(Photo courtesy Flickr/Globovision)
Egypt (MNN) — From June 2012 to late 2013, Egyptian Christians suffered greatly under the rise and subsequent fall of former President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood: death threats, street fights, church burnings, vandalism and cold-blood murder.
“Morsi and his group, they are [obeying] God. He obeyed what Qur’an said: to fight, to kill unbeliever from family of Bible, meaning Jews and Christians,” explains Ahkmed*, an Egyptian Muslim-background believer helped by Advancing Native Missions.
Signs are pointing toward a repeat of that dark chapter.
Last year, it seemed a new day was rising with the military overthrow of Morsi led by former army chief and current Egyptian President, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. Hopes quickly dimmed, though, when the path began clearing for al-Sisi to take the helm.
“Even though he overthrew a government dominated by Islamists,” warned Naval Professor Robert Springborg in a 2013 article published by the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, “there is reason to suspect that Sisi’s true goal might not be the establishment of a…democracy but rather a military-led resurrection and reformation of the Islamist project that the [Muslim] Brotherhood so abysmally mishandled.”
Referencing Sisi’s only published work–a thesis written in 2006, Springborg builds a case for the leader’s possible plans for Egypt: “a hybrid regime that would combine Islamism with militarism.” He continues the argument in a May 2014 article, citing more examples of Sisi’s dedication to conservative Islamism.
“Sisi’s Egypt, in sum,” writes Springborg, “will be one in which religion will reinforce military authoritarianism and serve to justify repression of opponents.”
(Image courtesy SAT-7)
In other words, Islam would be used as an excuse to persecute “opponents,” namely Egyptian Christians. Whether Sisi’s rule follows the Muslim Brotherhood’s example: seeking to destroy Christians because they’re Christians, or, falls in the pattern set by Hosni Mubarak: widespread oppression of religious freedom, ministry will continue.
With help from ANM, Ahkmed’s ministry introduces Muslims to the Truth of God’s Word. He engages Muslims in conversation about Islam, then reveals why Jesus Christ is more than a prophet.
“Islam is spirit of deception. God gives us wisdom to destroy this spirit,” Ahkmed explains.
See how you can pray for Ahkmed and his fellow native missionaries.
(Photo credit 8thirty8 Facebook page)
“Pray for Egypt and for Muslims,” requests Ahkmed. “Pray that God helps us, gives us [bold] witness to speak [to] Muslims.
“Pray for people here in America that lose their time in front of Facebook, in front of TV…. Pray for Christian people in America. When America becomes strong in faith, they will change all [the] world.”
* Name changed for security reasons.
