Muslim Brotherhood: Egypt’s Christians Must “Convert, Pay Tribute, or Leave”

Matthew Clark 6/6/2012 According to a popular Egyptian website, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Egyptian presidential candidate, Mohammed Morsi, has stated that Christians will be forced to “convert, pay tribute, or leave.” When asked about Coptic Christians in Egypt, Morsi reportedly told a journalist, “They have to know that the conquest is coming and Egypt will be Muslim and they have to pay tribute or migrate as one who left.” He reportedly stated that it was his goal as a presidential candidate to “achieve the Islamic conquest of Egypt for the second time, and make all Christians convert to Islam, or else pay the ‘jizya’ (Islamic tax).” While some are unsure whether he made these particular comments, these statements are consistent with the rhetoric of his campaign. Just last month, Morsi looked on approvingly at a campaign rally as radical Cleric Safwat Higazi told a cheering crowd of thousands that Morsi would restore “the United States of the Arabs” and that “the capital of the United States of the Arabs will be Jerusalem, Allah willing.” As Morsi looked on, the Cleric led the crowd in the chant, “Millions of martyrs march toward Jerusalem.” If Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood take control of Egypt it could create an incredibly dangerous situation for Christians in Egypt, Israel, and the stability of the entire region. Morsi faces former Mubarak regime prime minister Ahmed Shafiq next month in a runoff election in Egypt.