Egypt incensed at allegations by British Sunday Telegraph of persecution of Coptics
Egypt, Local, 10/27/1998

In reaction to allegations published by the British newspaper Sunday Telegraph on the torture and persecution of Coptics in Egypt, the head of General Department for Egyptian Information, Nabil Othman, sent a strongly-worded communique to the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Dominic Loson.

In his communique, Nabil Othman, stated that this article did not state anything except fabrication and false pretexts, that "can be a good subject only for a short story published in the 'yellow' newspaper, but it is not adequate for a reputable newspaper as yours."

He accused the author of the story of writing this story from "thousands of miles away. The writer, while she is sitting in her bureau at London, and without even exerting some effort to make sure of the information" as to whether they are fabrications and from suspected sources. He also said the alleged events had "never taken place," accusing the report of exaggeration in mentioning "false fabrications on operations of detainment and torture."

Othman continued saying, "We are greatly astonished why your great newspaper did not initiate to send an envoy to Cairo, so to investigate and inspect this issue to write his reports out of the incidents he has reviewed, yet if Mrs. Lamb, the writer of the article, is really concerned with the issue, she will be mostly welcomed in Egypt to discuss the subject freely."

Othman referred to the March 1998 report issued by the Council of New York Churches that refuted the allegations of Coptic persecution in Egypt, as this widely-distributed report concluded that there is no evidence of the Egyptian authorities allowing religious persecution against Egyptian Coptics.

He said the allegations of crucifying and assassinating Coptics are "very grave," adding that there are more than 600 foreign correspondents in Cairo writing very freely, and if these allegations are correct much would have been written about this.

He said that "it is very astonishing that Mrs. Lamb is the only one who is capable of observing and recording thousands miles away what no one was able to observe from the 600 correspondents in Cairo."