Officials: Canada A Refuge For Persecuted Egyptian Christians

Viva la Canada! …

By Daniel Proussalidis – “OTTAWA – Christians in Egypt will increasingly see Canada as their chance to escape from a country whose president belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood, immigration officials warn.

‘The (permanent resident application) volume continues to trend upwards and the number of applications submitted may accelerate, given the election of a new, Islamic government in Egypt,’ a Canadian immigration program officer said in documents obtained by immigration lawyer Richard Kurland through Access to Information requests.

Other Egyptians will seek a shorter stint in Canada through a temporary resident visa (TRV).

‘With the resulting political and economic instability in Egypt, combined with the new government, the push factors are now stronger than ever,’ the program officer said. ‘The minority Christian community is especially concerned and they have been seeking exit from Egypt in record numbers.’

While 2012 statistics on permanent resident and temporary visitor visas in Egypt are not available, figures from previous years show numbers were on the rise even before Islamist Mohamed Mursi won the country’s presidential election last month.” Read more.

Flashback: Canada Condemns Egyptian Anti-Christian Violence, Obama Remains Silent – “Even as he renews his outreach to Muslims, President Obama should seek to stem the growing tide of violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt by condemning last weekend’s attacks that left a dozen people dead and scores injured. The attacks, about which Obama has been silent, also resulted in the burning of Coptic Orthodox churches and the destruction of Christian homes and businesses… Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Monday ‘strongly’ condemned the violence, saying, ‘We stand behind the Coptic Christian community and their right to practice their faith in safety and security, free of persecution.’ The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that Obama is preparing to try to reengage Muslims with a speech…” Read more.

Flashback: Canada: Canadian Government Preparing To Carve Out New Role For Canada As A Champion Of Religious Rights Abroad – “The Harper government is preparing to carve out a new role for Canada as a champion of religious rights abroad, another sign of the Conservative shift in foreign policy and one that has roots in the tragic 2011 assassination of a Pakistani cabinet minister. Early in 2012, the Tories will finally flesh out a campaign promise to install the Office of Religious Freedom within the secular confines of the Department of Foreign Affairs – a controversial pledge that has drawn accusations of vote pandering and blurring lines between church and state. The Conservatives are unapologetic about making a defence of the right to worship a central objective of Canadian foreign policy, noting, as a recent Pew Centre study found, that assaults around the world on religious freedom have increased in recent years.” Read more.