Christians in the Middle East: Egypt

The Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity and home to some of the world's most ancient Christian denominations. But Christian communities across the region are declining in numbers because of a combination of low birth rates, emigration and, in some places, persecution and violence. Here are some Facts about Egypt in which Christian persecution is a common practice.

Most Christians in Egypt are Copts - Christians descended from the ancient Egyptians.

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• Total pop: 84.5m
• Christians: 8.9m (est)
• 10.5% of total pop
• Main Church: Coptic Orthodox
• Issues: Anti-Christian violence; political instability
• Sources: World Christian Database; UN

Their Church split from the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in 451AD because of a theological dispute over the nature of Christ, but is now, on most issues, doctrinally similar to the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Coptic language - a derivative of the ancient Egyptian language, written mainly in the Greek alphabet - is still used for small parts of services.

Christian-Muslim relations have deteriorated in recent years, with outbreaks of violence by radical Islamists against Christians and their places of worship.

Egyptian Christians have accused the post-Mubarak governing military council of being too lenient on the perpetrators of the attacks.

Copts also complain of discrimination, including a law requiring presidential permission for churches to be built.

A plethora of other Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Armenian Churches are present in smaller numbers in Egypt.

National Commission for minorities’ protection soon

ISLAMABAD (APP) - Minister of State for National Harmony Akram Masih Gill has said that a National Commission will be established for the protection of the rights of the minorities in the country to promote interfaith harmony among different sects. 

The minister expressed these views while talking to Second Secretary Political, British High commission, Ben Stride, who called on him here on Thursday. He said Ministry of National Harmony has been formed, which will have six departments pertaining to federal legislation about minorities’ affairs.

Akram Gill said the ministry will promote peace, patience and tolerance in the country and also work for understanding and brotherhood among people of different sects or different schools of thought. The ministry will also promote inter-faith harmony in the country and enact new laws and take policy decisions to promote inter-faith harmony and also look after international agreements about minorities.

He said representatives will be sent at United Nations sub-commission on prevention of discrimination to minorities and a welfare fund will be established in the ministry for the development of the minorities and scholarships will be given to their children. The minister thanked the British government for announcing development assistance for the reduction of poverty, promotion of education and health sectors in Pakistan and for extending helping hand when the floods hit the country in 2010.

Congratulations To South Sudan

The whole team of Peace Worldwide wants to congratulate the very new nation on the face of this planet known as South Sudan. We wish all citizens of South Sudan a very stable and happy Journey ahead and we wish them all best of luck. 

God Bless South Sudan

Peace  Worldwide 

Thank You For Your Support

Dear brothers and sisters due to your prayers, financial and moral support. Mr. Hector Aleem chairman Peace Worldwide has been acquitted from blasphemy case. Honorable Additional Session judge Rawalpindi Mr. Sarfaraz Akhtar announced that Hector Aleem is acquitted and ordered the higher authorities of police to take severe action against the Investigation Officer sub Inspector Zafar Iqbal regarding the false case against Mr. Hector Aleem.

Once again thanks for your support. Please continue your prayers for Mr. Hector Aleem because still he is behind the bars due to other false cases.

Hector Aleem has done a lot for Human Rights, religious freedom and minority rights. Extremists and fundamentalists disliked his peaceful struggle for oppressed minorities. They registered many false cases against him.

I request again that everyone keep Hector Aleem in your prayers

Regards

Peace Worldwide

Campaign to Ban Holy Bible in Pakistan 2

Islamabad:  A hardline Pakistani political party today demanded a ban on the Bible and set a 30-day deadline for the Supreme Court to take action in this regard.

Maulana Abdur Raoof Farooqi, a leader of a faction of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam led by Samiul Haq, claimed the Bible "contains blasphemous passages that are a cause of humiliation for Muslims".

He said his party wants the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of this issue, said a report on the website of The Express Tribune.

If the Chief Justice does not accept their request within a month, Farooqi said he would present the issue to an independent tribunal that may comprise judges from the Federal Shariah Court.

Farooqui said he wants the matter to be resolved judicially so that Christians have the right to defend their position. He said that if this petition to the apex court was unsuccessful, "pages from the Bible will be burned all over the world."

Pakistan People's Party legislator Pervez Rafique, a member of the central organising committee of the All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, said the apex court should not take any action of the JUI-S' request to ban the Bible.

"We totally condemn this demand from their party. It is against religious freedom and violates the right to practice our religion as granted by the UN Charter," said Rafique.

"How can they ban the Bible that is followed throughout the world?" he added. 

Peace Worldwide on the other hand is waiting for the chief Justice to reject the petition to ban the Holy Bible from Pakistan. This is a clear violation of religious freedom and we are also waiting for the leaders of Pakistan to stop this discriminating Campaign. Calling Holy Bible blasphemous is also a blasphemy against The Word of God known as Holy Bible. We are all just waiting for the Supreme Court to take severe action on JUI.

Campaign to Ban Holy Bible in Pakistan

Karachi (Agenzia Fides) - The radical Islamic party Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam has filed an appeal to the Supreme Court of Pakistan and has launched a campaign asking to ban the circulation of the Bible, described as a "pornographic " and "blasphemous book". This is a new attack against the Christian community in Pakistan, frightened by the attacks and threats suffered after the death of Bin Laden, already under attack due to the damaging effects of the blasphemy law, with the consequence of death penalty to those who insult the Holy Quran or the Prophet Muhammad. The radical group Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, with its headquarters in Karachi, launched the campaign at a public conference. According to the group's leader, Abdul Rauf Farooqi, some passages of the Bible describe characters that Muslims regard as prophets as being "vicious and immoral".

"It is a move that could fuel religious hatred against Christians. It is a threat to peaceful coexistence, an attack on the heart of our faith", says a bewildered Fr. Saleh Diego to Fides, who presides over the "Justice and Peace Commission" in the Archdiocese of Karachi. "As Christians we are already very weak and subject to pressures for the unjust blasphemy law. These radical groups want to delete us entirely. Sure, they are only minority groups, and we hope for the rise of voices of moderate Muslim leaders to stop this campaign of hatred " he remarks.

"Our response as Christians in Pakistan, already seen as targets, can be only to confirm the urgency of dialogue and respect for all religious symbols and sacred books of all religions. But we expect that, at an international level, a stronger and more determined answer might emerge, in order to sustain us", concludes Father Diego, calling for a mobilization of Christians and international institutions to stop the campaign against the Bible. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 03/06/2011)

Christians go to court for protection

ISLAMABAD, April 4: An Emmanuel Church Committee on Monday moved a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), asking for protection and security as it plans to construct a church in sector G-8/2.

IHC Chief Justice Iqbal Hameed-ur-Rehman is likely to take up on Tuesday the petition filed by the committee through Nazir Masih, its president.
Making chairman Capital Development Authority, Inspector General and Senior Superintendent of Islamabad police respondents, the committee through its lawyer Abdul Hafeez Amjad prayed to the court for security for construction of the church on a “lawfully allotted plot”.
In the petition, Pastor Masih has maintained that certain “extremist elements” have been averse to the construction of the church, adding that he felt threatened.
According to the petition, the CDA on October 22, 2002 allotted a plot measuring 100 x 200 square yards near PARC Colony for the construction of church for the followers of the Emmanuel Church in Islamabad.Pastor Masih applied for the plot way back in 1972.
He got the physical possession of the plot in October 2002.
When the committee submitted construction plan of the church with the Capital Development Authority for final approval, the petition said some “practical difficulties such as threats of cancellation of the allotted plot” started emerging.
It said cases were filed against the construction of the church. But all cases have been dismissed by the courts, the petition said.
An appeal against the dismissal of cases had also been turned down on July 30, 2005.
But the petition said after clearing all legal hurdles whenever the petitioner started construction work, “either its construction material was removed or the deployed labour was threatened by the some persons from nearby mosque.”
Meanwhile, Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi of the Islamabad High Court reserved verdict on a bail plea of Raja Aftab-ul-Islam, a former joint secretary of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, in the Haj scam case.
Raja Aftab has been accused of being co-signatory with Rao Shakeel, former DG Haj, of all contracts for hiring expensive and ill-equipped residences for Pakistani pilgrims.
In his bail plea, the former secretary has maintained that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) could not find any evidence against him in the case as no abnormal transaction had been traced through his accounts.