Thursday 15 September 2016

Stop the Military Education: A statement of support for the CO Kamal El-ghety



No to Compulsory Military Service Movement supports the Conscientious Objector Kamal El-ghety in his request to be excepted from the compulsory Military Education subject. The universities organization law requires every Egyptian male student to attend a subject on Military Education in order to get his graduation certificate.

Kamal has submitted a written request addressed to Cairo University dean Mr. Gaber Gad Nassar asking him to exclude the former from attending the Military Education subject. The subject contradicts with his pacifist beliefs, and his discomfort with being used as a tool in armed conflicts. The subject promotes for values such as blind disobedience making it a crime to reject any order as well as it discriminates between Egyptians on terms of their gender, according to El-ghety. Forcing El-ghety to attend the subject is a blatant violation of the international law, and article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political rights in particular that bans any “coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice.” Cairo University has rejected El-ghety’s request.

The movement believes that rejecting that request is a shameful reaction from a civil organization that is supposed to respect and promote the values of individual freedom and most importantly the freedom of belief.

The movement demands the exception of El-ghety from attending the compulsory Military Education subject and taking some measurements to totally abolish it and to end the Military Forces domination over the civilian life in Egypt by militarizing schools and universities.

* Most of the Egyptian university students are forced to attend the military education subject, which establishes the principles of conscription, and considers it a prerequisite to obtain a graduation certificate, which contradicts with many individual rights guaranteed by the international law and treaties.

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