Persecuted Nation: Egypt

More people probably recognize Egypt as a nation that persecutes Christians, but it fascinates me to see such things going on knowing the early history of the Christian Church in Egypt. To this day you still have the Coptic Christians, who have survived so many persecutions for so long.

In the early centuries following the Incarnation, Alexandria quickly became the core city of intellectual Christianity. In the tenth century AD the Muslims took over control and altered the practices of the government for the next millenium. In 1980, the constitution was amended to state Shari'ah (islamic law) is considered the source of legislation.

While the Coptic Christian population numbers at approximately 7-10 million (10-13% or so of the total population, the largest in the Middle East, the laws do not allow for any Christian churches to repair or rebuild their buildings. If you want to build a church, one of the conditions you need to meet is acquiring the signature of the President; today that would be Hosni Mubarak. Anyone Muslim converting the Christianity will be persecuted by not only family but also the police. Muslim women are required to divorce a husband who has converted to Christ.

These people need our prayer and also more of an evangelical or "free church" influence (to borrow from my Anabaptist studies). While the Muslim domination is at the forefront of everyone's vision, I personally don't believe the Coptics align themselves completely with the freedom in Christ. Just as in Cyprus, the form of Christianity found is one of tradition and ritual, along with the attitude of works righteousness and the need to do these things.