Christian ‘forced conversion’ claim roils Gaza

AFP 17/7/2012 GAZA CITY: Gaza’s Hamas government on Tuesday denied claims that a Christian man had been forced to convert to Islam, saying he had willingly changed religion. The statement came a day after the Orthodox Church in Gaza accused an unnamed Islamic organisation of “kidnapping” 24-year-old Ramez alAmash, along with a woman and three girls. “Through contacts with some officials, the Christian youth Ramez alAmash met with his family in a friendly meeting held at the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights,” Hamas health minister Bassem Naim said in a statement.