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Egypt

• Christian Rights Activists Arrested by Police

  Middle East Christian Association (MECA) logo

  Dr. Adel Fawzy Faltas (61) and Peter Ezzat (23), two members of an international Christian rights organization, Middle East Christian Association (MECA), were arrested by the police in Cairo on August 8. The men were reportedly arrested in connection with the case of Mohammed Hegazy, a Christian convert from Islam who is currently in a court battle to have his conversion legally recognized (for more details see last week's P&P story on Hegazy, click here). According to MECA's international leader, Nader Fawzy, the arrests are a part of an effort to stop the work of the organization in Egypt.

  Mohammed Hegazy Photo fromCompass Direct

  Faltas, the leader of the MECA's Egyptian branch, was arrested in his home at approximately 2:40 p.m. after he had held a highly public online chat session with Hegazy in which details of his case were publicized. The police barged into Faltas' home, destroyed his property and confiscated his computers along with some books. Faltas was blindfolded, handcuffed and led away in a police car. In a separate incident, police arrested MECA group member, Peter Ezzat, in his home. His computer was also confiscated.

  The men are accused of insulting Islam, destroying the reputation of Egypt, converting Muslims to Christianity and having contact with a foreign organization. They are expected to face charges relating to an allegedly anti-Islamic message posted on a Christian website. At last report, both men were being transferred to the State Security Investigation headquarters in Lazoghly.

  Pray that these believers will be released. Pray that they will be able to maintain a consistent walk with God during this difficult time. Pray for protection for other Christian workers who are serving the Lord in Egypt.

  For more information on persecution in Egypt, go to theEgypt Country Report. Adele Konyndyk has posted some further thoughts related to this story on VOMC's weblog.

• Christian Seeks Legal Recognition of Conversion from Islam

  Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy Photo fromCompass Direct

  A Christian convert from Islam, Mohammed Ahmed Hegazy (24), brought a case against Egypt's interior ministry for rejecting his application to replace Islam with Christianity on his personal identification papers on August 2. According to an August 8 report from Compass Direct, he went into hiding after his lawyer, Mamdouh Nakhla, withdrew from the case on August 7. Nakhla claimed his decision to drop Hegazy's case was made in the interest of "national unity" and said that he did not want to offend Muslims or "provoke public opinion." However, it is suspected that Nakhla's decision was made out of fear for his life since he has received death threats from Muslims clerics who demand that he withdraw from Hegazy's case. Muslims also filed a reactionary lawsuit against him on charges of causing secretarian strife and baptizing Muslims. Ongoing threats and attacks from the national media have forced Hegazy to remain underground during his search for a new lawyer.

  Pray for safety and protection for Hegazy. Ask God to enable him to stand firm with a consistent testimony of Christ's grace in the face of any threat. Pray that all Egyptian Christians will be allowed to express their true religious identity in a spiritually hostile environment.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Egypt, go to the Egypt Country Report.

• Convert to Christianity Attacked by Muslim Relatives, Tortured by Police

  On July 16, Eman Muhammad el-Sayed (26), a Christian convert from Islam, was attacked by her male Muslim family members in Alexandria and arrested by the police who then tortured her for eight days. According to a July 24 report from Compass Direct, el-Sayed was at a local fair with her husband when her relatives grabbed her, beat her and tried to kidnap her in a car. They also vowed to kill her. Police intervened, claiming that they would take her into "protective custody." She was detained at the local station where she was beaten, electrocuted on several sensitive parts of her body and photographed naked. She was also interrogated about her Christian identity papers, which were forged when she married a Christian man in 2003. Egyptian law forbids a Muslim from changing religions and forbids a Muslim woman from marrying a Christian. Police refused to press charges against her relatives. On July 23 she was handed her over to her Muslim family members, who severely beat her behind the station before driving off with her.

  Pray for Eman's safety. Pray for her husband at this time and pray that Eman will be able to join him soon. Pray that her family members will come to know Christ as Lord.

  For more information on persecution in Egypt, go to theEgypt Country Report.

• Muslims Attack Christian Shops and Homes

  Photos fromCompass Direct

  Seven Christians were injured in two recent unrelated attacks against Coptic Orthodox churches and Christian-owned shops in Northern Egypt, according to a June 15 report from Compass Direct.

  At approximately 9:45 p.m. on June 8, Muslim men damaged and looted Christian shops and churches in the town of Zawyet Abdel-Qader, twenty miles west of Alexandria. Local Christians report that the incident was sparked by an argument between a young Christian truck driver and a Muslim teenager. A number of Christians were injured while trying to defend their property. One man suffered burn wounds from an acid solution and another was stabbed in his head and back. St. Mary and St. Mercurius Church was also vandalized until police intervened.

  In the evening of June 12, a group of Muslims also launched an attack on the Church of the Holy Virgin in the Al-Dekhela district, six miles west of Alexandria, after an argument erupted between two construction workers, a Christian named Bassem Mikail (16) and a Muslim named Abdel-Dayem, in front of the church. The Muslims threw bottles and stones at the church building. Several people were also injured.

  Pray for healing for those injured in the attacks. Pray that Christians in these communities will reflect the nature of Christ in their response to provocation (Matthew 5:43-48).

  For more information on persecution in Egypt,click here.

• Convert in Egypt Released Without Charges

  Photos fromCompass Direct

  Bahaa el-Din Ahmed Hussein el-Akkad (57), a former Muslim leader who converted to Christianity and was jailed in April 2005 (click here for more details), was released without charges on April 28, according to a May 24 report from Compass Direct. No official reason was given for his unexpected release. A week earlier, his lawyer's appeal had been denied by the Emergency Court. Only hours before he was freed, authorities reportedly told him that he would remain in prison for another ten years if he did not return to Islam.

  El-Akkad is currently at home with his family. He returned to find hundreds of letters and cards waiting for him that had been mailed over the past few months in a concentrated letter-writing campaign from Christians around the world. According to local Christians, he is being closely monitored by authorities and continues to be under threat.

• Rumour Ignites Mob Violence

  On May 11, a mob of Muslims attacked the Christians of Bamha, a village twenty-five km south of Cairo after hearing rumours that a church was to be built in the village without government permission. Hundreds of Muslims left their Friday prayer service and attacked the homes and shops of Christians, setting the buildings on fire. At least ten Coptic Christians were injured in the attack. Hundreds of people from both faiths took up sticks and hatchets and began hurling bricks and firebombs at each other. At least twenty-seven houses and shops were damaged by fire. At last report, fifty-nine Muslims have been arrested on charges of arson and spreading sectarian strife.

  Under Egyptian law, no church can be constructed without a presidential decree. In contrast, there are few restrictions on the construction of mosques. It is unclear if the Copts in Bamha were planning any construction.

  Pray that these Christians will be encouraged to worship together, despite opposition. Pray that Christians in Bamha will demonstrate Christ's love to their neighbours.

  For more information on persecution in Egypt,click here.

• Christian Convert from Islam Jailed

  According to an October 18 report from Compass Direct, a Muslim sheikh who has been jailed in Egypt for 18 months without being formally charged has declared that he is under arrest for "insulting Islam" because he converted to Christianity.

  Bahaa el-Din Ahmed Hussein el-Akkad (57) converted from Islam to Christianity in January 2005. News of his conversion reached the Egyptian secret police (SSI) and on April 6, 2005, he was arrested and placed in detention. Six weeks later, he was sent to Cairo's Toga Mazraa Prison and incarcerated under emergency law provisions on suspicion of "committing blasphemy against Islam." For the next year, his detention was renewed every forty-five days under emergency law provisions but he was never formally charged.

  In July 2006, a new law was instituted that prevented provisional detentions for misdemeanors from exceeding six months. As he had been accused of "insulting a heavenly religion," a misdemeanor offense under the Egyptian penal code, a Cairo court ordered that El-Akkad be released on July 30. SSI authorities ignored the order and, in mid-September, El-Akkad was transferred to the maximum security Wadi el-Natroun Prison. According to his lawyer, Athanasius Williams, El-Akkad is in weak health because of unsanitary cell conditions. He is suffering from high blood pressure and skin diseases caused by extreme temperatures and bites from insects and small reptiles.

  https://www.vomcanada.com/

  Pray that El-Akkad will find encouragement in the fact that as he has suffered with Christ so he will be glorified with Him (Romans 8:15-17). Ask God to bring verses of Scripture to mind that will comfort him during his incarceration (Psalm 119:49-56). Pray that authorities will release El-Akkad in compliance with the law. Also pray that he will receive the medical assistance he needs.

  For more information on the persecution of Christians in Egypt,click here.

• Coptic Girl Kidnapped

  Laurence Wagih Emil Photo fromCompass Direct (used by permission)

  Laurence Wagih Emil (15) was traveling on a public bus in her hometown, El-Mahala el-Kobra on October 2 when she was drugged and kidnapped by four men. The young girl awoke in a dark room in a suburb of Cairo where she was beaten. During her captivity, her cell phone was used to send threatening text pages to her father, demanding that he leave the city with his family. The captors also threatened to rape Laurence and forcibly convert her to Islam.

  On the evening of October 3, Laurence's kidnappers left to take part in the evening meal as part of Ramadan. While they were gone, she was able to escape and asked area residents to help contact her family. She was then taken to a local police station. Though Laurence's aunt and uncle came to the police station immediately, they were not allowed to see her while police questioned her for three hours. According to Laurence's testimony, during that time police forced her to sign a statement that she had voluntarily come to Cairo and spent the night at a friend's home. Otherwise, she would not see her family again. The girl's parents have made similar statements, saying, "My daughter is back unharmed. That's all that matters. We'll do what State Security asks us to do."

  Praise God that Laurence is safely at home. Pray that there will be no further attacks. Pray that the family will be free from all fear (Revelation 2:10).  Pray that the family will exemplify the love and forgiveness of Christ, even in the face of such outspoken hatred (Matthew 5:43-48).

  For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Egypt,click here.

• Attack on Coptic Church Thwarted

  Guards at St. George's Church in the southern Egyptian town of Qous managed to stop a Muslim man from carrying out a knife attack on July 11, according to a Reuters news report. The guards managed to detain Mohammed Masoud Khalil and turn him over to the police. Authorities claim that Khalil was mentally ill. However, as Glenn Penner, spokesman for The Voice of the Martyrs, states, "the Egyptian government is increasingly using mental illness to cover up sectarian motives behind such attacks." Mental illness was also given as the reason for attacks on four churches in Alexandria on April 14 in which an elderly Christian was stabbed to death and several others were wounded. Video reports on the victims of the April attack are available at https://www.vomcanada.com/.

  Praise God that the guards were able to stop the attack. Ask God to provide safety for His people in Egypt. Pray that the government will recognize the religious freedom of all its citizens. Also pray that the authorities will deal with this particular situation in a true and just manner.

  For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Egypt,click here.

• Two Dead, Several Injured After Attacks on Coptic Churches

  Rushing into the churches, shouting Islamic slogans and stabbing the worshippers, three men armed with knives attacked four separate Coptic churches in Alexandria, Egypt on Good Friday, April 14. One culprit attacked two churches, one attacked a third church and another was foiled in his attempt on a fourth congregation. Nushi Atta Girgis (78) was stabbed at the Quidissin church and died in hospital. At least twelve others were injured. The attacks appear to have been a coordinated Islamist assault.

  Protests against the attacks led to further violence as Muslims and Coptic Christians clashed in the streets.  Several were injured and none Muslim, Mustafa Meshaal, died.

  Police have arrested a 25-year-old unemployed man for his part in the Friday attacks. Authorities have described Mahmoud Abdul Razik Salah Eddin Hussein as "mentally unstable." Initially, police claimed that he was the sole assailant, although they could not explain how four churches could be attacked virtually simultaneously by one man, especially when one church is forty-five minutes away from the others.

  Ask God to give the Coptic Christians in Alexandria an attitude of forgiveness and love for those who have so openly expressed their opposition to them (Matthew 43-44). Pray that there will be no further clashes between the Muslims and Copts in the area. Ask God to bring comfort to the family and friends of Nushi Atta Girgis. Pray that the Muslims will see the love of Christ and respond in faith to Him.

  Video footage on the aftermath of these attacks is available on VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/. For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Egypt,click here.