Egypt
Egypt Muslims attack Christian woman, houses after affair rumor
By RNS staff — May 27, 2016
CAIRO (Reuters) - Hundreds of Muslims have set fire to homes of Christians in southern Egypt and stripped a 70-year-old woman naked after rumors her Christian son had an affair with a Muslim woman, the local church and witnesses said.
Egyptian minister sacked after saying he would jail Prophet Muhammad
By Reuters — March 15, 2016
CAIRO -- Ahmed al-Zend, a hard-liner and outspoken critic of the Muslim Brotherhood, had said he would jail the prophet himself if he broke the law.
Coptic bishop seeks support from evangelicals
By Adelle M. Banks — March 11, 2016
WASHINGTON (RNS) After the slaughter of 21 Copts on a Libyan beach, Bishop Angaelos wants the support of all Christians.
Islamic State shoots and beheads 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya
By Reuters — April 19, 2015
CAIRO (Reuters) A video, in which militants call Christians "crusaders" out to kill Muslims, showed about 15 men being beheaded on a beach and another group of the same size, in an area of shrubland, being shot in the head.
Coptic Christians increasingly feel endangered in Libya and Egypt
By Monique El-Faizy — February 16, 2015
CAIRO (RNS) The families of the victims had been holding protests and meetings since the abductions in an effort to prod the Egyptian government to secure their release but had received little support or information, according to people in contact with the families.
In Egypt, atheists considered a ‘dangerous development’
By Sarah Lynch — February 2, 2015
CAIRO (RNS) A government wing that issues religious edicts released a survey in December claiming Egypt was home to exactly 866 atheists -- a number deemed "a dangerous development."
The long march from ‘Exodus’ to ‘Selma’ (COMMENTARY)
By Jeffrey Salkin — January 2, 2015
(RNS) When you strip away the costumes, mythology, and mascara-wearing Egyptians monarchs, what do you really have? “Exodus” is a film about the birth of freedom. A people demands its rights. A leader screams out for redemption. Sound familiar?
Détente on Christmas * Beard passes * Christ Bless Mississippi: Religious Freedom Recap
By Brian Pellot — December 4, 2014
This month's religious freedom news and views from around the world. Read with caution. Prozac optional.
Christian leaders say Middle East Christians must not be forgotten
By Adelle M. Banks — May 7, 2014
WASHINGTON (RNS) “If history has any lesson to teach us about silence, it’s not a good one,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl said.
Egypt’s young Coptic Christians energized to fight for civil rights
By Monique El-Faizy — March 5, 2014
CAIRO (RNS) The Maspero Youth Union, formed to fight for civil rights, rejects the mostly passive role Copts played before the revolution, when the church’s patriarch served as proxy for the Coptic community in all matters political.
REVIEW: ‘The Square’ sheds light on Egypt’s religious and political divisions
By Monique El-Faizy — February 10, 2014
(RNS) On the third anniversary of Mubarak’s ouster, which falls on Tuesday (Feb. 11), Egypt is more polarized than ever. "The Square" is a reminder of what Egyptians share, regardless of religious or political beliefs.
2013: The top 14 Muslim news stories of the past year
By Omid Safi — December 30, 2013
2013 was a bloody, difficult, unraveling year for many Muslims around the world. May 2014 be a year that sees the discomforted comforted, the orphans cared for, the hungry fed, the naked clothed, the homeless provided with shelter. May there be a widening of the circle of compassion, may there be a real peace rooted in justice, and above all else, may all of us be participants in making it so.
U.K. minister Sayeeda Warsi calls on West to protect Christian minorities
By Kevin Eckstrom — November 15, 2013
WASHINGTON (RNS) Baroness Sayeeda Warsi said protecting the religious freedom of minorities is a responsibility of all faiths. "It shouldn't just be for Christians to speak for Christians, and Jews to speak for Jews, and Muslims to speak for Muslims."
COMMENTARY: Orthodox bishops chafe at Christian persecution in the Middle East
By David Steinmetz — November 14, 2013
(RNS) With the civil war in Syria and the civil conflict in Egypt, instances of violent repression against minority Christians have increased. This rise was particularly worrying for Orthodox bishops, who lead the largest body of Christians in the Middle East.
ANALYSIS: Persecuted Coptic Christians still hopeful
By Monique El-Faizy — September 5, 2013
(RNS) Christians in the West are often quick to claim persecution, while their counterparts in Egypt, whose churches are being burned by the dozens, are lately shying away from the term.
