Is Sisi Good for Egypt's Christians?

[TomSea]

Is Sisi Good for Egypt's Christians?
By Marlo Safi   Wall Street Journal
Posted 2019-01-12 01:21 GMT

On Thursday Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited the recently opened Coptic Cathedral of the Nativity, not far from Cairo. "It is a very special thing to have this in the heart of the Middle East, this enormous cathedral where people can come worship in Egypt," he told the press. "It's a land of religious freedom and opportunity. It's remarkable." But many Coptic Christians feel the new house of worship means little given the persecution they face.

Copts make up only about 10% of the Muslim-majority country. But they trace their church back to the visit of the Apostle Mark, the first pope of Alexandria, to Egypt in the year 50. These Christians have faced tough times for nearly 2,000 years, but their recent history is especially disheartening.

On Jan. 1, 2011, Islamists bombed a Coptic church in Alexandria, killing 23 and injuring 97. Nermien Riad, executive director of the nonprofit Coptic Orphans, tells me the attack was a catalyst. She says the bombing, which inspired countless Copts to take to the streets, was one of many factors that sparked the larger protests against Egypt's government that year. Dictator Hosni Mubarak was overthrown, but the persecution of Copts has grown worse.

Read more at: http://aina.org/news/20190111202132.htm