CAIRO: Some of Egypt's Coptic Christian community are demanding to be granted divorces under Sharia, Islamic law, since the Coptic Christian Church does not recognize divorce. In part of an ongoing battle to be able to legally divorce, Egyptian Copts organized a protest outside the Ministry of Justice in downtown Cairo today. They called to remove all obstacles put in place by the church regarding divorce. They also asked to activate ‘Regulation 38,' which gives Copts the right to divorce only under one of nine circumstances, including insanity and mistreatment by their spouse. The regulation was removed from the Egyptian judicial system by request of Pope Shenouda III, head of Egypt's Coptic Church, although 56 popes before Shenouda recognized all nine reasons as legitimate. Copts are now allowed to divorce only under two circumstances: adultery or conversion to Islam or another Christian sect. Some Copts have converted in order to obtain divorces. A prior protest was organized on July 7, demanding a civil law for marriage and divorce. The church rejected the request, according to one of the protest's coordinators. Copts demand application of true Christian ideology without any prejudice, said Mariam al-Naggar, one of the protest's coordinators. She added that Coptic priests also create obstacles to keep their followers from converting to any other sect. Copts comprise about 10 percent of Egypt's population.
