Remembering the oppressed
A day for prayer for the persecuted church
by Ed Rizkalla
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” Heb 13.8
“Iycouc Pi,rictoc `ncaf nem voou @ `ncof `ncov pe@ nem sa `eneh”
“يسوع المسيح هو هو الامس واليوم والي الابد”
Thousands of Christians all over the world joined together on Sunday, November 14th, 2010 - the International Day for Prayer for the Persecuted Church- to pray for their brethren and sisters facing persecution at different parts of the world (1). One would have hoped with the wide spread of knowledge on a global scale tolerance would have gone hand in hand with knowledge. Unfortunately this was not the case in the 20th century and so far remains to be the case in the 21st century. Christians faced severe persecution under the Communist and Nazi rule in the 20th century, and now Christians face persecution in countries ruled by or heavily influenced by Islamist ideology.
Readers of this cyberspace forum are perhaps cognizant of the persecution befalling the indigenous Christian population of Egypt, the Copts. The international media have often reported instances of persecution of Christians at different parts of the world including Egypt. Over the past few years instances of persecution have been more frequent. A recent sad example is the militant Islamic terrorists attack against Iraqi-Christian worshipers at the Church of “Our Lady of Deliverance” in Baghdad, Iraq, on October 31, 2010. The terrorists attack at Baghdad resulted in killing 52 Iraqi-Christians, 5 policemen, 5 of the terrorists and 75 wounded. These militant Islamic terrorists- believed to be associated with al-Qaeda- who attacked the Iraqi-Christians also issued threats against the Copts of Egypt (2) (3). Subsequent attacks against the Christians of Iraq have been reported, e.g. an Iraqi Christian and his 6-year old daughter were killed in a bombing attack at Mosel and two other Christians were killed in their homes by intruders (4). Likewise the Copts in Egypt continue to suffer, e.g. an attack by a group of Muslims resulted in burning 10 homes and 2 stores owned by Christians at Nawahed, a village at the province of Qena in southern Egypt on November 15th, 2010 (5).
From time immemorial, the ancient Serpent, Satan, attempted to subvert the truth of God. Satan deceived men, planted seeds of divisions, envy and anger amongst brothers, and inspired Cain to kill his brother Abel. So it is also in our times, Satan continues to deceive men, plant divisions, intolerance, envy, anger into their hearts, and stirs up persecution against the followers of Jesus Christ.
The Copts trace their lineage to the ancient Egyptians. They form the largest indigenous non-Muslim population in the Middle East. The Coptic population is estimated to be about 15% and possibly up to 20% of the total population of Egypt or 12-16 millions. From the 1970s to the present the Copts in Egypt have suffered from of discrimination, oppression and frequent violent attacks perpetrated by militant Islamic groups and at times by mobs incited by Islamist preachers. More often than not, police and security forces arrived at the scene of the crimes against the Copts after the attacks were over. Instigators and perpetrators of these crimes were seldom brought to justice. A recent outline for the status of the Copts in Egypt (6) notes “Copts have been eliminated from all senior positions in government administrations, the army, the police, the security services, and top echelons of the vast public sector. In the educational sector once largely endowed with Christian leadership, there are virtually no Christians left. Out of Egypt’s 17 government-owned and administered universities which have a total of 71 presidents and 274 vice presidential jobs, there is one Coptic Christian dean and one Christian Vice President.” The article further indicates “the narrative of persecution … keeps piling on. Higher and upper middle class Coptic Christians responded by immigrating in huge numbers…estimated to number between 2 million to 3 million spread over Canada, Australia and the USA.”
Time and time again history shows that individuals, societies and nations which persecuted Christians, ultimately paid a price. The unseen hand of God in due time moved against them and exacted a just retribution for their crimes. One of the examples for divine justice is provided by a historical event which transpired in the 8th century A.D. (7). As abed al-Aziz ruled Egypt for the Umayyad Empire, his eldest son Asabah entered a church at Helwan. As he saw a picture for the Virgin Mary and Jesus, he asked what it represented. After Asabah learned what the picture represented, he spat on it and swore that when his time comes he would exterminate Christianity from the country. The same night he was troubled by a terrible dream of judgment, which he related the next day to his father. Almost immediately he was attacked by a violent fever and died after a few hours of illness.
The organizers and participants in the International Day for prayer for the Persecuted Church are commended for their act of remembrance and faith. Let us all join together in giving thanks to the Lord for his tender mercies. Let us join in prayer that Christ the Lord may grant salvation to peoples all over the world and peace to His persecuted church.
The peace of Christ the Lord be with you all. Irene Passe, Iryny paci.
References:
(1) International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Church, http://www.persecutedchurch.org/
(2) Catholic Assyrians paid the price for Muslim fundamentalist incitements in Egypt, by Mary Abelmassih, AINA, dated November 4, 2010, Free Copts web site, http://english.freecopts.net/english//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1122&Itemid=9
(3) Muslim-Christian tensions rising in Egypt, by Sarah Topol (contributor), dated November 13, 2010, AOL.com,
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/muslim-christian-tensions-boiling-up-in-egypt/19711249
(4) Two Christians killed Mosul bombing, by Ben Birnbaum, the Washington Times, November 16, 2010, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/nov/16/an-iraqi-christian-and-his-6-year-old-daughter-wer/
(5) Security imposes order at” Abu Teshet” after the torching of 10 homes, (Arabic) by Amrou Bayoumi and Mohamed Hamdy, al-Masry al-youm dated November 17, 2010
http://www.almasry-alyoum.com/article2.aspx?ArticleID=277611&IssueID=1957
(6) Killing of Egypt’s Christians Escalate in Ghastly Slaughter Nearly Ignored in The West, by Youssef Ibrahim the Sunday Times, May 19, 2020.
http://www.nysun.com/foreign/killings-of-egypts-christians-escalate-in-ghastly/86965/ (7) The Story of the Church of Egypt, by E.L. Butcher, volume 1, 1897, reprinted by AMS Press Inc, New York , NY, 1975.
Ed Rizkalla is a management consultant and a freelance writer. He is the founder of Pharos on the Potomac Group (POPG). POPG is a non-profit organization at Annandale, VA.