ADOPTIONS ARE ILLEGAL IN EGYPT

Something worth noting from Egypt, for a long time now an Islamic bastion:

CAIRO (AP) - An Egyptian judge has convicted two American couples of human trafficking in an illegal adoptions case and sentenced them to two years in prison.

The judge also ordered the four to pay a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds, or $18,153.

Iris Botros and Louis Andros of Durham, North Carolina, and Egyptian-born Suzan Hagoulf and Medhat Metyas have been on trial since earlier this year.

They sought to adopt children in Egypt, where an orphanage allegedly gave them forged documents stating the adoptive children were born to them.

Seven Egyptians were also sentenced, including a doctor who provided fake birth certificates.

Adoptions are illegal for Muslims in Egypt and nearly impossible for Christians.

It was unclear if the couples would appeal Thursday's verdicts.

If adoptions really are illegal for Muslims there, that's surprising, but less so that they're forbidden for Christians. I won't be surprised if the charges of fake birth certificates are phony, but what this certainly does tell is that children there are surely doomed to darkness by adults being barred from adopting them.