[wanabidii] Fw: Christian convert alleges torture in Egyptian prison, begins hunger strike

Christian convert alleges torture in Egyptian prison, begins hunger strike

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From: "ANS@Assist-Ministries.com" <ANS@Assist-Ministries.com>
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Sent: Tuesday, December 9, 2014 3:58 AM
Subject: Christian convert alleges torture in Egyptian prison, begins hunger strike

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: assistnews@aol.com Monday, December 8, 2014 Christian convert alleges torture in Egyptian prison, begins hunger strike By Mark Ellis Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS) -- An Egyptian Muslim who converted to Christianity in 1998 after he found God's love, began a hunger strike in prison this week to protest his mistreatment, persecution, and "illegal" sentence, his lawyer said. Bishoy Armia Boulos Bishoy Armia Boulos, 32, is the first Egyptian to legally attempt to change his religious identity from Muslim to Christian on his official ID, which rankled the 90 % Muslim population. In 2007, when he filed the lawsuit to change his religion, he said he wanted to raise his children as Christians, which is illegal if the father is registered as a Muslim. He was the first Muslim in Egypt to file such a suit, and it sparked a national uproar that caused his lawyer to stop representing him. He changed his name from Mohammad Hagazy after his conversion to Christ. In January 2008, a Muslim judge denied his petition. Hardline clerics called for his execution, and he received death threats by telephone, prompting Bishoy to go into hiding for months. His apartment was burned. But as the years wore on, Bishoy grew in courage and he itched to bring change to his nation. He approached a Coptic Christian television station news producer and offered to work as a journalist, but the station turned him down. After hardl ine Muslim President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July 2013, Bishoy began documenting abuses against Christians - a practice that led to his arrest in December of that year. MORE     See all ASSIST News articles at www.assistnews.net Mark Ellis is a senior correspondent for ASSIST News Service and the founder of www.Godreports.com.  He is available to speak to groups about the plight of the church in restricted countries, to share stories and testimonies from the mission field, and to preach the gospel. mark@Godreports.com ** You may republish this story with proper attribution. Send this story to a friend. Note to our subscribers: It you really appreciate what we do through ANS and would like to make a donation to help us continue with this unique news service, you can do so in two ways. First, just go to our secure site at www.assistnews.net/assist/donations.htm, where you can sign up for a monthly gift or a one-off contribution (tax-deductible in the US). Second, if you prefer to send a check, just make it out to ASSIST, and mail it to ASSIST, PO Box, 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609, USA (also tax-deductible in the US). Thank you so much for caring! Dan Wooding Click here if you wish to unsubscribe ASSIST News Service is Sponsored By

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