TELL THE EGYPTIAN EMBASSY IN MALTA: THE PERSECUTION MUST END
By Maltese Canadian
Egypt likes to present itself as a country of religious coexistence. For many Christians, however, the reality is far less reassuring. The country’s Coptic Christian minority faces discrimination in public life, sport and, most seriously, matters of religious freedom. The problem is not merely anecdotal. Recent reports have documented barriers facing Christians in Egyptian football, where Copts appear to be virtually absent from the national team despite comprising a significant minority of the population.
A recent article I penned in this blog, Football, Faith and Fakery: Malta’s Islamophobia Farce vs Egypt’s Reality, drew attention to this striking disparity. It argues that while allegations of Islamophobia in Malta can attract considerable attention, the exclusion of Christians from Egypt’s football establishment receives far less scrutiny.
The issue is bigger than football. Few cases illustrate the human cost more painfully than that of Said Abdelrazek, an Egyptian who converted from Islam to Christianity. According to Amnesty International, Abdelrazek was arrested at his Cairo home on 15 July 2025. After nine months of pre-trial detention, he was sent before a terrorism court on charges arising from his religious beliefs. Amnesty says he should be released immediately and unconditionally.
The details are disturbing. A United States Commission on International Religious Freedom report states that Abdelrazek reported being beaten after his detention. It also says prison authorities repeatedly denied him religious materials, including a Bible. The British Government’s August 2026 country report records allegations that Egyptian security officials previously detained Abdelrazek after his return from Russia, questioned him about his faith and pressured him to reconsider his conversion. It further records allegations of physical and psychological abuse.
His current prosecution is especially troubling. He faces charges including contempt of Islam and alleged involvement with a terrorist organisation. These accusations are being used to criminalise peaceful religious conversion and expression. His trial has repeatedly been postponed, prolonging his detention. The Egyptians’ excuse for his persecution is that Sharia Law (08.1) holds that “When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostatizes from islam, he deserves to be killed.”
What can Malta do in the face of these barbarian practices?The Maltese Government, MPs and civil-society organisations should raise Abdelrazek’s case publicly. Malta can press Egypt through diplomatic channels and European institutions. Maltese parliamentarians could demand that religious freedom and Abdelrazek’s treatment feature in discussions with Egyptian officials. Churches and human-rights groups could also campaign for his release. Short messages in his defence could be emailed to the Egyptian Embassy in Malta: embegmlt@onvol.net.
The principle is simple. A person should not be imprisoned, tortured or treated as a terrorist because he changed his religion. Football may expose the discrimination. Abdelrazek’s suffering exposes its human cost.