Controversy in Egypt after a Copt announces converting to Islam via Facebook

Egyptian Copt Malak Samuel Habchi who recently announced he converted to Islam via Facebook has stirred controversy in Egypt as some welcomed the move or condemned it and others called him a fraud.

Habchi, who is the general manager of an environmental services companies and who is described by some on Facebook as a “conservative Christian,” surprised everyone at the beginning of August when he posted that he and his family converted to Islam.

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“I did not consult anyone or get a fatwa (religious edict) from a cleric,” Habchi wrote, adding that he used the internet to learn the Shahada and prayer.

Habchi, who said in an interview that he is the only Christian to convert to Islam without any guidance or a preacher’s help, learnt about Islam by reading the Qur’an, Abu Bakr al-Jaziri’s book Minhaj al-Muslim (The Way of the Muslim), the companions’ books and the prophetic biography.

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Habchi’s Facebook post stirred a lot of controversy as some of his friends doubted it especially that he wrote his phone number in the end as if he’s calling on journalists and followers to communicate with him.

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