Egypt to recognise Copt converts

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

Egypt to recognise Copt converts
By Bob Trevelyan
BBC News

Convert Yasser Helmy (r) and an unidentified colleague celebrate at the court
The group's lawyer said the ruling was a victory for religious freedom
An Egyptian court has ruled that 12 Christians who converted to Islam and then reverted to Christianity can have their faith officially recognised.

The decision overturns a lower court ruling by a lower court, which said the state need not recognise conversions from Islam because of a religious ban.

This is a case that has tested Egypt's tolerance of conversions from Islam.

A lawyer for the 12 Coptic Christians described the case as a victory for human rights and freedom of religion.

He says it could open the door for hundreds of other Copts who want to revert to their original faith from Islam.

Limited application

It appears, though, that the court's decision will have a limited application.

Reports say the judge decided that the Copts should not be considered apostates for converting from Islam, because they had been born Christian.

This suggests that Egyptians born Muslim will still be unable to convert to other faiths and have those conversions recognised on their identity cards. Many Muslims believe that converting from Islam is wrong, and some believe it is punishable by death.

Last year, an Egyptian convert to Christianity was forced to go into hiding when he received death threats after trying to have his conversion officially recognised.

[Raulmarrio2000]

Noone is born a Muslim. He may have converted when adult, or forcibly converted by his parents when he was a child. All Gentiles are born Noahides.
And even for an Egiptian Govt. ( which is not guided by the Torah), it's obvious that, if an adult who freely chose Islam can convert to Coptic Christianity, then a child who was forcibly converted by Muslims parents, is entitled to choose another religion!!!!!!!

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

All Gentiles are born Noahides

I don't think so.

[Raulmarrio2000]

All Gentiles are born Noahides

I don't think so.

Yes, Torah goes by status, not beliefs. Someone born to a Jewish mother is a Jew. No matters what he believes or does.
So someone born to a Gentile mother is a Gentile, and so a Son of Noah, bound to the Seven Laws, no matter if he keeps them or not. As far as a Gentile has not yet formally rejected Noahidism by joining another faith or actually violating the Seven Laws, he must be assumed to be a Noahide.

[Tina Greco - Melbourne]

Well once again I don't agree with the torah on that. It almost makes out Noahides are just people who can't keep to their beliefs.

And that I find unacceptable. Gentiles and Noahides I class as very different people. Same as I would class Gentiles and Jews, and Gentiles and Rightoeus Gentiles.

But thats my belief I don't ask you to respect it or even to understand it.

Its just a statement.