British lord to visit Egypt at Coptic invitation
Egypt, Politics, 11/27/1998

The al-Saeed (upper Egypt) Society for Catholic Copts on Thursday announced that a British lord who had threatened of launching a campaign against tourism in Egypt in retaliation to "torturing the Copts" will visit Egypt in order to become acquainted with conditions of the Copts there.

In a statement the society's chairman, Amin Fahim, said he had met with Lord Elton in London, adding that the latter agreed to visit Egypt to get acquainted personally "on the real situations of the Copts."

Fahim, whose non-governmental organization is carrying out development and educational programs in Upper Egypt, added that the visit and program of the visit will be set later.

Earlier, the Egyptian opposition al-Wafd daily published at the beginning of this month a message addressed by Lord Elton to Egyptian officials in which he threatened to "launch a war against Egyptian tourism" unless the government gives up "torturing the Copts."

The message came following the British daily Sunday Telegraph article under the title "Egyptian police 'crucify' and rape Christians." That article met with strong criticism from both the Egyptain government and the Copts.

The Egyptian human rights organization in September published a report on torture against several citizens of al-Kashah village in Upper Egypt by the Egyptian police during investigations into a double killing.

Pope Shenouda of the Orthodox Copts in Egypt said that several citizens of the village were victims of "aggressions" committed by policemen, but he refused foreign "intervention into Egyptian affairs."

Previous Stories:
  On the Coptic issue in Egypt   (11/6/1998)
  Israeli misinformation campaign against Egypt disclosed   (11/4/1998)
  Egypt incensed at allegations by British Sunday Telegraph of persecution of Coptics   (10/27/1998)

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