Rachel

Earlier this year I had the privilege of going to Eygpt with Open Doors, an organisation founded to support the millions of Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith.

One of the things that impacted me most during my visit to Egypt was the plight of women. Our guide and interpreter explained how women in Eygpt are viewed by society as second class citizens; they are treated as no more than the property of men. In law, a man can have up to three wives, any of whom can be divorced by just a word and without the need for legal proceedings. A woman, on the other hand, would find it very hard to divorce her husband. Women in Egypt live in an oppressive society and the aim of some churches in Egypt is to reach out to women and to support those who have been maltreated by their husbands.

Persecution against Coptic girls
It might surprise you to know that there have been Christians in Egypt since pre-Islamic times. They are known as Coptic Christians or Copts and they live in pockets within the Muslim communities. Many might be deemed as ‘nominal Christians’ by some, with little or no knowledge of the gospel; they simply take pride that they are descended from the Christians who were the original Egyptians before the Muslims took over. Yet they are often prepared to face persecution and insult for the bearing the name ‘Christian’. Other Copts, however, describe themselves as ‘Christian Background Believers’ – committed believers who are leading the way in evangelism within their Coptic communities.

I travelled down to the rural south where I met a pastor and his wife who have an outreach to young Coptic girls. Many of these girls have joined the youth group, studied the Bible and turned to Christ. However, many of these girls have suffered abuse from family members, and the couple have struggled to show the girls how loved they are by God because of this. Persecution may also start for these Coptic girls when they have a life-changing encounter with Christ and begin living out their newly discovered faith, as this can sometimes anger the Muslim community. Some are raped by Muslim men so that they are considered ‘soiled’ and then forcibly married to Muslim boys. Some have been kidnapped by Muslim men. Others have been offered a financially comfortable life if they convert to Islam and marry a Muslim, escaping the poverty which most Coptic Christians endure.

The programme to help these young girls is supported with the help of Open Doors. The pastor and his wife take in as many of these Coptic girls as possible, and aim to take them through a course of inner healing. Prayer is needed to support this ministry given the numbers who require inner healing and the opposition to this ministry from both Coptic and Muslim men.

Persecution against Muslim Background Believers
In Egypt, whilst it is legal for you to be a Christian if you are born into the Coptic community, it is illegal for a Muslim to become a Christian. However, there are great numbers of Muslims becoming Christian due to supernatural visitations. I was told of one whole village who converted after being shown the ‘Jesus film’ – many of the villagers jumped to their feet on seeing the actor playing Jesus, shouting ‘That’s him!’ They had all had the same dream the night before in which the same man appeared to them, saying, ‘I am the Way.’

Conversion to Christianity is a highly dangerous and life threatening choice for most Muslims. ‘Muslim Background Believers’ (MMBs) are completely ostracised by their families and employers; even seeking refuge in a church can be unsuccessful. Pastors can have their churches shut down and be placed in prison for evangelistic activities, and so they sometimes turn away genuine MBBs in case they are informants. MBBs are at risk of being tortured by the secret police and being made to renounce their faith, and persecuted or even killed by family members.

I had the privilege of meeting with one convert, Esther (not her real name) who is being supported by Open Doors in a safe house at a secret location, as her status makes it hard for her to get a job. Just four weeks before our visit, she had been informed on and arrested by the secret police. They raped her, electrocuted her, pulled out her fingernails and repeatedly slammed her face against a desk. Before releasing her they said they would inflict the same treatment on her mother and sisters if she continued to reach out to other Muslims. Despite her life being in danger, she continues to tell Muslim girls the gospel and to disciple them, taking some into her home when they need refuge.

We prayed with her, which left all of us in tears, and I was gobsmacked by the courage of this woman in her twenties like myself. Would I do the same in her shoes?

‘Why do you continue?’ I asked her.

‘It’s hard,’ she said, ‘but I could never turn my back on Jesus after all he has done for me.’

Praying with her, even through an interpreter, brought home to me that this woman is my sister in Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 says: ‘The body is a unit, thought it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body. Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. Each part should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it.’

The courage, and the needs, of women like Esther may seem overwhelming, but there are things we can do – writing letters, praying, giving financially. It means so much to them to know that we in the West actually care. We are so privileged to have such freedom, but we must not forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering for their faith. Please consider supporting both the financial and prayer needs of Open Doors to help make a difference to the lives of those suffering for their belief in Jesus. Take a look at their website and discover more about the part of our family we often are simply unaware of: www.opendoorsuk.org. Pray that God will show you what your part might be in their lives.