Egyptian activist seeks investigation into Dabaa girl's disappearance

Sara Eshak Abdel Malek Cairo – Suhaib Yassin  The human rights and political activist Amr Farouk has sent a complaint to the Attorney General Chancellor Abdul Majid Mahmoud, calling for an investigation in to the disappearance of Dabaa girl Sara Eshak Abdel Malek. Malek has been absent from her home since last October when she allegedly absconded with a Muslim man who is also from Dabaa. Since then word has spread that she has become a Muslim and married 27 year old Mahmoud Selim Abdel Gawad. The report stated that Malek disappeared after attending a full day of school and then visiting a bookshop to buy some stationary supplies from where she emerged accompanied by Gawad and wearing full veil to obscure her identity. The pair drove away in a private car and Malek’s family have since received no contact from her or Gawad. Malek’s father is thought to have maintained good relations with the community in Dabaa, and wants to avoid any clashes with Salafists. A member of the executive office for the Salafist front Khalid Al Masry responded by declaring in his statement on Tuesday morning that "The Salafist front is ready to hand the girl over if it is proved that she was a minor.” Al Masry also questioned whether the girl was in fact a minor asking“The girl was born in 1988 so is she minor or not?" The girl’s family sued the young man they believe tricked the innocent Christian girl in to marrying him without taking permission from her family. They claimed that the girl was a minor as her age didn’t exceed 14 years old; therefore the young man would be considered to have raped her. The situation has caused clashes between Salafists and Christians, calling for rapid investigation to end disputes regarding the girl.