Egypt (MNN) — Both parties claimed victory in Egypt's first presidential elections since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power. Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi said he received 51%of the vote, while secularist Ahmed Shafiq says he won with 52% of the vote.
While official vote tallies aren't expected before Thursday, President of Open Doors USA Carl Moeller says, "The last few days have proven that nothing can be predicted in Egypt."
Moeller says Christians do have some assurances. He says Shafiq "would be more friendly to the Christian community. The unknown factor with the Muslim Brotherhood is, of course, that things would become far more volatile for the Christians."
While reports indicate Egypt's interim ruling military council would hand over power, Moeller isn't so sure. "The military can rightly claim that no one got a clear majority and so therefore they will continue to hold on to power until some other arrangement can be worked out."
Student revolutionaries say the revolution was stolen by Islamists. Moeller says there is some indication that "the Muslim Brotherhood has overreached in their desire to make Egypt a strongly-Islamic state. That said, it's now produced a 50-50 split in the country."
Moeller believes that will produce more unrest and discontent, especially since there's no official national constitution.
For Christians, Moeller says, "The situation for them is grim. They are either faced with embracing a regime that for decades succeeded in persecuting them, or face the prospect of an Islamic-influenced government. The only hope, of course, is in Jesus Christ."
Even though Egypt faces uncertainty, Moeller says the church is strong. "Even in the midst of all of this chaos, the spiritual openness of people to the Good News of Jesus has never been greater in this part of the world."
Open Doors supports Christians in Egypt and other nations where believers are persecuted. Your support is needed now more than ever. "There is fear among Christians. And they need a sense that they are not alone. So it's vital that we meet them in their time of need with food, clothing, and Bibles."
If you'd like to help, click here.
