Tempers Flare into Melee at Egyptian Convert's Hearing

Compass Direct News reports that An Egyptian judge is scheduled to rule this week on the case of a Muslim-born convert to Christianity whose court hearing threatened to turn into a brawl earlier this month, the convert's lawyer said. On Tuesday January 29, Judge Muhammad Husseini is expected to decide whether to allow former Muslim Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy to drop his case to change his religious affiliation in order to correct certain legal mistakes, lawyer Gamal Eid said. The conservative judge also is expected to rule on a range of religious freedom issues. Among other things, Husseini will decide on a case by Islamists to force the government to implement a legal punishment for "apostasy," or conversion away from Islam. Hegazy has aroused widespread criticism in Egypt as the first known Muslim-born convert to Christianity to petition the government to change his religious affiliation. The convert's January 15 hearing, which he did not attend due to death threats, became heated after Islamist lawyers charged the government with doing too little to stop Christian evangelization. It was cut short when at least 15 Islamist lawyers tried to attack Hegazy's attorneys. "They were very angry because they think this kind of case is against Islam," Eid said.