In 2024, we continued our efforts, within our overall guiding principles and objectives since the creation of Coptic Solidarity in 2010, to remain the most credible, independent and trust-worthy voice of the voiceless Copts in Egypt, according to established international standards of human rights advocacy work.
Certain past experiences of Coptic activism in the diaspora have taught us that emotional or eruptive responses to (high visibility) aggressions against peaceful Copts, cannot be productive, nor lead to long-term solutions. Only methodical, sustained efforts can yield any meaningful results.
The Situation of the Copts in Egypt may go through ups and downs, ranging from severe persecution to persistent daily-life harassments. But overall, and sadly so, Copts continue to live under a system of institutionalized discrimination. Despite some cosmetic gestures by officials in Egypt, or marginal improvements, the Copts remain effectively as second-class citizens in their homeland.
Our objective has been and remains to help make Egypt a modern, and secular country for all its citizens, free from religious dominance by any community and free from religion-based laws. We also endeavor to support other suffering minorities in the Middle East.
The accreditation of Coptic Solidarity to the United Nations in late 2023 reflects our credibility and adds to our visibility and responsibility.
1- Discrimination Against Copts in Sports
• Eight years after first raising the issue of discrimination against Coptic athletes in Egypt with the International Olympic Committee, they have finally replied.
• This reply game on the heels of an initiative we led through the International Religious Freedom Roundtable to gather signatures on a multi-faith letter which we sent to the IOC.
• Launched an online advocacy campaign targeting IOC officials urging them to investigate discrimination against Coptic athletes
2- Coptic Women & Girls
• Coptic Solidarity partnered with a group of organizations to advocate with UN country missions to accept the insertion of language into the annual resolution on Child Early and Forced Marriage. On November 18, the UN adopted this language which “explicitly highlights the need to address the impunity surrounding abductions, trafficking, and forced religious conversions of women and girls by armed groups and other non-state actors, particularly in the context of child, early, and forced marriage.”
• Coptic Solidarity and our good partner Jubilee Campaign co-hosted an event tilted Filling the Gaps in Social Protection Systems for Minority Women on the sidelines of the 68th UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York City. CS President, Caroline Doss JD, presented on the abduction, forced conversion and forced marriages of Coptic women and girls in Egypt.
• Presented the Annual Atef Jacoub Leadership Award to Copt, Tereza Haroun, Founder of The Panorama El-Barsha Troupe featured in The Brink of Dreams, which won the Best Documentary at the 77th Cannes Film Festival and focuses on empowering young women through theater
• Hosted a session during 12th Annual Conference, Overcoming Challenges: Compound Persecution of Women.
• Advocate at the UN, with US governmental agencies, and legislators to create awareness and action to end #TraffickingofCopts
• Continue to be the lead organization reporting on abductions of Coptic girls like Irene Shehata, as well as 20 cases which occurred between January – May this year.
3- International Religious Freedom Summit 2024
• We were able participate as a Convening Partner which enabled CS to assist in planning a session titled Violations Against Indigenous and Occupied Religious Communities.
• CS utilized our only speaker nomination for a young Coptic activist to participate on the panel. He presented on the situation of Copts by highlighting the cases of Soad Thabet and Baby Shenouda, explaining how they exemplify Copts’ second-class citizenship status, and the continuity of oppression throughout history.
• Partnering with a group of smaller organizations, we combined resources to share display tables. The theme for our joint display was Free to Choose which included a campaign page and solicited signatures on a religious freedom charter. We were able to create awareness and develop more partnerships for our work.
4- Coptic Rights at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Peoples (UNPFII)
Coptic Solidarity received the accreditation with the UN in late 2023, becoming the first and so- far only, Coptic rights group in the world to have that status. This enabled us to register and formally participate at this event which is held annually at the UN Headquarters in New York City, and Geneva.
Accordingly, we were able to participate in the meeting of the UNPFII, which is a high- level advisory body to the Economic and Social Council. The Forum was established in 2000 with the mandate to deal with indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.
Building on the publication of our report, Recognizing the Coptic “Indigenous Peoples” Status for Protection from State-Sponsored Discrimination in 2023, we continued to create awareness and advocate that Copts meet internationally recognized criteria as the indigenous peoples of Egypt.
• Attended the 23rd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
• Met with UN Permanent Missions to exchange updates on advocacy work and to build new relationships.
• Hosted 2 sessions during the annual conference on indigenous theme including protecting cultural heritage and examining the situation for indigenous peoples throughout the MENA region.
5- Advocacy with US Government & Legislators
• Published Coptic Solidarity Annual Analysis of the State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report on Egypt. EVERY point under the section of Constructive Criticism from Coptic Solidarity’s analysis last year was addressed in this year’s report.
• Encouraged eligible Copts to register and vote in the US 2024 elections through our Copt the Vote Campaign.
• Published an analysis of the Egypt chapter of USCIRF’s annual IRF report. Our consistency in publishing analyses and meeting with USCIRF staff has resulted in improved reporting.
• Meetings with US Representatives and Senators to create awareness, update legislative champions, and to coordinate quiet diplomacy and public campaigns.
6- 12th Annual Conference
Coptic Solidarity hosted its 12th Annual Conference under the title The Coptic Problem: Hate Based on Religion, in Washington, DC June 13-14. It featured many new speakers and partners, with attendance returning to pre-COVID numbers. The Policy Day was held in the Cannon House Office Building with the 2nd day of the conference hosted at a local hotel. Read summaries and watch individual sessions in the conference report.
7- Middle East Minorities
• Patriarch Louis Raphaël Sako was reinstated to his position as head of the Chaldean Church in Iraq by President Latif Rashid. This occurred the very week that HE Bishop Emanual Hana Shaleta attended Coptic Solidarity’s 12th Annual Conference to receive our leadership award on behalf of Patriarch Sako.
In 2023, CS led a statement sent to Secretary Blinken with signatures by 86 NGOs,
parliamentarians and former legislators, and experts urging the immediate reinstatement of Patriarch Sako to his position.
• We utilize our annual conference to provide other religious and ethnic minorities with a platform to increase awareness and to facilitate greater collaboration amongst our communities and organizations. This year, our conference featured guest speakers from the following countries and ethnic backgrounds: Armenia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco, Iraq, Lebanon, Assyrians, Yazidi, and Jewish.
8- Monitoring & Reporting on Systematic Discrimination And Attacks on Copts & Their Properties
• Led an initiative with the IRF community to gather signatures on a letter sent UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Dr. Nazila Ghanea, urging an investigation into the arson and attack on Copts in Al-Fawakhir village, Minya Province on April 23.
• Publicized the abduction, murder and dismemberment of Copt, Mina Musa.
• Reported in English on the brutal stabbing of a Coptic carpenter Mina and of his brother, Barsoum, and their elderly father.
• Monitoring the continued burning, closing, and refusal to allow Copts to repair and build churches by local Muslim populations and government officials. Riots often involved the burning and looting of Coptic homes such as in al-Fawakhir village. This has resulted in multiple services including funerals being held in the streets.
• Documented how Copts are still forced to participate in “reconciliation sessions” and not pursue legal action against their Muslim attackers.
• Created awareness for the child Mikhail whose situation received far less media attention than that of Baby Shenouda.
• Exposed sentencing to 3 years imprisonment of Coptic military conscript, Yusuf Sa‘d Hanin, for “blasphemy.”
9- Creating Awareness and Exposing Islamic Extremism in Egyptian Institutions
Despite a constant narrative inside and outside of Egypt, the el-Sisi Administration continues support numerous forms of Islamic extremism. Coptic Solidarity exposes these actions and the repercussions they have on Copts in Egypt. This is a critical role to ensure that Western legislators and policy makers understand the real significance of these actions.
• Revealed that President Sisi’s new appointment for the Grand Mufti for Egypt, Sheikh Nazir Muhammad ‘Ayyad, is an extremist and the author of a highly inflammatory book dedicated to condemning Christians.
• Exposed publication of a book in Egypt titled Establishing the Dazzling Argument for the Demolition of Churches in Egypt and Cairo, which is dedicated to emphasizing that churches have no place in Egypt. Sheikh Abdul Rahman al-Naquib, a “professor” at Mansoura University, one of Egypt’s large state-owned educational facilities, supervised the annotation and reissuance of the book with no opposition by al-Azhar or its Grand Imam, Sheikh Ahmed al-Tayeb.
• Reported on the unprecedented construction of mosques being repaired and built, in Egypt in addition to government plan of “intensifying preaching activities” in all mosques, as well as “improving the financial and living conditions of imams in unprecedented increases,” all funded by the Egyptian government.
• Notified our audience of the construction of entire new city known as “Islamic Mission City” or simply “New Islamic City,” reportedly being built in New Cairo with President Sisi’s full and enthusiastic support. The purpose is to accommodate thousands of more international students to study at Al Azhar University.
10- Volunteers and Interns
• This year brought more fresh faces to volunteer and intern with Coptic Solidarity, including the most diverse and youngest groups of activists such as Riya Dutta, who wrote this piece, Copt the Vote: Empowering the Coptic Community. We are grateful for their many contributions made with passion and determination to improve the lives of Copts in Egypt
• Several of our existing Coptic interns and volunteers continued to assist with a wide variety of projects, including presenting and hosting an interactive workshop during our annual conference.
• Our advocacy campaigns have also attracted more individuals wanting to collaborate such as the article written for us by Walid Tamtam titled Coptic Representation in Sports: An Important Step for Equality in Egypt and the recording of an Interview with Lydia Yousief of the Elmahaba Center to create awareness of an impactful organization that is also supporting Coptic rights.
