Convert to Christianity fighting for recognition of his faith


Maher Ahmad El-Mo'otahssem Bellah El-Gohary
and his daughter
Photo from Compass Direct
A convert to Christianity from Islam, Maher Ahmad El-Mo'otahssem Bellah El-Gohary (56), is currently involved in a legal battle to obtain identification papers that recognize his Christian faith, according to a February 26 report from Compass Direct. More than 20 Islamic lawyers attended a February 22 hearing where they advocated that El-Gohary be convicted of apostasy and sentenced to death. The lawyers submitted memos that allegedly asserted that cases like El-Gohary's were part of a U.S. Zionist attack on Islam in Egypt. The documents also claimed that Christianity is inferior to Islam and stated that Christians protect and defend converts from Islam at their own peril. Fearing an attack, El-Gohary did not attend the proceedings. He had attempted to obtain papers authorizing his attorney to act as his proxy representative in court but when he went to the registry office to sign the papers he was beaten by officials. El-Gohary has been attacked several times during his legal battle and he and his 14-year-old daughter have received death threats. At last report, he was in hiding.

El-Gohary's fight for legal recognition of his Christian faith was sparked by his concern for his daughter, who will be issued her national identity card in approximately a year. Unless his documents are changed, she will be subject to Islamic law, which would include denying her the right to marry a Christian. At present, she has to attend Islamic classes at school despite her Christian faith.

Pray for safety and protection for El-Gohary and his daughter. Pray that Egyptian Christians will be allowed to express their true religious identity in a spiritually hostile environment.

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Egypt, go to the Egypt Country Report.

  • Country Information

    Population
    109,546,720 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Egyptian (99.7), other (0.3)

    Religion (%)
    Islam (90), Christianity (10)

    Leader
    President Abdelfattah Said El-Sisi (2014)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil and penal law, Islamic religious law, and vestiges of colonial-era laws

    Source: CIA World Factbook

  • Pray for Egypt

    Pray on behalf of those who are facing economic and social challenges because of their Christian faith. Ask the Lord to provide for their spiritual and practical needs – further strengthening and emboldening them so they can effectively share the message of the Gospel with others in their communities. May the hearts of those who hear it be open and receptive to the wonderful truths contained in God’s Word.

Egypt News

  • Christian Homes and Businesses Burned
    A water truck is working to douse a fire.
      

    Late into the evening of April 23rd, Islamic militants set fire to several homes and shops owned by Coptic Orthodox Christians in the village of Al-Fawakher, which is located in Egypt's southern Minya province. Although the attackers attempted to prevent the occupants from leaving their burning homes, thankfully there were no reported fatalities.

  • Temporary Church Building Burned
    Two images of a room full of chairs. In the first, the chairs are neatly arranged. In the second, the chairs and interior of the building are burned.
    The temporary church building before and after the arson attack.
    Photo: Christian Solidarity Worldwide

    Local Christians in the village of Misha'at Zaafaranah, located within Egypt's Minya Province, are working to get approval to build a place of worship. The required documents have been submitted to the authorities and, for the meantime, the group of believers were meeting in a temporary structure on the land belonging to the church.

  • Attack on Church Building Site
    Multiple crosses sit atop of a church roof.
    A Coptic church in Egypt.
    Photo: Flickr / Mark Fischer (cc)

    Since 2016, the government of Egypt has been slowly approving the registration of more than 3,700 church buildings that were operating without the required licencing. These buildings were established before 2016, during a time when permits were virtually impossible to get. Although the licencing process now being administered has been long and tedious, thankfully progress is eventually taking place.