Securing Peace For Egypt’s Christians At Coptic Eastertide
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(OPINION) The various Christian denominations in Egypt celebrate Easter on different dates during April. For each of them, it is a season of sober reflection and joyful celebration. It is a time for prayer, worship and praise — albeit in distinctly different styles — as they commemorate the life-giving death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This year, Egyptian Christians attended their churches and cathedrals boldly, in spite of the looming threat posed to such a basic exercise of religious freedom. Many of the most prominent churches and cathedrals had armed guards in case of an attack by Islamic extremists. This line of defense is not new, and when there have been attacks, it only goes so far in mitigating the loss of life.
Egyptian Christians are courageous, determined, resilient and faithful in the face of threats of repression, hatred and persecution. They not only have Christ as their greatest example but also a founder in St. Mark the Evangelist, who according to the traditions of the church was brutally martyred by pagans at Easter in April of 68 A.D. After the gospel writer’s martyrdom, scores have followed him down that path in the almost 2,000 years since. It is with good reason that the Egyptian church is known as the “Church of the Martyrs.”
However, along with that spirit of boldness and culture of faith, it would be understandable if there was some apprehension as Egyptian Christians contemplated their gatherings as congregations this past Easter. It marked the fifth anniversary of the twin suicide bombings that targeted St. George’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Tanta and St. Mark’s Coptic Cathedral in Cairo on Palm Sunday 2017. More than 70 were killed in those attacks.
During this month alone, a Coptic priest, Father Arsanios Wadeed, was stabbed to death in Alexandria while taking his youth group on an outing. Father Wadeed had endured violent threats at various points in his ministry. Also this month, a Christian woman was kidnapped and forced by her abductors to change her religion to Islam and to make public her forced conversion on social media. Amid public outrage, authorities were able to secure her release and return to her family just over a week after her kidnapping, a welcome but far too infrequent outcome for incidents such as this.
Egypt is a country of contrasts when it comes to all kinds of human rights, including religious freedom. In spite of the recent acts of savage inhumanity, many Christians would argue that it’s the most free and peaceful time they’ve known. President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi presents himself as a defender of the Christian community, which represents about 10% of the population. He has made some surprising statements under no apparent pressure to do so. In October last year, he said, “If someone tells me they are neither Muslim nor Christian nor a Jew or that he or she does not believe in religion, I will tell them, ‘You are free to choose.’” It’s hard to overemphasize the power and controversy of such a statement.
In March el-Sissi gave a speech at the opening of a housing development with another comment likely to stir feelings of anger from hardliners and hope from the less skeptical Christians. In relation to his urbanization program, el-Sissi commanded, “Where there is a mosque … there must also be a church.” Since the passage of a 2016 law on the building and restoration of churches, more than 2,400 approvals have been granted out of the 3,730 that have applied.
Despite these positive developments, there remain problematic laws, such as Article 98/f of the criminal code, which outlaws the “defamation of religions.” It’s another example of the region’s amorphous blasphemy laws — vague enough to be used at will as a stick to beat minority religious groups. Another example is a ban on Baha’i, which has no place in a civilized society. Peaceful religions should be permitted and enabled to exercise their beliefs with freedom.
However, many of the most acute challenges and most deplorable violations of religious freedom do not emanate from the national government but from local authorities and communities. There is only limited value in even the most progressive proclamations from the top of government if these sentiments are not filtering down to those tasked with implementing policy and enforcing the law.
If the president is serious about advancing human rights in Egypt, intelligent programs focused on education and influence must be rolled out. Ensuring robust religious freedom, or free exercise equality, isn’t just a humane way of treating one’s citizens — it contributes to flourishing societies with greater stability and security.
Civil servants, law enforcement agents and other key actors throughout every governorate of Egypt must be trained to understand the benefits for all citizens. Imams and ministers with oversight of all Egypt’s religious communities should be supported so that they’re well-equipped to dispel anxieties about the religious implications of liberty. And schools should be provided with curricula that will secure more peaceful and civil communities in future generations. This is not a small undertaking, but these are the actions required if there’s a genuine desire to achieve change. Egypt is one of the world’s great nations, and it is at a point in its history when it can grasp a more dignified, righteous and secure future for all its citizens.
As Egyptian Christians made their way to their Easter services, they continued to walk in the footprints of their forebears — and their savior. They trust God. They are not afraid. They endure with dignity through all hardship and suffering, and through faith and in God-given strength, they will prevail. But Egypt must work harder to defend its children. It can seize a brighter future of peace and justice for all if the will is there.
Miles P.J. Windsor serves as senior manager for strategy and campaigns with the Middle East Action Team at the Religious Freedom Institute. Miles has over a decade of experience in international affairs and religious freedom, during that time focusing on the Middle East and North Africa.