Muslims abduct daughter of church contractor

Muslims recently abducted an 18-year-old Egyptian Christian from her home. On February 19, a group of Muslims broke into a house belonging to a building contractor who constructed the St. Mary and St. Michael Church in the city of Giza. In November, the church was the site of severe clashes between State Security forces and Copts protesting over the closure of their church. Three Copts were killed and hundreds were injured and arrested. After barging into the family's house, the intruders wrote messages on the wall, including "Islam is the solution" and "The Church has to be demolished." They also wrote the names of the other family members on the wall before abducting the church contractor's daughter. Blood was later found on the stairs in the flat. There is considerable fear that the rest of the family will be targeted in further violence.

Pray this young Christian woman will be safely returned home. Pray her family will continue to look to Christ, entrusting all their cares and anxieties to Him in this time. Pray Christians in Egypt will be clothed in the Spirit of the Lord, reaching forth their hands in love, even to those who seek to harm and oppress them.

Find out more about the situation facing Christians in Egypt at 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

  • 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.

  • An Additional 216 Church Buildings Legalized
    Saint Mark Church in Helipolis
    A church in Egypt.
    Photo: Flickr / Andrew A. Shenouda (cc)

    Seven years ago, the Egyptian government formed a committee to work through applications to legalize unlicensed church buildings. When the committee was first formed, there were 3,730 outstanding applications. Though the process has been exceedingly slow, thankfully that number has been gradually decreasing. To review previously posted reports on this situation, go to our country report.