CAIRO, Egypt - The United States should urge Egypt to end widespread religious discrimination, says a commission that advises the U.S. government on religious freedoms.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, which visited Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian territories in March, is to discuss its 2001 annual report with the House International Relations Committee Thursday.
The report, the result of two years of research and released last week, will likely raise hackles in Egypt where the government, opposition and some rights groups have condemned what they say is unwanted interference.
Commenting on the position of Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, the report says Christians are rarely promoted in government or the military and are frequently discriminated against.
It also accuses the government-controlled press of "continuing to engage in virulent hate speech against certain groups, such as Jews and Baha'is."
The commission also criticizes government repression -- including torture -- of moderate Islamic groups, saying they should not be considered synonymous with violence or terrorism.
08:49 05-23-01
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