Egypt

Egyptian Christians Respond To ISIS Brutality

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From Christianity Today comes this awesome account of how Christians and Muslims are reacting to the murder of 21 christians by ISIS.

How Libya’s Martyrs Are Witnessing to Egypt

Murders spark largest outreach ever amid new freedoms and new threats.
Jayson Casper in Cairo/ FEBRUARY 23, 2015

How Libya's Martyrs Are Witnessing to Egypt

Image: Bible Society of Egypt
Covers of the English and Arabic tracts.

Undaunted by the slaughter of 21 Christians in Libya, the director of the Bible Society of Egypt saw a golden gospel opportunity.

“We must have a Scripture tract ready to distribute to the nation as soon as possible,” Ramez Atallah told his staff the evening an ISIS-linked group released its gruesome propaganda video. Less than 36 hours later, Two Rows by the Seawas sent to the printer.

One week later, 1.65 million copies have been distributed in the Bible Society’s largest campaign ever. It eclipses even the 1 million tracts distributed after the 2012 death of Shenouda, the Coptic “Pope of the Bible.” [A full English translation is posted at bottom.]

Arabic tract (outside)Image: Bible Society of Egypt

Arabic tract (outside)

The tract contains biblical quotations about the promise of blessing amid suffering, alongside a poignant poem in colloquial Arabic:

Who fears the other?
The row in orange, watching paradise open?
Or the row in black, with minds evil and broken?

“The design is meant so that it can be given to any Egyptian without causing offense,” said Atallah. “To comfort the mourning and challenge people to commit to Christ.”

The Bible Society distributed the tract through Egypt’s churches, but one congregation went a step further.

Poster at Isaaf Evangelical ChurchImage: Jayson Casper

Poster at Isaaf Evangelical Church

Isaaf Evangelical Church, located on one of downtown Cairo’s busiest streets, hung a poster on its wall at eye-level with pedestrians. “We learn from what the Messiah has said,” it read over the background of an Egyptian flag. “‘Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you….’”

Pastor Francis Fahim said the poster was meant to express comfort to all Egyptians, Muslim and Christian.

As CT reported on Thursday, the beheadings by the Islamic State in Libya have resulted in unprecedented sympathy for Egypt’s Christians, who are increasingly finding common identity across denominational lines. The martyrdoms have also allowed Copts a platform to witness to the realities of their faith, as they publicly forgave the terrorists.

Full story here

Egypt- Every Friday is a Day of Death for Christians

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From persecution.org

“Every Friday is a Day of Death” for Christians in Cairo

 

The situation in Egypt continues to deteriorate for the nation’s Christians. As systematic kidnappings of Christians plagues the Minia region to its south, reports confirm the brutal murder of a Christian woman by Muslim Brotherhood radicals in Cairo. Viciously stabbed to death, Mary Sameh George was murdered for hanging a cross from her review mirror. The mob responsible for her death set fire to Mary’s car shortly after taking her life, sending a message of repression and violence to Christians local to Ain Shams.

 

04/22/2014 Egypt (GlobalDispatch) – A shocking new report details an Islamic mob of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Egypt attacking and murdering a Christian woman for having a cross hanging on her car mirror. The report on Monday chronciles eyewitness account of the beating, stabbing, and shooting death of Mary Sameh George in Cairo on Martch 28.

 

“Every Friday the supporters of Muslim Brotherhood organize a march after Friday prayer in Ain Shams,” the witness told the International Christian Concern (ICC). Identified only as Wahid, he says that “On this Friday afternoon, violent clashes took place between the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and the security forces during their march.”

 

Mary, in her mid-20s, was parked near the Virgin Mary and Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church to deliver medicine and food to the elderly after work that day. The protesters headed towards this church after the clash and attacked Mary when they saw her cross hanging from the rear view mirror of her car.

 

Wahid says the mob jumped on the car, collapsing the roof, and then dragged her from the vehicle, beating and stabbing her repeatedly. “They were chanting ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar’ and cursing her while stabbing her,” Wahid said. “Then one of them shot her in the back and that led to her death. After killing her they set her car on fire.”

 

 

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