Washington, DC – In Defense of Christians (IDC) applauds the appointment of Egypt’s first Christian to preside over Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court.

On February 9, Egyptian President Sisi administered the oath of office to Judge Boulos Fahmy, making him the first Christian to lead the nation’s highest court.  Judge Fahmy was selected from among 15 sitting Supreme Constitutional Court judges.

This historic development came just days before another significant gesture by President Sisi.  On February 14, President Sisi deliberately conveyed a warm, personal welcome to Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar at an international energy conference in Cairo.

Such actions—the appointment of a Christian to lead Egypt’s highest court, and the diplomatic overture to an Israeli official—highlight the Egyptian President’s apparent effort to create a more tolerant and pluralistic Egypt.

“We applaud the Egyptian government for these meaningful gestures of good will,” said IDC Executive Director Richard Ghazal.  “The Egyptian government of President Sisi, in recent years, has demonstrated incremental progress through constitutional and systemic reforms, and there still remain more opportunities to afford Coptic Christians equal citizenship in their native homeland,” Ghazal continued.

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