The Coptic families of two female converts to Islam, Christine and Nancy, rallied before the ‎office of the prosecutor general Saturday, calling for custody of both young women. 
    
After conducting preliminary investigations with the girls, the general prosecution asked the security forces to provide ‎them with a safe house until an Al-Azhar scholar can test whether the story of their ‎conversion is true.‎

Their families, however, called on the authorities to hand them the girls or let a ‎Christian charity organisation be responsible for them, saying Al-Azhar does not accredit ‎conversion to Islam from anyone younger than 18.‎

The two girls, both 14 years old, ran away from their homes in Minya months ago. A ‎policeman saw them walking in the street wearing the face veil and with crosses ‎tattooed on their hands, and accordingly stopped them and investigated.‎

During recent weeks, the two girls, who are cousins, have uploaded videos on ‎YouTube announcing their conversion to Islam and that they were not kidnapped by ‎anyone. This came in response to the father of one of the girls reporting their ‎disappearance. ‎

This is not the first story of Muslim converts that has been a source of public debate and ‎concern. Camilia Shehata, who disappeared from her house in July 2010, was ‎alleged to have converted to Islam only to be held in church after conversion to prevent ‎her from practicing her new religion. ‎

Salafi groups organised several protests asking the Coptic Church to release Shehata. ‎Meanwhile, Shehata’s lawyers assured that she has not converted to Islam and that she ‎has returned to her home.