

Currently released so far... 12404 / 251,287
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
2011/02/12
2011/02/13
2011/02/14
2011/02/15
2011/02/16
2011/02/17
2011/02/18
2011/02/19
2011/02/20
2011/02/21
2011/02/22
2011/02/23
2011/02/24
2011/02/25
2011/02/26
2011/02/27
2011/02/28
2011/03/01
2011/03/02
2011/03/03
2011/03/04
2011/03/05
2011/03/06
2011/03/07
2011/03/08
2011/03/09
2011/03/10
2011/03/11
2011/03/13
2011/03/14
2011/03/15
2011/03/16
2011/03/17
2011/03/18
2011/03/19
2011/03/20
2011/03/21
2011/03/22
2011/03/23
2011/03/24
2011/03/25
2011/03/26
2011/03/27
2011/03/28
2011/03/29
2011/03/30
2011/03/31
2011/04/01
2011/04/02
2011/04/03
2011/04/04
2011/04/05
2011/04/06
2011/04/07
2011/04/08
2011/04/09
2011/04/10
2011/04/11
2011/04/12
2011/04/13
2011/04/14
2011/04/15
2011/04/16
2011/04/17
2011/04/18
2011/04/19
2011/04/20
2011/04/21
2011/04/22
2011/04/23
2011/04/24
2011/04/25
2011/04/26
2011/04/27
2011/04/28
2011/04/29
2011/04/30
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Apia
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Auckland
Consulate Amsterdam
Consulate Adana
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belmopan
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Ciudad Juarez
Consulate Chennai
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Consulate Calgary
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dili
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Helsinki
Embassy Harare
Embassy Hanoi
Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
Consulate Hermosillo
Consulate Hamilton
Consulate Hamburg
Consulate Halifax
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kingston
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kathmandu
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Consulate Kolkata
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Ljubljana
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lahore
Consulate Lagos
Mission USOSCE
Mission USNATO
Mission UNESCO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Mbabane
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manila
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Mumbai
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Consulate Milan
Consulate Melbourne
Embassy Nicosia
Embassy New Delhi
Embassy Ndjamena
Embassy Nassau
Embassy Nairobi
Consulate Naples
Consulate Naha
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Of Spain
Embassy Port Louis
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Suva
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate St Petersburg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
Consulate Toronto
Consulate Tijuana
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Office Almaty
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Embassy Vilnius
Embassy Vienna
Embassy Vatican
Embassy Valletta
Consulate Vladivostok
Consulate Vancouver
Browse by tag
ASEC
AE
AF
AM
AR
AJ
AU
AORC
AG
AEMR
AMGT
APER
AGMT
AL
AFIN
AO
AMED
ADCO
AS
ABUD
ABLD
ASUP
ASECKFRDCVISKIRFPHUMSMIGEG
APECO
AID
AND
AMBASSADOR
AN
ARM
AY
AODE
AMG
ASCH
AMCHAMS
ARF
APCS
APEC
ASEAN
AGAO
ANET
ADPM
ACOA
ACABQ
AORL
AFFAIRS
ATRN
ACS
AFSI
AFSN
ADANA
ASIG
AA
AX
AUC
AC
AECL
AADP
AGRICULTURE
AMEX
ACAO
ACBAQ
AQ
AORG
ADM
AINF
AIT
ASEX
AGR
AROC
ATFN
AFGHANISTAN
AFU
AER
ALOW
AZ
AVERY
BA
BY
BU
BR
BE
BL
BO
BK
BM
BILAT
BH
BEXP
BF
BTIO
BC
BBSR
BMGT
BTIU
BG
BWC
BB
BD
BX
BP
BRUSSELS
BN
BIDEN
BT
CW
CH
CF
CD
CV
CVIS
CM
CE
CA
CJAN
CLINTON
CIA
CU
CASC
CI
CO
CACM
CDB
CN
CMGT
CS
CG
CBW
CIS
CR
CONDOLEEZZA
CPAS
CAN
CWC
CY
COUNTER
CDG
CL
CT
CIC
CIDA
CSW
CHR
CB
CODEL
COUNTERTERRORISM
CTR
COM
CICTE
CFED
CJUS
CKGR
CBSA
CEUDA
CARSON
CONS
CITEL
CLMT
CROS
CITT
CAC
CVR
CDC
CAPC
COPUOS
CBC
CBE
CARICOM
COE
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CACS
CTM
CNARC
ECON
EFIN
ETRD
EUN
EFIS
EG
ETTC
EZ
EPET
EAID
EAGR
ENRG
ECUN
EU
ELAB
ECPS
EAIR
EINV
ELTN
EWWT
EIND
EMIN
EI
ECIN
ENVR
ELECTIONS
EINVEFIN
EN
ES
ER
EC
EUC
EINT
EINVETC
ENGR
ET
EK
ENIV
ETRDEINVECINPGOVCS
ECONOMY
EAP
EFTA
EUR
EUMEM
EXIM
ERD
ENERG
EUREM
ESA
ERNG
EXTERNAL
EPA
EINVECONSENVCSJA
ECONOMICS
ELN
EINN
EFINECONCS
ENNP
EEPET
ETRDEINVTINTCS
ENVI
ETRO
ESENV
ECINECONCS
ECONOMIC
EAIDS
EDU
ETRA
ETRN
EFIM
EIAR
ETRC
EAIG
EXBS
EURN
ECIP
EREL
ECA
ENGY
ECONCS
ECONEFIN
ETC
ETRDECONWTOCS
EUNCH
EINDETRD
IR
IZ
IS
IAEA
INRB
IRAJ
IQ
IN
IT
IMO
INTERPOL
ICAO
IO
IC
ITALY
ITALIAN
IRAQI
ICTY
ID
IPR
IWC
ILC
INTELSAT
IL
IBRD
IMF
IA
IRC
ICRC
ILO
ITU
ITRA
IV
IDA
IAHRC
ICJ
ISRAELI
IRS
INMARSAT
ISRAEL
ISLAMISTS
INDO
IZPREL
ITPHUM
ITPGOV
ITF
IBET
IEFIN
INR
IACI
INTERNAL
IDP
IGAD
IEA
ICTR
IIP
INRA
INRO
IF
KJUS
KSCA
KNNP
KU
KCOR
KCRM
KDEM
KTFN
KHLS
KPAL
KWBG
KACT
KGHG
KPAO
KTIA
KIRF
KWMN
KS
KG
KZ
KN
KMDR
KISL
KSPR
KHIV
KPRP
KAWK
KR
KUNR
KDRG
KCIP
KGCC
KTIP
KSUM
KPKO
KVIR
KAWC
KPIN
KGIC
KRAD
KIPR
KOLY
KCFE
KMCA
KE
KV
KICC
KNPP
KBCT
KSEP
KFRD
KFLU
KVPR
KOCI
KBIO
KSTH
KMPI
KCRS
KOMC
KTBT
KPLS
KIRC
KREL
KFRDKIRFCVISCMGTKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KFLO
KBTS
KSTC
KTDB
KFSC
KX
KFTFN
KNEI
KIDE
KREC
KMRS
KICA
KPAONZ
KCGC
KSAF
KRGY
KCMR
KRVC
KVRP
KSEO
KCOM
KAID
KTEX
KNUC
KNAR
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KLIG
KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG
KCRCM
KHDP
KGIT
KNSD
KOMS
KWMM
KPAI
KHSA
KTLA
KO
KMFO
KRCM
KCSY
KSAC
KTRD
KPWR
KID
KWNM
KRIM
KPOA
KCHG
KOM
KSCI
KFIN
KMOC
KESS
KWAC
KMIG
KSEC
KIFR
KDEMAF
KPRV
KBTR
KERG
KTER
KDDG
KPAK
KRFD
KHUM
KDEV
KCFC
KWWMN
KWMNCS
KJUST
MARR
MOPS
MU
MTCRE
MNUC
MY
MASS
MCAP
MOPPS
MAR
MPOS
MO
ML
MR
MASC
MX
MD
MP
MA
MTRE
MIL
MCC
MZ
MK
MDC
MRCRE
MAPS
MV
MI
MEPN
MAPP
MEETINGS
MAS
MTS
MLS
MILI
MTCR
MG
MC
MARAD
MIK
MILITARY
MEDIA
MEPI
MUCN
MEPP
MT
MERCOSUR
MW
MASSMNUC
MQADHAFI
NZ
NATO
NG
NI
NO
NATIONAL
NU
NPT
NIPP
NL
NPG
NS
NA
NGO
NP
NSG
NDP
NAFTA
NR
NC
NH
NE
NSF
NPA
NK
NSSP
NRR
NATOPREL
NSC
NT
NW
NORAD
NEW
NV
NSFO
NAR
NASA
NZUS
OTRA
OVIP
OPRC
OPDC
OSCE
OAS
ODIP
OIIP
OFDP
OVP
OREP
OFFICIALS
OSAC
OEXC
OPCW
OIE
OIC
OFDA
OSCI
OPIC
OBSP
OECD
ON
OCII
OHUM
OES
OCS
OMIG
OPAD
OTR
PGOV
PREL
PHUM
PINR
PTER
PSOE
PINS
PARM
PK
PBTS
PEPR
PM
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PREF
PBIO
PROP
PA
PSI
PINT
PO
PKFK
PL
PAK
PE
POLITICS
PINL
POL
PHSA
PU
PF
POV
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PARMS
PRGOV
PNAT
POLINT
PRAM
PMAR
PG
PAO
PROG
PRELP
PPA
PCUL
PSEPC
PSA
PREO
PAHO
PGIV
PREFA
PALESTINIAN
PAIGH
POSTS
PTBS
PGOVLO
PORG
PGOVE
PLN
PINF
PAS
PUNE
POLICY
PDEM
PDOV
PCI
PGOVSMIGKCRMKWMNPHUMCVISKFRDCA
PBT
PHUMPGOV
PMIL
PNG
PP
PS
PHUH
PECON
POGOV
PY
PHUMPREL
PHUS
PRL
PGOC
PNR
PGGV
PROV
PTERE
PGOF
PHUMBA
PEL
RS
RU
RW
REGION
RP
RICE
ROBERT
RSP
RUPREL
RM
RO
RCMP
RSO
RELATIONS
REACTION
REPORT
RIGHTS
ROOD
RF
RFE
RIGHTSPOLMIL
SP
SA
SY
SF
SYR
SENV
SCUL
SOCI
SNAR
SO
SU
SG
STEINBERG
SHUM
SW
SMIG
SR
SZ
SIPRS
SI
SAARC
SPCE
SARS
SN
SYRIA
SANC
SL
SCRS
SC
SENVKGHG
SAN
SNARCS
SHI
SWE
SNARIZ
SIPDIS
SEN
SNARN
SPCVIS
SEVN
SSA
SH
SOFA
SK
ST
TPHY
TU
TRGY
TI
TX
TS
TW
TC
TFIN
TD
TSPA
TH
TT
TIP
TBIO
TSPL
TZ
TERRORISM
TRSY
TN
THPY
TINT
TF
TL
TV
TK
TO
TP
TURKEY
TNGD
TBID
TAGS
TR
UP
US
UNSC
UK
UZ
UE
UNESCO
UV
UNGA
UN
UNMIK
UNO
UY
UAE
UNEP
UG
UNHCR
UNHRC
USUN
UNAUS
USTR
USNC
USOAS
UNCHR
UNCSD
UNDP
USEU
USPS
UNDC
UNDESCO
UNCHC
UNFICYP
UNC
UNODC
UNPUOS
UNCND
UNICEF
UNCHS
UNVIE
USAID
UNIDROIT
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 10CAIRO153, RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COMMISSION VISITS EGYPT - SECTARIAN ATTACK
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #10CAIRO153.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
10CAIRO153 | 2010-02-03 15:03 | 2011-02-16 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Cairo |
VZCZCXRO5277
OO RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #0153/01 0341503
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O R 031503Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0127
INFO ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 000153
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR DRL/IRF, NEA/ELA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/03
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF KISL EG KPAO
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM COMMISSION VISITS EGYPT - SECTARIAN ATTACK
DOMINATES DISCUSSIONS
REF: CAIRO 140; CAIRO 59; 09 CAIRO 477; 09 CAIRO 1109; 09 CAIRO 453
09 CAIRO 2229
CLASSIFIED BY: Donald Blome, Minister-Counselor for Economic and
Political Affairs, State, ECPO; REASON: 1.4(B), (D)
¶1. (SBU) A delegation from the United States International
Religious Freedom Commission (USCIRF), consisting of three
commissioners and three staff members led by the USCIRF chairman,
visited Cairo from January 22 to 26. The delegation met with the
Minister of Islamic Endowments, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar Mohamed
Sayed Tantawi, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs human rights
official, the quasi-governmental National Council for Human Rights,
human rights activists, and representatives of minority religious
communities, Muslim and non-Muslim. The delegation, at the request
of the GoE, agreed to defer travel to Upper Egypt because of
ongoing tensions following the Naga Hamadi sectarian attack (refs
A and B.) Although the delegation made no public statements, it
attracted intense press attention, mostly critical of the USCIRF's
"interference" in Egypt's "internal affairs."
Minister of Islamic Endowments and NCHR on Naga Hamadi
¶2. (C) Discussions with Hamdi Zaqzouq, Minister of Islamic
Endowments (Awqaf), focused on the January 6 killings in Naga
Hamadi (refs A and B). According to Zaqzouq, the killings were a
response to the November rape of a Muslim girl by a Coptic man.
Zaqzouq asserted that such "honor crimes" occur regularly and only
receive Western media attention when both Christians and Muslims
are involved. Zaqzouq said that "all Muslim leaders" criticized
the "criminal act" and recounted how he travelled to Naga Hamadi
after the attack to offer condolences to the victims' families.
¶3. (C) Kamal Aboul Magd, Vice President of the quasi-governmental National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), told the delegation that it had dispatched a team of researchers to Naga Hamadi to investigate. Aboul Magd said the NCHR's researchers had completed a report which it had delivered to the GoE, but had not released publicly. Without revealing the report's contents, Aboul Magd said the NCHR's finding would make it difficult for the GoE to avoid "fully applying" the law in the Naga Hamadi case.
MFA on Naga Hamadi and Defamation
¶4. (C) Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for Human Rights Wael Aboul Magd told the delegation that "societal violence" between Muslims and Copts is a regular occurrence, but Naga Hamadi had forced Egyptian society to focus on the problem. As a result of national "outrage," Aboul Magd believes the law will be firmly applied. Aboul Magd said he remains unsure about the motives for the killings, acknowledging that the GoE's initial assertion that the killing was in revenge for the alleged rape of a Muslim girl in November "doesn't seem to fit." He urged caution, however, in accepting "broader conspiracy theories" tying the crime to a political rivalry between Naga Hamadi's Coptic bishop and a local politician. Commenting more generally on sectarianism, Aboul Magd said that Muslim-Christian relations have traditionally been "reasonably good," but in recent years Egyptian society has become "worryingly radicalized" with each group taking on an "us verses them" mentality. He said the GoE is concerned about this trend and is working to overcome it through its focus on Egyptian citizenship - not religious affiliation - as the source of rights and duties.
¶5. (C) Addressing Egypt's sponsorship of the defamation of religions resolution in the United Nations, Aboul Magd said Egypt
will continue to push the resolution. According to Aboul Magd, Egypt's goal is to protect Europe's Muslim community and encourage European countries to treat "incitement of religious hatred" as a crime.
CAIRO 00000153 002 OF 003
Church Leader on Security Services Harassment
¶6. (C) At the Qasr al Dubara Presbyterian Church, which works with Muslim converts to Christianity, Pastor Sameh Mories told the delegation that the situation of Muslim converts to Christianity is deteriorating. Although Mories believes President Mubarak and the upper-levels of the GoE are "very supportive" of religious freedom (he noted that Mubarak approved more building permits for churches than "Sadat, Nasser and the kings combined"), he thinks Egypt's security services are becoming increasingly powerful and hostile to Muslim converts to Christianity. Mories lamented that "five years ago, converts to Christianity were persecuted by their families; now the police are turning converts over to their families." Mories said that as a church that baptizes Muslims, Qasr al Dubara is under constant police scrutiny, and he complained that three U.S. religious leaders who have had contact
with the church had recently been denied entry into Egypt by the GoE.
¶7. (C) At the Qasr al Dubara Church, the delegation met with
Muslim convert to Christianity XXXXXXXXXXXX, who unsuccessfully
sued the GoE to compel it to recognize his conversion (refs C and
D). XXXXXXXXXXXX, accompanied by XXXXXXXXXXXXXX,
complained of harassment and threats from his family and society
arising from his conversion. A USCIRF delegation member told
poloff that XXXXXXXXXXXX pulled him aside after the meeting to request unspecified U.S. Government assistance.
Baha'is, Jehovah Witnesses and Quranists
¶8. (C) The delegation met with representatives of Egypt's
Baha'i, Jehovah Witnesses and Quranists. Egyptian Baha'i
leadership said that while the GoE continues to issue
identification documents to unmarried Baha'is ( "over 120" birth
certificates and "30 to 40" national identification cards) in
compliance with a judicial decision (ref E), the GoE has not issued
documents to any married Baha'is as the GoE does not recognize
Baha'i marriage. Jehovah Witness leadership complained of a
December 2009 Administrative Court decision refusing to allow the
Jehovah Witness community to register as a legal entity. Jehovah
Witness leadership said the judge based his decision largely on
Coptic Orthodox Pope Shenouda's 2005 statement that the Jehovah
Witnesses are not Christians. The Jehovah Witnesses also
complained of ongoing security service surveillance and threats.
Quranist (a small heterodox Islamic group (ref F)) community
members complained of on-going GoE harassment - including travel
bans - and societal hostility, especially from the Muslim
Brotherhood.
Sheikh Tantawi on Naga Hamadi, Baha'is
¶9. (C) Sheikh Tantawi, the head of Al Azhar, met twice with
the delegation. He condemned the Naga Hamadi attack which he
attributed to "extremist" thinking. Tantawi said that in Al Azhar's view, there is no distinction between Muslims and Christians; all are Egyptians with the same rights and responsibilities. On Baha'is, Tantawi argued that there is a distinction, and defended labeling Baha'is "apostates" if they had left Islam. Tantwai said, however, that "apostasy" should be used only as a legal term and acknowledged the danger that "extremists" could receive the wrong message from the word.
Coptic Orthodox Church Declines to Meet with Delegation
¶10. (C) Pope Shenouda, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church,
declined to meet with the delegation. In public statements, Shenouda attributed his refusal to the Church's "rejection of foreign interference in Egypt's internal affairs." Separately, a Coptic Church official told poloff and the delegation that the
CAIRO 00000153 003 OF 003
church was under "intense pressure from security services" not to
meet with the USCIRF. The official also said that the Church feared it would be blamed by the GoE if it met with the delegation and the USCIRF subsequently downgraded Egypt in its annual report from a "watch list" country to a "country of particular concern."
Intense Press Interest
¶11. (SBU) The visit generated intense press coverage, much of it
focused on the timing in the aftermath of the Naga Hamadi attack
and highlighting Pope Shenouda's refusal to meet the delegation.
Both pro-government and opposition party press accused the USCIRF
of "interference in Egyptian internal affairs" and called the timing of the visit "suspicious." Commentaries in the pro-government press were generally negative with references to the "evil committee" visiting Egypt to prepare "charges of sectarianism." Some independent commentators were more nuanced; analysts in independent newspapers wrote that "the usual Egyptian response of none of your business is a primitive attitude," and if religious freedom "is an internal affair, then we must start immediately by reforming our internal affairs."
¶12. (U) The USCIRF delegation did not clear this message.
SCOBEY