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Egypt

  • Islamic Conversion of Kidnapped Egyptian Girl in Doubt

    Family members of a kidnapped Egyptian girl are questioning claims that she has converted to Islam, according to a March 31 report from Compass Direct.  Theresa Kamal (19) went missing on January 3.  Spurred on by a phone call from Theresa saying she was being held against her will, her brother Sa'eed managed to track her down to a home in a nearby village of El-Ga'ar.  When he arrived at the home on March 23, Sa'eed was initially denied access to his sister.  When he insisted that he only wanted to make sure Theresa was fine, he was granted a 90-minute visit by the family.  During that visit Theresa, who was surrounded by the Muslim family, spoke only once to her brother saying in a trembling voice, "I have converted to Islam. I have found the right path."

    Theresa's family questions the legitimacy of this "conversion."  Egyptian law requires that those who wish to convert from Christianity meet with a Coptic priest to ensure that the conversion is of her own free will.  The conversion would then need to be officially registered.  None of these steps have yet been taken and Kamal's lawyer intends to challenge any attempts to register this conversion.

    Kidnappings and forcible conversions to Islam are relatively common among Coptic girls who are often romanced by young Muslim men in order to convert them to Islam.  As Sa'eed left the home, he told his sister, "I am your brother; I will always be. If you need anything, come to my home where you are most welcome."

    Pray for peace and wisdom for the Kamal family as they determine the best way to deal with this situation. Pray that Theresa will know the love and peace of Christ during this time and that she will be allowed to go free.

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Egypt,click here.
  • Christian Identity Approved
    The Coptic Church in Egypt makes up a significant percentage of the population, but has faced repeated discrimination and persecution from the Egyptian authorities.
    In November 2004, the Persecution and Prayer Alert published the story of two Coptic Christian sisters in Egypt who were being forced to change their religious identity because their estranged father had converted to Islam and had changed the religious designation for the girls (for more details, click here).  According to a February 3 report from Compass Direct, a court ruled that the two sisters, Iman and Olfat Malak Ayet, are to be issued identity cards designating them as Christians and that the Civil Affairs Department must pay all legal fees associated with the lawsuit.

    Though the court ruling was originally handed down in May 2005, civil authorities refused to act on the ruling until threatened with legal action.  On January 26, the girls' identification applications were accepted and identity cards were issued on February 4.
  • Arrests Made After January 18 Attack
    George Shahata
    Kamal Shaker
    Individuals murdered in the attack
    Photos courtesy of    U.S. Copts Association
    On January 25, the Persecution & Prayer Alert reported on the attack on a new church building being constructed in the Egyptian down of Luxor (click here for more details).  Egyptian authorities are now reporting the arrest of 22 Muslims suspected of murder, arson and vandalism in the incident.
  • Two Dead after Attack on Church Construction
    Photos courtesy of U.S. Copts Association
    Two Coptic Christians are reported dead and at least ten others were injured when a group of Muslim youths attempted to stop the construction of a new Coptic church building in the village of el-Udaysaat near the southern Egyptian town of Luxor .  The attack took place in the early morning of January 19 when the youths set fire to building materials.  They claimed the church did not have permission to build.  According to reports from the U.S. Copts Association, police officers who arrived at the scene did little to stop the violence or protect the Christians.  Those who died of injuries were Kamal Shaker and a thirteen-year-old boy, George Shahata.  Shahata is reported to have died as the result of a heart condition that was exacerbated by the attack.

    Video footage of the funeral is also available on VOMC's multimedia website, https://www.vomcanada.com/.

    Kamal Shaker
    George Shahata
    Photos courtesy of U.S. Copts Association
    Ask God to comfort the families of Kamal and George in their grief. Pray that God will enable the believers to forgive their attackers and that those responsible for the attack will be drawn to Christ as a result.

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

    (Source: U.S. Copts Association)
  • Director of Home Goes Into Hiding

    In January 2005, Shafik Saleh Shafik was accused of detaining a 16-year-old girl against her will and of attempting to rape her.  Shafik was director of a home for girls in Cairo (click here for more details).  Last month, he was convicted of unlawfully detaining the girl, even though her parents had given him custody.  He was also convicted of beating her.  Shafik was sentenced to one year in prison with hard labour.  According to a November 29 report from Compass Direct, he has gone into hiding while his lawyers appeal the verdict on the grounds of court corruption, misapplication of the law and failure to justify the verdict.
    (Source: Compass Direct)
  • Egyptian Police Obstruct Investigation Into Missing Christian Girl

    Three months after 20-year-old Marianna Rezk Shafik Attallah disappeared, her family and fiancé remain convinced that she was kidnapped by a former police constable.  However, police refuse to cooperate, insisting that she left on her own accord.

    According to a September 8 report from Compass Direct, Marianna left the medical lab where she worked in El-Fayoum, 100 km south of Cairo, on May 30 to pick up a patient's blood sample.  She has not been heard from since. Her fiancé began searching for her at her workplace.  The owner of a neighbouring business told him that an employee of his, Ali Mahmoud Abdel Rasoul, had kidnapped the girl.  Rasoul had previously been fired from the police department for bad behaviour. 

    When the family tried to file a police report, the officer refused to give them a case number.  A security service officer told them that Rasoul had moved south to Sohag and that they should stop looking for Marianna because she had gone with him voluntarily.  Rumours also began spreading that Marianna had converted to Islam, something the family cannot accept because she had such a strong Christian faith.

    Hundreds of young Coptic women disappear each year.  They are reported as kidnapped, but the families' claims are difficult to prove, since security officials frequently prevent any contact with their daughters.

    Pray that Marianna will be able to return to her family.  Pray for her family during this difficult time.  Pray that the Egyptian officials will be willing to oppose these kidnappings and forcible conversions.

    For more information on the problems faced by Christians in Egypt,click here.
  • Update: Convert Released From Mental Hospital

    On May 18, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on an Egyptian man who has been committed to a mental hospital because he converted to Christianity (click here for details). According to a June 21 report from Compass Direct, Gasir Mohammed Mahmoud was released on June 9 from the El-Khanka Hospital for Mental and Neurological Health in Cairo.  Apparently the wave of international pressure that was generated when his story was made public convinced the hospital to release him.  His adoptive mother has warned him to not return to his home city of Suez because of the problems he could face from his father and the state security police.  He has secured a place to live through local Christians. 

    For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Egypt,click here.
  • Convert Held in Mental Hospital

    A convert from Islam to Christianity is being held in a mental hospital against his will until he recants his faith and returns to Islam, according to a May 13 report from Compass Direct.  Gaser Mohammed Mahmoud (30) converted to Christianity two years ago, but kept quiet about his faith on the advice of a Coptic monk.  Finally, he said, "My new love for Jesus pushed me to talk with my mother about it."  As a result, Gaser's parents had him committed to the El-Khanka Hospital near Cairo on January 10.  His situation has just recently come to light. 

    Since his confinement, he has reportedly been beaten, whipped and given potentially fatal injections.  The hospital is refusing to admit any known Christian acquaintances to visit him.  He is under the care of Dr. Nevine, who has been described by sources in Egypt as a "fanatic Muslim."

    Muslims in Egypt do not have the legal right to change their religion, though religious minorities may freely convert to Islam.  Those suspected of converting to Christianity face regular harassment and sometimes arrest.

    Pray that Gaser will be released and that his "treatment" will not cause permanent damage.  Pray that freedom of religion will be respected in Egypt.

    For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Egypt,click here.
  • Director of Christian Home for Girls on Trial

    On January 16, the trial began for Shafik Saleh Shafik (57), the director of a Christian home for girls in Cairo, Egypt.  Shafik is accused of holding a sixteen-year-old girl in the home against her will and that of her parents, and of attempting to rape her.

    According to a January 13 report from Compass Direct, the case began when the girl, Magda Refaat Gayed, was brought to the home by a parish priest.  She had gone missing and, after two weeks, was found living with an Islamic group who was teaching her Muslim rituals and promised that she would be married to a young Muslim man when she converted to Islam.  Not sure how to handle her, Gayed's male relatives requested that Shafik look after her.  Gayed escaped from the home, however, and began screaming that she had been kidnapped and raped by Christians.  She accused Shafik as the culprit.

    Police refused to accept a statement from Gayed's parents that they had placed her in Shafik's custody.  Forensic tests also confirm that the girl had not been raped.  Despite this, Shafik remains on trial. Shafik has had to close the facility and move the remaining thirteen girls to a smaller home.  He believes that the main reason for the charges is an attempt to stop his ministry to young girls who are being enticed to convert to Islam.  "The state security police wrote on their report about me that I am a 'very dangerous man,' because I am preaching Christianity," Shafik told Compass

    Pray that the truth will come out in this case and that the ministry to these confused young girls will be able to continue.  Pray for strength for Shafik as he faces these unjust charges.

    For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Egypt,click here.
  • Christian Teens Forced to Take Muslim Identities Two teenage Christians have gone to court to fight their forced designation as Muslims on their identity cards.  According to a November 8 report from Compass Direct, the final verdict is scheduled for November 16, though it may be delayed for a week because of the Muslim holy days of Ramadan.

    Iman and Olfat Malak Ayet were raised by their mother as Christians.  Their father had converted to Islam when they were infants and subsequently left their mother and re-married.  He never took custody of the children nor interfered with their upbringing as Christians up to his death in November 2002.  When Olfat requested a copy of her birth certificate in 2003, she discovered that her father had changed their official identities to Muslim.  He had also falsified his own birth certificate, using a Muslim name as his birth name.  In order for the girls to write their final exams and apply for university, they have to have an identity card.  Once identified as Muslim on their identity cards, the Egyptian authorities have historically refused citizens to change that designation. 

    The Coptic Church in Egypt makes up a significant percentage of the population, but has faced repeated discrimination and persecution from the Egyptian authorities.

    Religious designation is important for several reasons, including forbidding those designated as Muslims from marrying Christians and restricting them from entering churches.

    Speaking to the July 6 hearing, Coptic Christian lawyer Naguib Gabriel asked the court, "How can these children be forced to become Muslims, when they have never practiced Islam in their entire lives?"

    Pray that these girls, along with several other Egyptian Christians, will be allowed to express their true religious identity. 

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

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