SOAP Service API - Query Throws Error On Equals Sign

Hi Code It,

When attempting to use the query method of the SOAP Service API and query for an email address that contains an equals sign "=" - I receive an error. Can you please advise on how I should go about escaping the equals sign?

Take for example this query for "ilya=test@test.com":

Request:

<env:Envelope xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:tns="https://secure.eloqua.com/API/1.2" xmlns:env="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:ins0="http://schemas.microsoft.com/2003/10/Serialization/Arrays" xmlns:ins1="http://www.microsoft.com/practices/EnterpriseLibrary/2007/01/wcf/validation" xmlns:ins2="http://schemas.datacontract.org/2004/07/Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Validation.Integration.WCF" xmlns:ins3="http://schemas.datacontract.org/2004/07/EloquaNet.Activity">

   <env:Header>

      <wsse:Security xmlns:wsse="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd">

         <wsse:UsernameToken wsu:Id="UsernameToken-1" xmlns:wsu="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd">

            <wsse:Username>IHSIncSandbox\Ilya.Hoffman</wsse:Username>

            <wsse:Password Type="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-username-token-profile-1.0#PasswordText">[REMOVED]</wsse:Password>

         </wsse:UsernameToken>

      </wsse:Security>

   </env:Header>

   <env:Body>

      <tns:Query>

         <tns:eloquaType>

            <tns:ID>0</tns:ID>

            <tns:Name>Contact</tns:Name>

            <tns:Type>Base</tns:Type>

         </tns:eloquaType>

         <tns:searchQuery>C_EmailAddress='ilya=test@test.com'</tns:searchQuery>

         <tns:fieldNames>

            <ins0:string>C_EmailAddress</ins0:string>

         </tns:fieldNames>

         <tns:pageNumber>1</tns:pageNumber>

         <tns:pageSize>200</tns:pageSize>

      </tns:Query>

   </env:Body>

</env:Envelope>

Response:

<s:Envelope xmlns:s="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:u="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-utility-1.0.xsd">

   <s:Header>

      <o:Security s:mustUnderstand="1" xmlns:o="http://docs.oasis-open.org/wss/2004/01/oasis-200401-wss-wssecurity-secext-1.0.xsd">

         <u:Timestamp u:Id="_0">

            <u:Created>2013-09-07T16:40:35.521Z</u:Created>

            <u:Expires>2013-09-07T16:45:35.521Z</u:Expires>

         </u:Timestamp>

      </o:Security>

   </s:Header>

   <s:Body>

      <s:Fault>

         <faultcode>s:Client</faultcode>

         <faultstring xml:lang="en-US">The creator of this fault did not specify a Reason.</faultstring>

         <detail>

            <ValidationFault xmlns="http://www.microsoft.com/practices/EnterpriseLibrary/2007/01/wcf/validation" xmlns:i="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

               <Details xmlns:a="http://schemas.datacontract.org/2004/07/Microsoft.Practices.EnterpriseLibrary.Validation.Integration.WCF">

                  <a:ValidationDetail>

                     <a:Key i:nil="true"/>

                     <a:Message>The SearchQuery parameter is not in the correct format.</a:Message>

                     <a:Tag>searchQuery</a:Tag>

                  </a:ValidationDetail>

               </Details>

            </ValidationFault>

         </detail>

      </s:Fault>

   </s:Body>

</s:Envelope>