On January 16, the trial began for Shafik Saleh Shafik (57), the director of a Christian home for girls in Cairo, Egypt. Shafik is accused of holding a sixteen-year-old girl in the home against her will and that of her parents, and of attempting to rape her.
According to a January 13 report from Compass Direct, the case began when the girl, Magda Refaat Gayed, was brought to the home by a parish priest. She had gone missing and, after two weeks, was found living with an Islamic group who was teaching her Muslim rituals and promised that she would be married to a young Muslim man when she converted to Islam. Not sure how to handle her, Gayed's male relatives requested that Shafik look after her. Gayed escaped from the home, however, and began screaming that she had been kidnapped and raped by Christians. She accused Shafik as the culprit.
Police refused to accept a statement from Gayed's parents that they had placed her in Shafik's custody. Forensic tests also confirm that the girl had not been raped. Despite this, Shafik remains on trial. Shafik has had to close the facility and move the remaining thirteen girls to a smaller home. He believes that the main reason for the charges is an attempt to stop his ministry to young girls who are being enticed to convert to Islam. "The state security police wrote on their report about me that I am a 'very dangerous man,' because I am preaching Christianity," Shafik told Compass
Pray that the truth will come out in this case and that the ministry to these confused young girls will be able to continue. Pray for strength for Shafik as he faces these unjust charges.
For more information on the difficulties facing Christians in Egypt, click here.
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