The Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt
Borweg 1, The Hague
Gentlemen
Recently we were informed by the news media about the ideas and plans of a militant Islamic group which appears to be very intolerant toward people who cherish different beliefs or convictions. One Dutch newspaper said that “men who shaved their beards off would be treated as atheists”, which bodes no good for judging from previous publications.
More than a year ago – on October 17 and again on December 6, 1978 – our Executive Director Mr Ernst van Brakel made some enquiries about a campaign against non-believers in Egypt, but never received an answer. This time we hope to hear from you whether it is indeed true that the situation of non-Muslims is becoming precarious and what your government intends to do about it.
Letter from N.F.I. Schwarz, Co-chairman IHEU, 13.2.1980
'Militant Islamic group in Egypt (1980-02)', Humanists International, Board of Directors, 1980