US embassy cable - 05CAIRO8397

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 008397 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR NEA/ELA AND DRL/IRF 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/01/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, SOCI, PHUM, KIRF, EG 
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN JEHOVAH'S WITNESS ACTIVIST DESCRIBES GOE 
PERSECUTION 
 
REF: R. KENNA-LE CLAIRE E-MAIL 10/31/2005 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified by ECPO Minister Counselor Michael H. Corbin for 
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  A senior member of Egypt's small community 
of Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) said that the GOE's persecution 
of the group is intensifying.  He linked the persecution to 
the strident opposition to the group's beliefs by Coptic Pope 
Shenouda III.  End summary. 
 
2.  (C)  Raymond Girguis (protect) is a retired civil servant 
who worked for the GOE's Ministry of Insurance and Social 
Affairs.  Born into the Coptic Orthodox faith, he joined the 
Jehovah's Witness community in 1964 after meeting with a JW 
activist.  Girguis estimates that the JW community in Egypt 
numbers approximately 1000, most of whom have their roots in 
Egypt's Coptic Orthodox community.  According to Girguis, 
shortly after he joined the JW community, during the GOE 
crackdown on various suspected disloyal groups by Nasser in 
the aftermath of the 1967 defeat, GOE persecution of the JW 
community increased, extending to a formal ban on the use of 
existing "Kingdom Halls."  Since the 1967 uptick in 
persecution, said Girguis, the members of the community have 
been limited to holding small meetings, "secretly and 
underground," without any singing (which he said is an 
essential part of their worship), because they fear it would 
attract unwanted attention.  (Note:  JW members practice 
active evangelism, preach the imminent approach of the 
millenium, and are strongly opposed to war and the authority 
of organized government in matters of conscience.  End note.) 
 
3.  (C)  According to Girguis, the Coptic Orthodox Church 
under the leadership of Pope Shenouda III is the "main 
barrier" to securing a safe and legal existence for the JW 
community in Egypt.  Girguis said that the Pope has 
repeatedly attacked the JW community as heretical, zionist, 
anti-Muslim, and immoral.  (Note:  In a series of articles 
that have been running since July in Al-Watany, the weekly 
Cairo paper aimed at the Coptic Orthodox community, Pope 
Shenouda has strongly criticized the JW belief system, 
denouncing it as a heresy.  In addition to his strongly held 
views on the JW community, Pope Shenouda is also highly 
critical of other heterodox Christian groups, including 
Adventists and Mormons.  In addition, he has expressed strong 
opposition to homosexuality and abortion, and he is also 
known to be critical of Zionism.  End note.)  Girguis also 
asserted that his group had previously applied to the 
Ministry of Insurance and Social Affairs, after securing 
Interior Ministry approval, for legal recognition, but had 
been unsuccessful due to "a ruling from Al-Azhar that we are 
against Islam." 
 
4.  (C)  Girguis asserted that GOE harassment of the JW 
community has worsened in recent months.  He said that while 
the GOE's State Security Investiagions Sector has always kept 
tabs on the community, the SSIS officers in touch with the JW 
members have recently begun to suggest that JW theology is 
anti-Muslim.  Girguis also said that "about a month ago," a 
JW associate, Atef Fikry from Shoubra Al-Khaima, just outside 
Cairo, was detained and "beaten" by SSIS officers who sought 
to recruit him to serve as an SSIS informant.  According to 
Girguis, Fikry was released after five days.  Girguis also 
asserted that SSIS officers also recently detained a Canadian 
JW visitor to Egypt when he sought to depart from Cairo. 
Although SSIS did not harm the Canadian, they confiscated his 
printed and electronic materials on the JW beliefs. 
(Comment:  We have not been able to corroborate the details 
of Girguis's charges of SSIS persecution.  The sensitivities 
surrounding such allegations of religiously-motivated 
persecution make it difficult to gather reliable information 
on the topic.  End comment.) 
 
5.  (C)  Poloff advised Girguis that the Embassy stands ready 
to assist in arranging meetings for JW advocates from the 
U.S. and Europe who are planning to visit Cairo shortly to 
raise the question of religious freedom for the JW community 
with the GOE (ref).  Poloff also asked if Girguis thought 
that low-key USG attention to the JW issue with appropriate 
GOE interlocutors in Cairo would be helpful.  Giguis said 
that it would. 
 
 
RICCIARDONE