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MAY 2015
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Egypt On the Cross
Orphans remember their martyred father in a meeting with ICC staff
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CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT SEEK EXODUS FROM OPPRESSION Despite a glimmer of hope in a new government, discrimination, oppression and persecution continue to force many Christians, like the 21 martyred in Libya, to leave in order to provide for their families.
O
n February 15, a video was released showing 21 men in orange jumpsuits being led along a beach in Libya where they were brutally executed by Islamist jihadists who had sworn allegiance to ISIS. Twenty of the men were Egyptian Coptic Christians who had traveled to work in Libya. While the world was rightly shocked by the brutality of the martyrdom of these Christians, a hidden part of the story is why these men would make the choice to leave their families behind and travel to Libya where they faced such risks. Life as a Christian in Egypt had led these men to risk their lives because they felt there was no other means of providing for their families. As Christians from Upper Egypt, generations of discrimination, oppression and lack of education have left the community underdeveloped and struggling just for the basic provisions of life. It is not just economic hardships that make life difficult for Egyptian Christians. Violent attacks from Islamic extremists, government restrictions on Christians and hostility from a society deeply divided along religious lines all define life for Christians in Egypt.
A Country in Transition, Christians as Targets Egypt’s Christian population is the largest in the Middle East: about 8 million, or 10 percent of the population. Many Christians have left the country as a result of political turmoil and repeated attacks over the past four years. 2
Since 2011, Egypt has gone through a period of massive political upheaval. In January 2011, Egyptians took to the streets and brought an end to the 30-year government of President Hosni Mubarak. In a totally predictable but worst-case scenario, the Muslim Brotherhood filled the power gap, and in June 2012, their candidate, Mohammed Morsi, was elected president. What followed was one of the toughest periods for Christians in Egyptian history. Morsi’s government very quickly set about to further Islamize the country, placing extremists into government positions and strengthening ties with Islamist groups across the region. Over the months following Morsi’s election, Christians saw their tenuous place in society grow even shakier. This threat was felt by the populace as a whole, and after one year in power, in June 2013, tens of millions of Egyptians flooded the streets to bring down Morsi’s government. The Brotherhood had waited 70 years to gain power, and when the populace threw them out, they unleashed their fury — particularly against Christians. It was one of the worst periods for Egyptian Christians in over 2,000 years. Coordinated attacks across the country were launched against churches, schools, Christian-owned businesses and homes. The overall destruction was staggering. More than 60 churches were destroyed, along with dozens of schools and monasteries, and more than 200 businesses, homes and vehicles were torched. In 2014, the populace voted overwhelmingly to elect Abdel el-Sisi, then commander-inchief of the armed forces, as president. Since he assumed office, restoring security and protection for all Egyptians has been a primary concern. After enduring withering attacks for three years, most Christians welcomed el-Sisi
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Egypt in Photos Top Left Christians sort and manage
Cairo’s waste and recycling in what is known as “Garbage City.” Ostracized by Egyptian society, the Christians who are born and raised in this community often never know any other life or career.
Top Right This church is being con-
structed to commemorate the lives of the seven Egyptian Christians who were executed in Libya in February 2014, prior to the death of the 21. Unfortunately, a lawsuit has been opened to prevent it.
Bottom Left The family of the seven killed in Libya in February 2014 show the cross on their wrists, a tattoo most Copts wear as an outward symbol of their faith. Bottom Right The charred remains of the Evangelical Church of Malawi after it was burned by Morsi supporters in 2013. with open arms. He has turned out to be a masterful politician and has garnered massive support among Christians through tactful political moves and statements. On January 6, in an unprecedented move, el-Sisi visited St. Mark Cathedral (essentially the Vatican for Orthodox Christians) during the Christmas Eve Mass. In a brief greeting, he addressed the discrimination against Christians as second-class citizens. “We must not call ourselves anything other than ‘Egyptians.’ This is what we must be — Egyptians, just Egyptians, Egyptians, indeed! I just want to tell you that, Allah willing, we shall build our nation together, accommodate and make room for each other, and we shall like each other and love each other in earnest so that people may see,” el-Sisi said. MAY 2015
The president’s declaration was unprecedented and floored the Christian community. Next, the president addressed the Al-Azhar University, the Harvard of Islamic education and theology in the Middle East. Speaking to the Grand Sheikh and leaders of Al-Azhar, el-Sisi said radical Islam “is hostile to the entire world. Is it conceivable that 1.6 billion [Muslims] would kill the world’s population of seven billion, so that they could live [on their own]? This is inconceivable.” These amazing political moves and bold statements are beyond encouraging, but the changes necessary for Muslims and Christians to live together will require far more. Major legal reforms must be made and effective security must be implemented for Christians. The tensions between Muslims and Christians
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that manifest themselves in nearly every aspect of life have to be addressed.
Can Real Change Happen?
Two of the most pressing legal issues that affect the rights of Egypt’s Christian community involve church construction and blasphemy laws. For a church to be built, ten extensive requirements must be met, including a presidential decree. As intended, in dozens of villages throughout Egypt, Christians have nowhere to worship. To even repair a church requires government approval. An article in the new constitution requires Egypt’s new parliament take up this issue in its first session to guarantee “the freedom to practice religious rituals for Christians.” Despite the require-
ment, what will actually be accomplished is yet to be seen. Egypt’s laws criminalizing blasphemy are disproportionately applied against Christians. Changing ones religion on an ID card (Bishoy Armia Boulous), teaching about the history of religions in Egypt (Demyana Abd al-Nour) or liking a Christian Facebook page (Kerolos Shouky Attallah) have all resulted in blasphemy convictions in Egypt. In each of these cases, the culture is as much at fault as the laws on the books. More than the law must be changed. Society and culture must change, and that is a slow process (consider civil rights history in the United States). There are reasons to hope things are improving for Christians, but reform will require massive cultural and societal changes. 3
Egypt
Under el-Sisi
T
Have things changed for the better for Egypt’s Christians?
his question followed us everywhere on ICC’s trip to Egypt in early 2015. Since our previous visit, the country had elected el-Sisi, a former army commander, as president after throwing out the Muslim Brotherhood from power. The situation had become more stable, but not much had changed for the Christians.
Because He’s a Christian
Our Egypt staff told us of a conversation he had with a Coptic priest. Just the night before, Nabil Ibrahim, 50 and a father of three, was murdered in his home in front of his wife and two young children by five masked men because he was a Christian. This was a quick reminder that while Egypt may be on the path toward greater political stability, the massive persecution of Christians remains mostly the same. The extremist groups and the restrictive laws directed at Christians are far from gone. Nevertheless, God continues to do an amazing work, and His church is growing. Our trip would bring us face to face with both sides of this story. 4
Persecution and Poverty We traveled to two areas where we met with victims, church leaders and even the police. These two areas are the second and third highest locations for abductions of Christians. While we were able to travel without issue on the first day, a police escort (above) provided added security on our second day, reminding us that the police have been ineffective in providing protection to Christians in Egypt. We met with a church leader whose church came under attack in 2013. He shared with us the reality of life under persecution. “Persecution happens in violent attacks on churches or abductions, but also every day in the market and schools. We have to change the culture before actions will change. Until that happens, the silent exodus of Christians will continue. Every week it is another man or another family that leaves. No one knows the exact numbers,” he lamented. While some look for better opportunities in Cairo or the West, many from Upper Egypt go to Libya for jobs; increasingly, that trip is ending in heartbreak. The world awoke to this reality with the execution of the 21 Coptic Christians in Libya. We met for the second time with the families of seven men executed in Libya in February 2014 and with the families of four men abducted in August 2014. The pain in the eyes of their wives and children was heartwrenching. There has been no word on the fate of their loved ones; they hope for the best, but know that they, too, have probably been killed. These were poignant reminders that our work has to involve bandaging the body of Christ after attacks, but also building the church where it faces persecution.
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ICC meets with the lawyer representing a wrongly imprisoned Christian in Egypt.
Persecution: On Record We met with church leaders, human rights activists, lawyers and government officials fighting for the rights of Christians who have been accused of blasphemy for simply liking the wrong page on Facebook, who have been arrested for wanting to build a church or who have had a loved one abducted and killed. Our work on the ground helping victims gives us authority when we address issues that need change in conversations with the U.S. government, but a missing component in addressing persecution in Egypt is the collecting and warehousing of the data regarding incidents of persecution so that their suffering is known in Egypt, in Washington, D.C. and around the world. We help the victims, tell their stories and press for change that will make a difference in the lives of millions of Egyptian Christians. Have things changed for the better? We are working to make sure they will. MAY 2015
Silent Exodus of Christians During our trip to Egypt, ICC met with church leaders in one of the most difficult parts of Egypt, where kidnappings and violent attacks against Christians are common. One leader’s church was damaged by a mob in August 2013. Concerned about what he calls a “silent exodus” of Christians from Egypt, he is passionate about seeing the culture change so his people no longer face the threats that drive so many to leave Egypt.
“Yes, we are Christians” A member of ICC’s staff stands with an Egyptian brother who narrowly escaped death in Libya. He was working in Libya when Islamic militants came to the door asking whether he and his family were Christians. He was dragged outside, but when the militants were distracted, he pushed away and escaped. The next morning, the bodies of his father, two brothers-in-law and four others were found. They’d been executed for answering, “Yes, we are Christians.”
A New Faith, New Skills One of ICC’s partners works with Muslimbackground believers in Egypt. While there are many Muslims who come to Christ, it is a huge risk and often very dangerous to leave Islam. For those who do, finding work and community can be almost impossible. Women often struggle to find time to visit outside the home, so we are providing them vocational training to learn to knit and sell scarves (left), but more importantly to give them time to meet with Christians and grow in their faith.
Mark of the Cross We met this young boy (left) in Cairo’s “Garbage City” just after he received a tattoo of the cross on his wrist. Despite persecution and ostracism for their faith, nearly all of Egypt’s Christians take this as an outward sign of their faith. His courageous testimony reminds us of the huge challenges he will inevitably face growing up as a Christian in Egypt. ICC supports dozens of kids, just like him, to get special help in school and mentoring for their physical and spiritual needs.
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