A federal court in Pennsylvania has ruled that Sameh Khouzam, a 38-year-old Coptic Christian who feared torture if he was returned to Egypt, will be allowed to stay in the U.S. indefinitely

Christian Century, July 24, 2007

A federal court in Pennsylvania has ruled that Sameh Khouzam, a 38-year-old Coptic Christian who feared torture if he was returned to Egypt, will be allowed to stay in the U.S. indefinitely. Khouzam had fled to the U.S. in 1998 seeking asylum after being tortured and detained in Egypt when he refused to convert to Islam.

Wrote Judge Thomas Vanaskie in his decision: "While Khouzam may have no right to be in the United States, he most assuredly has a right not to be tortured." According to human rights groups, Egypt has a record of torture, especially against Coptic Christians. The Cairo-based Ibn Khaldun research organization reports that Copts have suffered more than 120 major attacks in the past four decades.