[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 22156-22157]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              EGYPT NEEDS TO PROTECT PEOPLE OF ALL FAITHS

  (Mr. STEARNS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STEARNS. Madam Speaker, I want to take a moment to talk about 
Shaymaa el-Sayed, an Egyptian woman. Security forces in Egypt tortured 
this young woman for converting to Christianity. Fanatic relatives of 
Shaymaa el-Sayed, 26 years old, attacked her in Alexandria, beating 
her, attempting to shove her into a car and vowing to kill her for her 
``apostasy.''
  Police intervened. They arrested the victim herself. When they found 
her Christian identity papers, local police transferred her to a state 
security investigation office where the officials forcibly disrobed and 
photographed her naked in front of all the policemen at the station.
  She was repeatedly subjected to interrogation and severe torture, 
including electrocution. She was released by the Egyptian police into 
the custody of her family despite their threats to kill her. ``This is 
not legal treatment, but it is happening all the time,'' said Rasha 
Noor, an Egyptian human rights activist. ``The Christians from Muslim 
backgrounds can't change their identities, so they are forced by the 
authorities to return back to Islam, or else.''
  God bless this young woman.

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