[Originally published under the headline "Egypt's 'Hippocratic Oath' Could Force Christian Doctors To Become Unintentionally Muslim"]
“Egypt’s version of the Hippocratic Oath, which all of the nation’s doctors -- both Muslim and Christian -- are required to take, contains wording that is not unlike the Islamic confession of faith.”
This new reporting comes from Coptic Solidarity, a human rights organization dedicated to ameliorating the plight of Egypt’s Christian minority. The significance of this development is significant: critics are arguing that anyone required to recite the oath -- including Christian physicians -- will be compelled to become de facto Muslims. Whereas much of the oath is salutary-sounding and makes mention of Allah -- which is standard for Arabic-speaking Christians who also refer to “God” as “Allah” -- at the very end of the oath (published in full on the Arabic site Masrawy), reciters acknowledge “Allah and His Messenger.” The Islamic contour of the oath is evident in other ways; for instance, it refers to “the Believers,” which is synonymous with “the Muslims.”
Excerpt of the text of Egypt's 'Hippocratic Oath' according to Masrawy. The oath explicitly mentions "Allah and His Messenger" and "the believers" (i.e. Muslims):
