Shafie was born as a Muslim in Cairo. After converting to Christianity, el-Shafie was arrested in 1998 and taken to the Abu Zaabal Prison in Cairo, where he was tortured. After receiving the death penalty,(Egypt's constitution and those don't give the death penalty to converts) he managed to escape Egypt by driving a stolen jet-ski from Taba in Sinai to nearby Eilat, Israel. Shafie was arrested in Israel, but eventually released through the assistance of the United Nations and additional organizations, which helped him to obtain political asylum in Canada. In 2002, he settled in Canada, and in 2006 became a Canadian citizen.[1][3]
Shafie has been the subject of a 2012 documentary entitled "Freedom Fighter".[4]
In 2012, Shafie received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.[5]
El Shafie has voiced opinions against what he sees as radicalization and antisemitism in the Muslim world. He claims that hatred for Israel is a new form of antisemitism.[2]