Dr. Ashraf Ramelah

About Dr. Ashraf Ramelah

Dr. Ashraf Ramelah is the founder and president of Voice of the Copts, a human rights nonprofit organization 501 (c) (3). The organization has offices in Italy and the United States. Dr. Ramelah is dedicated to the Coptic cause and believes that his life’s mission is to speak up for the oppressed Copts who cannot speak up for themselves. When he is not meeting with political figures and policy makers, Dr. Ramelah spends his time travelling throughout the country giving talks about the Coptic issue and explaining to the West the oppression against the Copts in Egypt. Dr. Ramelah was invited to address the European Parliament (2010) and to be the keynote speaker in the Italian Parliament (2011) on the issue of Coptic persecution in Egypt. He has done various interviews with Italian newspapers and appears frequently in the Italian and Arab Media. Dr. Ramelah is a featured author at Arutz Sheva, American Thinker, Family Security Matters.com, Canada Free Press and others. Dr. Ramelah is well known to the Egyptian government due to his advocacy for the Egyptian Copts as well as for Voice of the Copts’ lawsuit against them on behalf of Muslim convert to Christianity Mr. Hegazy and his family in 2009-2010. Ashraf Ramelah also appears as an entry in the Coptic History Encyclopedia (http://www.coptichistory.org/new_page_5260.htm). Dr. Ramelah, himself a Copt, was born in Cairo, Egypt. At the age of 17, he travelled to Italy to study architecture. He graduated with a doctorate in architecture from La Sapienza – Universita’ Degli Studi di Roma,Italy. His special study is restoration of old monuments and history of architecture. His career as an architect took him to work and live in Italy, Saudi Arabia, Gabon and the USA. His personal interests are Egyptology and Coptic history in the period after the Arab invasion of Egypt in 651 AD. Voice of the Copts is dedicated to bringing fair, correct and balanced information to the entire world regarding Copts and Christians in countries with an Arab-Muslim majority.

Egyptian Air Force jets enter Gaza airspace in bombing raids

By | 2015-12-31T16:17:29-04:00 December 31st, 2015|News|

The Egyptian Air Force (EAF) began intensive bombardment near the Gaza Strip this morning in the area surrounding the Egyptian town of Rafah. According to Palestinian media reports EAF planes entered into the airspace of Gaza itself.   The target of the air raids are positions belonging to ISIS's Egypt branch, known as "Sinai Province."

Coptic Pope’s trip to Israel stirs hope to end ban on visits

By | 2015-12-07T03:14:39-04:00 December 7th, 2015|Op-Eds|

When the subject is Israel, passions flare. In Egypt last week, a hornet’s nest of reactions surrounded Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II’s decision to go to Jerusalem upon the death of the Coptic Church’s second-in-command, Bishop Abraham, who was head of the Jerusalem and Near East Orthodox Diocese in Jerusalem since 1992. Respectful of the

The Intifada comes to Austin

By | 2015-12-06T23:40:14-04:00 December 6th, 2015|Op-Eds|

Earlier this month, on November 13th, twelve members of a group calling itself the "Palestine Solidarity Committee," descended, lynch-mob style, upon an American campus in Austin, Texas. What happened next makes the grossly objectionable Apartheid Week follies slightly pale in comparison.   Here's why.   The ringleader, Mohammed Nabulsi, is a law student and presumably

Islam has superseded Christianity in France

By | 2015-12-06T23:05:27-04:00 December 6th, 2015|Op-Eds|

There is an intifada going on in France.   France is busy building a coalition to strike Islamic State in Syria after the massacre of 130 citizens in Paris. But a “mini Islamic State” is already functioning in the French suburbs.   A 2,200-page report, titled “Banlieu de la République” (Suburbs of the Republic), commissioned

Egyptian Muslim scholar: No connection between Temple Mt., Islam

By | 2015-12-06T22:22:02-04:00 December 6th, 2015|News|

Renowned Egyptian scholar Youssef Ziedan, a specialist in Arabic and Islamic studies, has given a series of interviews to Egyptian television stations of late, the purpose of which appears to be to anger his Muslim colleagues.    His main point has been to say that there is actually no connection between Jerusalem and ancient Islam.

Egypt to pay $1.76B to Israel over electricity losses

By | 2015-12-06T21:38:05-04:00 December 6th, 2015|News|

Two Egyptian gas companies will pay a sum of $1.76 billion dollars to the Israeli Electric Company (IEC), the International Chamber of Commerce ruled Sunday, for damages incurred as a result of failures to transfer gas from Egypt to Israel.    In 2011, Egyptian gas companies EGPC and EGAS stopped providing gas to Israel due

Erdogan warns: Iran ‘will pay’ for rumors Turkey buying ISIS oil

By | 2015-12-06T16:36:15-04:00 December 6th, 2015|News|

Turkey on Sunday said it was "astonished" by Iranian accusations that Ankara is supporting Islamic State (ISIS) and involved in oil dealing with the jihadists in Iraq and Syria.   Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said in a statement there was nothing in Tehran's accusations to take "seriously."   Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Iraq urges Turkey to ‘immediately’ withdraw troops

By | 2015-12-06T15:07:42-04:00 December 6th, 2015|News|

Baghdad demanded Saturday the immediate withdrawal of forces it said Turkey illegally deployed in Iraq, which is struggling to assert its sovereignty while receiving foreign assistance against ISIS.   AFP reports that a senior officer from the Kurdish forces in the region - which are allied to Ankara - downplayed the deployment as a routine

France and Britain to boost cooperation on ISIS

By | 2015-12-06T14:25:31-04:00 December 6th, 2015|News|

French President Francois Hollande and British Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed to "intensify their cooperation" in the fight against Islamic State (ISIS) jihadists, Hollande's office said in a statement Saturday.   The two leaders spoke by phone, with Hollande congratulating Cameron on winning a recent vote in the British parliament to start bombing ISIS

As world focuses on Syria and Iraq, ISIS tightens grip on Libya

By | 2015-12-06T13:57:05-04:00 December 6th, 2015|News|

(AFP) The Islamic State jihadist group (ISIS or IS) has strengthened its grip in its Libyan stronghold Sirte, as new recruits and foreign fighters join its ranks while world attention focuses on Iraq and Syria.   Experts and sources in Libya say Sirte has become a new focal point for the jihadist group as it