INCREASING violence, deteriorating law and order and a big question mark over the future of Egypt after the possible exit of president Hosni Mubarak are concerns that Christians in that country are facing now.
While they have faced persecution and hardship under Hosni Mubarak, an uncertain future lies before them. What is even more worrying is the rise of Islamic fundamentalist forces in Egypt. Islamic forces are behind the popular uprising against Mubarak.
Although some Egyptian Christians have indeed joined the demonstrations against the regime in protest against the dictatorial regime, most of them admit that what lies ahead of them could be even more difficult. They have asked for prayer support.
There are an estimated 10 million Christians in the Arab country.
CBN news quoted Paul Estabrooks, senior communications specialist for Open Doors International as saying: “Most of the churches are closed because of security in the city. And people are meeting in homes now to pray together, and of course ministries like Open Doors are being affected significantly because of curfews, because of security issues on the street.”
The Assyrian News Service reported this week that Islamic radicals killed 11 people, including children, who comprised two Coptic Christian families.
Earlier this year, there were videos on the video-sharing website YouTube showing Coptic Christians in Egypt being attacked and killed.
Pastor Michael Youssef of the Church of the Apostles in Atlanta has said in the report that he is concerned about an assault by the Muslim Brotherhood on the growing population of evangelical Christians and Muslim converts to Christianity.
He said the brotherhood’s quest for power extends beyond Egypt to Israel.
“The aim of the Islamists is to tighten the noose around Israel’s neck,” Youssef said. “That’s really the bottom line. And they’re seeing a great opportunity in Egypt, which has been a strong supporter of the peace with Israel. If Egypt falls, then Jordan will be next and you’ve got Hezbollah and Lebanon in the north, then you’ve got a real noose around Israel, and that’s really their dream.”
