The Cost of Faith for Egyptian Christian Converts: Part 1

By International Christian Concern

When Bashar grad­uated from high school, his life appeared to be on track. But five years ago, every­thing changed. Shortly after graduation, Bashar began watching Christian satellite programs. He would come to know Christ, and overnight, lost everything that had previously defined his life.

Looking at the various types of Christians in the Middle East, Muslim-background believers (MBBs) are the fastest growing group. Sadly though, if their conversion becomes public knowledge, their life as they’ve known it is immediately over. They lose their family, their job, and sometimes even their life.

Bashar knows this firsthand. When his brothers discovered his new faith, he was severely beaten and left bound by ropes on the house’s roof. For three days, he was fed nothing except scraps reserved for the family’s chickens. While he was eventually released by his sister, his family was unfor­giving. They stripped him of his inheritance and kicked him out of the house. For days, he slept in remote coffee shops until he was able to find work. Today, Bashar is only 26 and struggles with the severe consequences of his choice to follow Christ.

Zaki, who ministers to MBBs, explained, “[Sometimes], when the family of an MBB discovers that he became a Christian, they make a complaint in the police station. Then, the police arrest the MBB and give him a hard time.”

Thankfully, Bashar escaped this situa­tion, but Zaki knows of many examples where this has happened. He recalled an incident which happened last year. When the police discovered that a Muslim named Mohammed converted to Christianity, they arrested him. They beat Mohammed relentlessly, demanding that he deny Christ and return to Islam.

“Many police officers think that when a Muslim decides to change his religion, that he has strayed from the right path,” contin­ued Zaki. “The police officer considers any way to let him return to Islam by any means, as is his duty as a Muslim. The more he is violent and heartless in treating the MBB, he believes he is pleasing God because he is defending Islam.”

Stay tuned for Part 2, coming tomorrow.

Website: ICC Persecution 

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