President of Egypt Visits USA; Al-Fatiha Calls for Renewed Action to Stop
Discrimination
Press Release, June 5, 2002
Al-Fatiha Foundation
Media Contact:
Faisal Alam
Founder & Director
US Tel. 202-271-0067
Email: gaymuslims@yahoo.com
Al-Fatiha
PO Box 33532
Washington, DC 20033
Email: gaymuslims@yahoo.com
Web: http://www.al-fatiha.net
Listserv: Al-Fatiha-News@Yahoogroups.com
As the president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, prepares for a visit to the
United States this weekend, Al-Fatiha, an international organization dedicated
to LGBT Muslims, called for renewed action to stop discrimination against
suspected gay men in Egypt. Mubarak is expected to meet with US President
George W. Bush at Camp David.
The Egyptian government recently announced Mubarak’s decision to rescend
the verdicts against 50 of the "Cairo 52," who were convicted of the
"habitual practice of debauchery." Under the decision, both the
guilty and the non guilty verdicts would be canceled. According to the
International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) both guilty and
innocent verdicts were sent back to prosecutors, who will now have the power
to decide whether to seek a retrial. Any retrial would be held in a a civilian
court, rather than an Emergency State Security Court, a court which heard the
original case, and which does not allow appeal.
Al-Fatiha noted that possibly dozens of men including two of the
"Cairo 52" are still in prison and have not been released under this
executive order by Mubarak.
Al-Fatiha today called for a renewed action campaign to the the leaders of
the Egyptian and United States government, to ensure that arrests, torture,
and illegal trials of suspected gay men will not continue.
"It is the moral responsibility of the Egyptian government to ensure
that all of its citizens be protected under laws outlined in the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, as well as international law," said Faisal
Alam, founder & director of Al-Fatiha. He continued by saying, "The
United States must ensure that human rights are an essential part of its
foreign policy." Currently the government of Egypt receives more than $1
billion in foreign aid. It is the second largest recipient of US foreign aid.
Al-Fatiha urged citizens of all countries to phone, fax, email, or write a
letter to Hosni Mubarak and local Egyptian embassies and consulates. Al-Fatiha
also urged those living in the United States to contact US president George W.
Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell, and urge them to bring the plight of
lesbian, gay, bisxual, and transgender people in Egypt to light and encourage
the Egyptian president to overturn all convictions of suspected gay men, and
to stop the discrimination, arrest, torture, and illegal trials of the
citizens of Egypt.
Similar actions conducted in the past year have brought world-wide
attention by the international community and have prompted many governments
leaders and institutions to speak out against the repressive policies of the
Egyptian police, who routinely lure and arrest men who are suspected of being
gay.
Contact information for President Hosni Mubarak:
His Excellency, President Mohammad Hosni Mubarak
President of the Arab Republic of Egypt
‘Abedine Palace, Cairo, Egypt
Fax: + 20 2 390 1998, 20 2 260-5417 , 20 2 355-5700, 20 2
795 3192 or 20 2 795 8016
Email: webmaster@presidency.gov.eg
Contact information for Egyptian consulates and embassies can be found at: http://www.mfa.gov.eg/missions_a.asp?id=0505
Contact information for President George W. Bush:
President George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Tel. 202-456-1111
Fax. 202-456-2461
Email: president@whitehouse.gov
Contact information for US Secretary of State Colin Powell:
Secretary of State Colin L. Powell
U.S. Department of State
Washington, D.C. 20520
United States
Fax: 202-261-8577
Email: Secretary@state.gov
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