Reminiscent of the glory days of the Soviet Union, which went after quite sane political dissident by committing them to psychiatric "hospitals" and forcibly injecting them with medications, Mr. Mahmoud was arrested, tortured, and imprisoned in a psychiatric ward, where he was tortured again by the physicians.
Here are some of the highlights of his experience:
- Converts to Christianity in December 2004
- Father freaks out.
- Father appeals to local "sheikhs," presumably religious leaders/imams.
- Sheikhs issue death threats to Mr. Mahmoud for apostasy.
- Mother asks state security police to protect son.
- Police arrest and interrogate Mr. Mahmoud many times.
- After one release from interrogation, he is followed and observed going to a Christian church to obtain a replacement Bible.
- Mr. Mahmoud is rearrested and tortured, which procedure included pulling out some of his toenails.
- Father complains to Suez district attorney that Mr. Mahmoud had beaten him (while Mr. Mahmoud was still in jail).
- District attorney releases Mr. Mahmoud and tells him to report to local police.
- Police take him to Abbasseya Hospital in Cairo.
- Hospital refuses to take Mr. Mahmoud.
- Mr. Mahoud is taken back to Suez and in January 2005 is taken to El-Khanka Hospital.
- A medical committee is formed to consider his case.
- While at the hospital he is confined, beaten, and heavily medicated twice a day.
- At one point he is stripped naked and placed in a room filled with water to prevent him from sleeping.
- Mr. Mahmoud's supervising "physician," Dr. Nevine, tells him he will never be able to leave unless he comes back to Islam.
- International publicity forces hospital to discharge Mr. Mahmoud.
Note the absence of the use of the words "warrant " or "habeas corpus" in the above sorry story. Note, too, the connivance of religious authorities, state security police, possibly local police, and scientific authorities. Note the complete absence of any kind of court action. It was possible for the police simply to deliver Mr. Mahmoud to a hospital and have him locked up.
Mr. Mahmoud's mother, the district attorney, and the Abbasseya Hospital acted decently.
His father was willing to bear false witness against his son. "In fact, to make a false oath in the cases of dispute is a major sin."[1] Not like the sin of apostasy, however.
The El-Khanka Hospital is no doubt still in business. Dr. Nevine, a "Muslim fanatic,"[2] is no doubt still disgracing herself as a doctor. And as for the torture of Mr. Mahmoud by the police, well, who cares, really?
And the "sheikhs" could issue death threats no less. Holy Mother of Tarzan! They're almost as bad as the Religious Right here in the U.S.
Mr. Mahmoud is just lucky he didn't have to suffer the horror of life in the U.S. where they haven't even heard of sharia.
Oh, and it looks like the cops destroyed Mr. Hahmoud's Bible. That's my cue for me to run out and kill some of my neighbors. Excuse me for a few minutes, ok?
Notes
[1] Islamic Law # 2684, according to the Fatawa of Ayatullah al Uzama Syed Ali al-Husaini Seestani.
[2] "Egyptian Convert Locked into Mental Hospital," International Christian Response, May 13, 2005.
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