Pray for the Christians of Egypt

The Christians of Egypt need our prayers as the radical group, the Muslim Brotherhood, turns on them. In some cases they are blaming Christians for the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi but in all cases they are persecuting Christians because of their faith. Some secular news outlets are acknowledging what is happening, others are offering small bits in the midst of other details and other news groups are ignoring the horrible plight of the Christians of Egypt. But there are Christian and Jewish media telling the truth about what is happening in Egypt. I am linking to those reports here.

The Bible Society of Egypt is reporting that their "bookshops in Assiut & Minia" have been burnt. The article is "Bible Society of Egypt Newsletter." They write:

"The attackers demolished the metal doors protecting the bookshops, broke the store windows behind them and set the bookshops on fire. They did the same to many stores on those streets as well as demolishing many parked cars"

The Jerusalem Post has posted, "Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi Supporters  Torch Egyptian Churches.  The author reports at least three known attacks on churches but writes that there may have been at least twenty.

Clarifying the data BosNewsLife, quoting an advocacy group, writes:

 "We regret to report that at least six church buildings have been attacked so far, three in Minya, one in Sohag and two in Fayoum," areas confirmed Middle East Concern (MEC) advocacy group in a statement to BosNewsLife.

"In addition, the Al Raai Al Saleh Convent in Suez has been set on fire and Christian-owned businesses in Sohag and Assuit have been targeted," MEC added. It was not clear yet how many Christians were injured in those attacks amid a still unfolding situation."

At the National Review Online site Samuel Tadros is interviewed. It begins:

"Samuel Tadros is a research fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom and author of the new book Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity. A son of Egypt whose family has been active in the Coptic revival there, he talks about the unfolding events with National Review Online."

To the question why are the Copts hated, Tadros replies:

"Under the rule of Islam, Copts have fared poorly. Their numbers deteriorated throughout the centuries. Various forms of differentiation and discrimination were imposed upon them under their Dhimmi status. While most of the official restrictions against them were removed in modern times, the social aspects of Dhimmitude remain. Islamists continue to frown upon any attempt by Copts to act as equals, viewing it as an affront to Islam’s supremacy in its land. Even the liberals were largely anti-Coptic, as they viewed Coptic identity as a threat to the emerging Egyptian nationalism they were formulating."

Christianity Today's Gleamings has this article, "
After Military Kills 150 Protesters, Islamists Take Out Anger on Egyptian Christians."  It begins with an update:

 "Update (Aug. 14): Anti-Christian violence swept Egypt today after the military forcefully dispersed camps of protesters, killing more than 150 Muslim Brotherhood members and their supporters in the bloodiest day yet of Egypt's revolution. World Watch Monitor (WWM) reports how Islamist protesters "took out their anger Wednesday on government and [dozens of] Christian buildings and homes."

Update: Here is another good article from Action Institute Power Blog: "Explainer: What's Going on in Egypt?"

Pray for Egypt-Pray for the Christians, for their safety, comfort and peace. Pray for the Muslims both moderate and radical that they will be touched and changed by the Holy Spirit and the redemptive purposes of Jesus. There are even some socialists who are angry about what is happening to the Christians, pray that they will be open to the good news. Pray for Egypt.