Egypt - Photo: Pixabay

Egypt

Egypt is home to the fastest growing population in the Middle East and the largest Christian population in the Arab world. It remains a strategic location for Christian activity across North Africa and the Middle East. There are many well established evangelical churches and parachurch ministries that focus on reaching both nominal Christians and Muslims with the Gospel. Several of these groups also send Arab missionaries across the region.

Life for Christians:

Although there are exceptions, according to reports of targeted attacks in recent years, Coptic Christians have historically been given the freedom to worship – provided they do not engage in any evangelistic outreaches among the Muslim-majority community. Likewise, Christians who are evangelical face tremendous opposition from militant Islamists, including the denial of proper medical care in hospitals and clinics. Christian converts from Islam face the most problems, such as expulsion from their families, divorce instigated by their Muslim spouses, estrangement from their children, and loss of employment.

  • Country Information

    Designation
    Persecuted

    Population
    106,437,241 (July 2021 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: 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

  • 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.

  • More Church Buildings Licenced
    Crosses atop a church.
    A church in Egypt.
    Photo: VOMC

    While the Egyptian government formed a committee in September 2016 to work through 3,730 applications to legalize unlicenced church buildings, the process has been slow. When VOMC last reported on the situation in September 2021, there were still 1,772 applications remaining (see this page). On November 14th, the most recent batch of approvals was made public, announcing the official licencing of 125 churches and other buildings affiliated with Christian ministry. With these latest authorizations, 2,526 of the 3,730 applications have now been approved.