Egypt’s Legislation of 70 Churches Clouded By Attacks
Egypt’s government has recognized an additional 70 churches, but minority Christians fear more violence and threats in this mainly Muslim nation.
Egypt
Fires at three churches in Egypt are ‘not coincidence’
Church leaders in Egypt are sounding the alarm after three Coptic churches were hit by fires in the last few weeks.
Egyptian Churches Encounter Administrative Hurdles on Path to Legal Status
As Egypt continues to go through the process of becoming more officially inclusive of Coptic Christianity, many Christian leaders complained on August 5th that fewer churches had been granted legal status this time around by the presidential committee appointed for the task by Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.
Egypt Legalizes Over 1,000 Churches in Apparent Bid to Create Tolerant Islamic Society
The Egyptian government on Monday approved legalization of 127 churches, the culmination of a 2016 law by which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi sought to make the world’s largest Arab nation more officially inclusive of Coptic Christianity.
Sentence Issued Against Policeman Who Murdered 2 Christians
A criminal court in Upper Egypt’s Minya Governorate has issued a death sentence against policeman Rabie Mustafa Khalifa. This past December, he had approached two Coptic Christians and shot them at close range.
Egypt Says Perpetrators of Attack Against Christians Killed
Egypt said Sunday that security forces have killed 19 militants in a shootout, including the gunmen suspected of killing seven Christians in an attack on pilgrims traveling to a remote desert monastery.
Egypt: Mob attacks prevent Coptic church’s recognition for ‘security’ reasons
A Coptic community in Egypt’s Minya governorate, whose church was closed in July following protests by local Muslims, continues to be a target of mob attacks and hostility.
Series of Attacks Plagues Egypt’s Beleaguered Christians
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that, as the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha concluded, a series of four attacks struck Upper Egypt from August 22 to 25, 2018. In each of these incidents, security forces either delayed providing protection to Christians or attempted to instigate violence.
How Muslim Mobs Attack Christian Churches in Egypt with Impunity
Christians coerced into an out-of-court settlement following an Islamist attack on a church building in Egypt recently saw the usual outcome – a closed church – a practice that has long oppressed Christians, according to Middle East observers.
‘Multitude’ of Egyptians Coming to Christ Despite Persecution from Muslim Extremists, Reveal Church Leaders
Despite continued persecution from Muslim extremists, Christians in Egypt remain unwavering in their faith, compelling a ‘multitude’ to come to Christ, church leaders have revealed.
Egyptian government gives legality to 53 churches
A special committee set up to review church registration applications legalised the status of 53 Egyptian churches and related buildings on 26 February, but thousands more still await registration.
After More Than 20 Years: Egyptian Churches Finally Allowed to Rebuild
After waiting more than two decades, churches in Egypt finally are allowed to rebuild their houses of worship, according to World Watch Monitor.
7 Dead as ISIS Radicals Attack Church, Bank in Egypt With Grenades and Rifles
At least seven people were killed after suspected Islamic State terror group radicals attacked a bank and the Church of Saint George in El-Arish, Egypt. The militants were seen waving their black flags through the streets in celebration.
Coptic Orthodox priest stabbed to death in Cairo, Bishop Angaelos laments ‘negligence and injustice’
A Coptic Orthodox priest has been stabbed to death in Cairo, Egypt. The head of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the UK has decried what he said was the injustice surrounding the crime.
Egyptian Muslims Kidnap Christian Young Women ‘Almost on a Daily Basis’
Extreme Muslim groups, with the assistance of Egyptian police, are carrying out a systematic strategy of kidnapping Coptic Christian young women, according to a report by World Watch Monitor.
Mob Violence Terrorizes Small Christian Village in Egypt
International Christian Concern (ICC) has learned that on September 14, a Muslim mob in the village of Tawa in Minya attacked the local Coptic Christian community. Homes, businesses, and cars were destroyed and three Copts suffered minor injuries. These attacks were in retaliation against a Facebook post which was widely shared among Christians. The author, a 22-year-old Christian resident of Tawa named Bassem, had written the post in May following the deadly attack by Islamic extremists against a caravan of Coptic Christians traveling to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor.
Egypt Closes One Church, Blocks Worship at Another
Authorities have closed a church that serves three villages in Upper Egypt on the pretext that area Muslims object to it – one of at least 15 Christian worship sites shuttered in the bishopric of Minya, sources said.
Survivor of ISIS massacre says Christians were told to renounce their faith but women refused
One of the survivors of the massacre of 29 Egyptian Christians in Minya in May said that the Islamic State extremists forced the women off the bus and ordered them to renounce their faith in Christ, but the Copts refused.
Fearing attacks, Egypt’s churches suspend pilgrimages, trips
Egyptian churches on Thursday suspended pilgrimages, holidays and conferences for the remainder of July and August after authorities warned them about possible attacks by Islamic militants.
Palm Sunday Bombings of Egyptian Coptic Churches Kill 44
At least 44 people were killed in bomb attacks on the symbolic cathedral seat of the Coptic Pope and another church on Palm Sunday, prompting anger and fear among Christians and troop deployments across Egypt.