Egyptian Christians have requested prayer following the detention of a Christian teacher accused of blasphemy. Demiana is a social studies teacher working at three schools in Luxor province. She was detained on May 9th following complaints by a few parents and pupils concerning the content of a class she taught on April 8th. Two independent investigations were conducted, one by the school council (representing parents and teachers) and one by the local office of the Ministry of Education. Both found no basis for the charges.
When questioned, ten of the 13 pupils interviewed stated that the accusations were false. Lawyers representing the parents of one pupil then went to the prosecutor's office and filed a complaint. The prosecutor's office started its own investigation which led to Demiana being detained. She was initially detained for two days before a court order extended this by a further 15 days. However, on May 14th, she was released on bail. Although an initial hearing was scheduled for May 21st, no further information has been received to date. To learn more about the challenges facing Christians in Egypt, review the Egypt Country Report.
May Demiana know the peace, presence and protection of Jesus who has promised to never leave her nor forsake her. Pray that His presence will also be powerfully evidenced during the legal proceedings, touching the hearts of all the officials involved and serving as a means of bringing about greater freedom of religious expression for Christian believers in Egypt. Ultimately, may God be glorified through this case, opening the spiritual eyes of the students, parents, teachers and others of Demiana's community.
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