Religious Minorities in the Near East and South and Central Asia
Mar 1, 2011
Articles & Testimony
On March 1, 2011, Dina Guirguis, a Keston Family research fellow with The Washington Institute's Project Fikra: Defeating Extremism through the Power of Ideas, testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The following is an excerpt from her prepared remarks.
The strong showing of Christians during Egypt's revolution -- holding masses in the now famous Tahrir Square, standing in solidarity with fellow Egyptians who happen to be Muslim -- represented and continues to represent a real turning point and opportunity for Egypt: an opportunity to build a civil state that extends equality to all its citizens regardless of religion, gender, or any other category. Along with the promise of positive change, however, comes the heightened need for protection of minorities during this critical transitional stage. Since the departure of Mubarak, there have been alarming signs on the sectarian front that warrant our attention....
