Egyptian Politician: Removal of Christian Secretary Shows Submission to Religious Pressure
Deputy Head of the Egyptian Democratic Social Party Emad Gad said that pressure from religious groups in the country is corrupting the judicial system in Egypt.
"The court's response to the request submitted by Abu Islam's defense staff is a reflection of the authorities' submission to the pressure exerted by religious groups who work to Islamize the public sphere in Egypt," Gad told Mideast Christian News.
"The exclusion of the court's secretary was to further extend the Islamization of cases and further sedition amongst employees … it is normal, reasonable and expected request from abu-Islam's defense," he added
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He also expressed his astonishment over the court's behavior by responding to the request of the defense team that was asking for a certificate from Al-Azhar confirming whether or not Jesus is God.
Gad said that religions gain their credibility from their vision, not from the vision of other parties, and thus such a request was completely unreasonable.
In the trial of Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah, known as Abu Islam, owner of an Islamic TV channel and accused of contempt of religion, his defense team demanded the court change the secretary of the hearing, Essam Fouad, because he is Christian. They also requested a license to allow Al-Azhar to issue a certificate to announce whether Jesus is God or not.
The court accepted the request and delayed the hearing to July 15.
