Group Of Egyptian Christian Women Not Allowed To Vote In Referendum

Coptic Christians are a minority in Egypt but they are still citizens of that country, and yet some were not allowed to vote today in that controversial constitutional referendum that has many finally realizing how 'undemocratic' their president Mohammed Morsi really is.

According to the National Salvation Front (one of the many opposition groups) a judge in Nasr City- a district in Cairo of mostly condominiums- allegedly banned Christians from voting. And today a group of Christian female residents were turned away. Whether it's because they were female or Christian or a combination of both is anybody's guess. Of course Nasr City is a bastion for Islamists.

What secular Muslims and Christians alike fear (and why they walked out on the predominately Islamist assembly on November 30th) is that all it would take to give the Islamists even more power is a simple majority, and the constitution in its current incarnation leaves many worried about women's rights, civil liberties among other things.

“At one point in our history, Cleopatra, a woman, ruled Egypt. Now you have a constitution that makes women not even second-class but third-class citizens,” this is that Olivia Ghita a prominent businesswoman declared. Adding, “This constitution is tailored for one specific group (the Muslim Brotherhood). It’s a shame. I am very upset.”

If it's not voted through, the opposition would have three months to come up with a new constitution and new elections held. No wonder they're trying to keep the Christians from voting.