Salafi protesters demand release of Priest’s Wife
29/03/2011
Dozens of Salafis protested on Tuesday during a court session about a priest’s wife who they say embraced Islam and is now being held by the Coptic Church.
Eyewitnesses said Salafis rallied before State Council, while a lawsuit demanding release of the priest’s wife, Kamilia Shehata, was reviewed by the Administrative Court. The lawsuit accused the Church of kidnapping Shehata after she converted to Islam.
Protesters held banners reading “Prime minister, where’s Kamilia?”
Judicial sources said the court decided to postpone the lawsuit to 19 April to receive more documents.
Shehata disappeared for five days in July in Minya Governorate. Coptic activists staged a series of protests across Egypt, accusing Muslims of kidnapping her and forcing her to convert to Islam.
Meanwhile, Shehata was found at a friend’s house. It was revealed that she left home willingly after a conflict with her husband. The Coptic Church denied that Shehata converted to Islam.
However, the church’s announcement failed to end protests staged at a number of mosques, which called for Shehata’s release and claimed the church was holding her against her will in a monastery.
