Sunday 4 January

Said Mansour Rizk Abdelrazek, a Christian convert, was arrested and charged with terrorism in July. But he has committed no crime. In reality, Said is being punished for changing his religion – which is not illegal – and for asking for this change to be recorded in his official identity documents. Please pray for his immediate and unconditional release.

Monday 5 January

When Said converted to Christianity in 2016, his family rejected him. He endured societal hostility and police intimidation whenever he shared his new faith publicly. Ask God to comfort and strengthen Said and others who have similar experiences. Pray for their protection and for family relationships to be restored.

Tuesday 6 January

Give thanks for the Egyptian government’s continued efforts to legalise the construction and restoration of churches across the country. Pray that those whose applications are still pending would be approved, and that the legislation would be extended to cover every religious community.

Wednesday 7 January

Today is Christmas for Egypt’s Orthodox Christians, the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Ask God to bless and protect their celebrations, and to grant them abundant joy in the year ahead.

Thursday 8 January

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Egypt are subjected to severe restrictions. Any activities deemed to be ‘political’ or ‘religious’ are prohibited. As a result, the number of NGOs has fallen significantly in recent years. Pray today for a strengthening of independent voices in the country.

Friday 9 January

Article 98(f) of the Egyptian Penal Code is essentially a blasphemy law that allows charges to be brought for ambiguously worded offences. It has been increasingly used to target and prosecute members of the atheist community in particular. Please pray for its repeal.

Saturday 10 January

Heavenly Father, we thank you for the positive developments in the situation of freedom of religion or belief in Egypt over the past decade. We humbly ask for more – for prisoners to be released, NGOs to operate freely, and an end to sectarian violence in the country. Amen.

Más información en csw.org.uk/egypt

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