In Egypt, incidents of forcing those who convert to Islam from the Coptic faith to renounce Islam are recurrent, often carried out by the church and security apparatus, with complete or near-complete silence from Mashiakhet Al Azhar (leadership of Al Azhar). The incident of Maryam Sameer Fayez, Wafaa Qostantin, Camellia Shehata, and others being forced into apostasy is just an example of this approach adopted by the church and the security apparatus of the regime. This regime does not oppose the apostasy of Muslims and does not hesitate to protect those who declare their atheism or criticize the Quran, the Sunnah, and the narrators of Hadith. Rather, it provides them with spaces to criticize Islam and attempt to sow doubt among people. This is evident in the cases of Islam Al-Behery, Ibrahim Issa, and others. Therefore, we in the Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Egypt emphasizes the following:

1-   The responsibility of safeguarding religion is the responsibility of the state, and it is one of the greatest objectives of the noble Shari’ah (Islamic law). It takes precedence over the protection of life, wealth, and honor.

2-   The Egyptian regime itself is known to oppose Islam and Muslims, so it’s unimaginable for it to defend the sanctities of Islam. The International Organization to Support the Prophet of Islam accused the security agencies of handing over Sister Mariam to the church. The association stated, “After Mariam Sameer Fayez declared her conversion to Islam at Al-Azhar and announced her conversion in the media, the Egyptian security hands her over to the church, causing Muslims to be shocked by a provocative and oppressive scene in which Lawyer Naguib Gabriel appears in the church with our sister Mariam, announcing her return to the church’s embrace – forcibly and coercively.”

3-   Western reports have confirmed that Islam is the fastest-growing religion in the world. It’s clear to any rational person that the reason behind this is their guidance to the authenticity of Islam as it convinces the mind, aligns with human nature, and brings tranquillity to the heart. Therefore, what the church is doing is a distortion against this trend. The attempts to coerce Muslims into apostasy were aimed at strengthening these efforts through the collaboration of agent regimes loyal to the Western crusades. The real reason behind the strengthening of the Christian mushriken (polytheists) against the Deen Al-Tawheed (monotheistic religion) is the regime itself.

4-   We are confident that humanity as a whole is in dire need of the great Islam, and this need is not just spiritual, filling the spiritual void present among Christians and others. It’s also a need for a comprehensive system of life that regulates their affairs according to what Allah has ordained, freeing them from the oppression and greed of capitalism that has turned the world into a jungle, where the strong devour the weak. As a result, despite the abundance of wealth, most people on Earth have become impoverished.

5-   What prevents non-Muslims around the world, including the Christians of Canaan, from embracing Islam is its lack of implementation within its own Dawlah (state). Therefore, the imminent establishment of the Khilafah (Caliphate), B’ithn Allah, through its implementation of Islam internally and its propagation to people abroad, will lead people to embrace Islam in waves. Thus, supporting individuals like Sister Maryam and others who were forced into apostasy requires the removal of the ruling secular regime and the establishment of the Khilafah Rashidah (rightly guided Caliphate) on the method of the Prophethood in its place. This is what we call upon the people of Kinana, especially the sincere ones within its armies to strive for.

[إِذَا جَاءَ نَصْرُ اللهِ وَالْفَتْحُ * وَرَأَيْتَ النَّاسَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي دِينِ اللهِ أَفْوَاجاً * فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ إِنَّهُ كَانَ تَوَّاباً]

“When the victory of Allah has come and the conquest, (1) And you see the people entering into the religion of Allah in multitudes, (2) Then exalt [Him] with praise of your Lord and ask forgiveness of Him. Indeed, He is ever Accepting of repentance. (3)”[An-Nasr 1-3]

Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir in Wilayah Egypt

Press Release
29 Muharram 1445 – Wednesday, 16th August 2023
No: 02 / 1445
(Translated)