Chairperson of Evangelical Synod: Christian Court Secretary's Exclusion Insulting to Faith
Priest Ekram Lamei, Chairperson of the Evangelical Synod, criticized the decision issued by a Cairo court to exclude the secretary of the court from a hearing session because he is a Christian.
The decision came in response to a request submitted by Abu-Islam's defense lawyer to have the court secretary removed from court proceedings.
Father Lamei said he considered the decision an insult against Christianity and Christian people and stressed the need to submit an appeal against the decision.
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Father Lamei demanded a case be filed against the judge who made the decision, accusing him of insulting Christianity. He stressed the need to conduct an investigation with the judge by the judicial inspection.
Father Lamei told Mideast Christian News that the decision reflects the approach the court will adopt in the case. Father Lamei added that the decision could increase attacks against Christians, because the criminals will not be punished.
The judicial session of Abu-Islam's trial resumed Monday, but the court decided to delay the trial until July 15.
Abu-Islam's defense staff demanded the court exclude the secretary of the session because he is a Christian, which the court complied with. His defense staff also demanded the court allow them to demand Egypt's Al-Azhar provide them with a certificate to prove whether Jesus is God or not.
Late last year, Sheikh Abu-Islam burnt a Bible and called on others to urinate on it during demonstrations organized by Salafists and Islamic groups in front of the U.S Embassy in Cairo to express their protest against the anti-Islam film, "The Innocence of Muslims."
Abu-Islam mocked the Christian faith and the personality of Christ on his Islamic satellite channel Omah. He claimed that the women who participate in the demonstrations in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square are Christians, and that they want to be sexually harassed.
