A charitable medical center that performs free heart operations on children in Egypt is under threat from radical Muslims, who want it closed because it was founded by a Christian surgeon, ASSIST News Service reports. The center in Aswan city was established by world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub, an Egyptian Christian who qualified as a doctor in Cairo in 1957 but emigrated to Britain in 1962 to escape discrimination. His charitable organization covers all the center's costs, and operations are performed free of charge on Christian and Muslim children alike. Yacoub, who specializes in surgery on children with congenital heart defects, goes to the center himself to perform operations, and his charity sends teams of medics to various parts of the developing world to treat for free children suffering from heart disease. According to Barnabas Aid, the protests against his medical center followed last month's election of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, which heightened concerns for Christians in Egypt. Though Morsi has claimed to be a "president for all Egyptians," Islamists have become further emboldened by his election to push for their agenda.
