[honeyweill]

Washington, D.C. (7/25/05)—U.S. Copts Association condemns the recent terrorist attacks on Egyptian Red Sea resort Sharm El-Sheikh and expresses to both Egyptian and non-Egyptian victims of the attacks our deepest sympathy.



Like other indigenous ethno-religious minorities in the Middle East and North Africa, Egypt’s Christian Copts have endured centuries of extremist-sponsored oppression and terror; as veterans of militant attacks, we stand in support of victims of terror throughout the world.



U.S. Copts Association calls on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his administration to seek out and eradicate militant factions operating in Egypt, and to affect significant and measurable reforms eliminating hate propaganda and Islamic extremism from state-run education and media.



We caution President Mubarak against retreating from declarations of democratic and human rights reform in Egypt; in the face of the tragic Sharm El-Sheikh attacks, Egypt must not only continue but increase its strides towards a genuinely pluralistic and democratic society.



U.S. Copts Association will continue to collaborate with U.S. legislators supporting democratic development, religious freedom, and human rights reform both in Egypt and throughout the Middle East and North Africa.