WHAT DIFFICULTIES DO CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT EXPERIENCE?

The majority of Christians in Egypt and the Middle East are Coptic Christians, and as such, they are subject to severe discrimination and persecution because of their faith.

After decades of being regarded as second-class citizens, Coptic Christians still fight for greater rights. Due to the placement of religious affiliations on the national identity card, there is both overt and covert discrimination.

Constructing churches is a challenging undertaking; extremists have left many Upper Egyptian villages devoid of churches. Christians in isolated and marginalised villages have to walk great distances to church and to get permission to construct a church. Christian religious events may be protested in rural areas, and police frequently close churches to maintain peace rather than disperse crowds.

Copts are totally shut out of all political and decision-making processes in Egypt, which keeps them from enjoying equality in the workplace and in important institutions. Because there is a ceiling on career advancement, Christians are not seen in senior positions by Copts. Furthermore, Christian students face discrimination and persecution in the classroom due to curriculum that frequently uses derogatory or inciting language against people of other religions.

The forced disappearance of Coptic women is a further issue facing Christians in Egypt. It is in Upper Egypt that membership in a minority group is most dangerous, despite instances of these organised, well-financed kidnappings occurring in Cairo and other parts of Egypt. Christian families often believe they are not receiving the support or justice they deserve.

Muslims who choose to follow Jesus confront a variety of difficulties, such as the threat of radicals who think it is their duty to use violence against them, living in constant displacement and unable to settle down for fear of reprisals from society or family, finding employment in both Christian and Muslim-owned businesses, and the difficulty of finding a spouse. Because they might fear becoming security informants, even the majority of churches do not accept Coptic converts.