President al-Sisi has now been in office for over a year, and we’re hearing more and more reports of Coptic Christians having their land seized and their businesses and homes being attacked, while many are tried in the courts for insulting religion. After violent incidents government officials and local dignitaries convene ‘reconciliation meetings’, which often contradict the court ruling in each case, imposing restrictive and often unconstitutional conditions on the victims of the violence. An overwhelming number of these victims are Christians.

Meanwhile, many churches were destroyed in 2013 and still haven’t been rebuilt, leaving their congregations without a place to meet and worship together.

There are 10 million Coptic Christians in Egypt – it’s the biggest Christian community in the Middle East, and one of the oldest in the world. As Egypt enters its election period, let’s remember the Christians who suffer government discrimination and harassment and pray for God to watch over them and effect powerful change in Egypt.

Please pray:

• For the Coptic Christian community as they face daily harassment and intimidation – that God would watch over them and use their present suffering to strengthen their faith;
• That Christian communities whose churches were destroyed would find safe places to worship;
• That the elections would usher in a parliament that prioritises religious freedom for those of all faiths and none;
• For kidnapped Copts to be returned safely to their homes;
• That the wave of violence we’ve seen in Upper Egypt would come to an end so that the communities can live in peace;
• Thank God for the enduring presence of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world and the rich history of his people in Egypt;
• Pray for reconciliation between the different religious communities in Egypt, that they would be able to live peacefully side-by-side.