asharf Ramelah, Following her conversion from Islam to Christianity five years ago, Martha Samuel Makkar, 24, has been persecuted by police and her relatives for changing her religion. Her relatives have even threatened to kill her
Due to the religious persecution that she and her family faced, she decided to leave her country. On December 13, 2008, Martha was arrested at Cairo International Airport (picture at right) as she and her family were traveling to Russia. Egyptian security officials beat, tortured and sexually harassed her and starved her two children, Amanwael, 4, and Morkes, 2, to pressure her to recant her Christian faith. Her husband, Fadl Thabet, was also temporarily detained.
She was later charged with forging identification documents. During her appearance before an Egyptian court, Judge Abdelaa Hashem threatened to kill her for converting from Islam to Christianity. On January 24, 2009 the court finally decided to release her from prison on bail. The case against Martha is still pending before the court.
On April 13, 2009 Raheal Henen Mussa, 22, who converted from Islam to Christianity three years ago, was arrested for marrying Sarwat George Ryiad, a Christian man, in a customary marriage (zawag al ‘urfi). The only law that she violated was Islamic law in that she converted to Christianity and married a Christian man. On April 19, the police decided to hand her over to her Muslim family. Her family abused and harassed her until she escaped from her family’s home and went into hiding with her husband.
Would you join us is petitioning the government of Egypt to drop all charges against these two ladies and protect them from their relatives?
Here’s How You Can Help
#1 Pray: The first thing you can do to help is stop right now and ask the Lord to intervene.
#2 Next, review our petition. Egyptian officials are concerned about their relationship with the United States and other countries, so when the people shout, they will listen. We have also found that evil prefers to stay hidden and when we shine the light on it, it flees.
#3 Electronically sign the petition by clicking here.
#4 &&&Print out the petition and take it to your church and have everyone you know sign it. Send it back to us so we can present it to the Egyptian Ambassador. Feel free to print out extra signature pages for large numbers of sign ups. When you have collected all your signatures, please mail the signature pages to (please note that our address has changed!):
ICC
PO Box 8056
Silver Spring, MD 20907
or fax them to us (301-585-5918).
Please get them back to us by July 17.
#5 Forward this email to all your email contacts and ask them to do the same.
Sincerely in Christ,
Jeff King
President, ICC