Support the Persecuted in Egypt

#EndPersecutionNow

Support and Fight Back Against the Persecution of Christians in Egypt Today

Everyone has the right to live and share their faith. Freedom of religion and belief is a fundamental human right worthy of the highest protection. Will you help expose the plight of persecuted Christians?

Christians in Egypt Need Us All to Stand against Religious Persecution

In Egypt, Christians face discrimination, violence, and imprisonment simply for their faith. Yet, they remain steadfast. Now is the time to stand with them and defend their right to live out their faith without fear of repercussions.

Nearly 15 million tourists visit Egypt each year. People from around the world are drawn to the country’s vibrant markets, iconic pyramids, and stunning Red Sea reefs. However, beneath this allure, religious minorities, including Christians, are facing severe restrictions on their speech, worship, and family life. ADF International has been supporting several Christians who have suffered human rights violations because of their faith, including torture and humiliation while imprisoned.

What Christians are Facing in Egypt

Egypt’s population is approximately 111.2 million, an estimated 90 per cent of whom are Sunni Muslims. Article 2 of Egypt’s constitution specifies Islam as the official country religion and the “principles of Sharia” as the primary source of legislation. Article 64 of Egypt’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

While Egypt’s government promises to promote religious tolerance, it continues to impose laws and policies that systematically undermine freedom of religion or belief. These restrictions disproportionately affect minority groups, including Christians, contributing to discrimination and increasing a culture of hostility against them.

In its evaluation of Egypt’s human rights track record in January 2025, the Universal Period Review (UPR) working group of the Human Rights Council raised concerns about ongoing discrimination against minority groups who face barriers to building places of worship and burial sites, restrictions on public religious expression, prosecution under blasphemy laws, and violent sectarian attacks in Egypt — often with no justice for the victims.

In rural areas of Egypt, hostility towards Christians is more pronounced. Local authorities often fail to protect communities from attacks, and communities face more obstacles to build and repair places of worship.

In 2024, Christians in Minya Province suffered a series of violent attacks by Islamist extremists. Christian homes in the village of Al-Kom Al-Ahm were set on fire while people were still inside, after news spread that an Evangelical church had received a permit to build. While security forces sometimes acted quickly, in other cases, their slow response allowed for serious property damage.

Specific parts of the Penal Code also directly restrict religious freedom, such as the sections which criminalize acts deemed to insult the recognized religions, and sections which criminalize so-called ‘blasphemous’ speech.

Despite ongoing concerns that have repeatedly been raised by the international community about religious restrictions in Egypt, human rights violations against religious minorities persist, including prosecution of blasphemy cases. State security forces, judicial bodies, and courts continue to investigate, arrest, prosecute, and sentence Christians to prison for living out their faith.

The Egyptian prosecutors are also known to invoke the national security legislation to detain Christians without official legal charges for merely causing religious ‘offence’.

Why ADF International is Involved in Egypt

Christians in Egypt are striving to live out their faith in peace, yet they are left vulnerable due to a discriminatory legal system that leaves them without essential protections. Without urgent intervention, countless individuals remain at risk under these repressive and discriminatory laws.

Abdulbaqi Saeed Abdo, a victim we have supported for several years, is a testament to the harsh realities facing Christians in Egypt.

No one should be torn from their family and locked away for their faith. But Abdulbaqi was—for three long years. No trial. No defence. Treated as a criminal and detained—all for being known to be a Christian.

In late 2021, Egyptian authorities arrested Abdulbaqi without charge because he was known to discuss his faith in a private Facebook group and evangelize online. After being interrogated and held in solitary confinement, he was held in pre-trial detention without any official criminal charges.

While detained, the harsh treatment that Abdulbaqi endured made him suffer in numerous ways.

In April 2024, he was denied sufficient medical treatment after reporting chest pains. And in May, another prisoner accused Abdulbaqi of writing Bible verses on scraps of paper, leading to harsh punishment—he was placed in solitary confinement, denied routine family visits, and forbidden from showering or changing clothes for an entire week. By August, he initiated a hunger strike out of desperation.

In January 2025, thanks to international advocacy efforts from ADF International and other organizations, Egyptian authorities released Abdulbaqi and permitted him to be reunited with his family.

Thanks to your generosity, we brought Abdulbaqi’s case before UN experts and supported his legal defence. Your commitment enabled us to help secure his freedom.

Although Abdulbaqi has been released from prison and now lives outside of the country in safety, Egyptian authorities persist in suppressing Christian expression for individuals like him. Many Egyptians continue to endure oppression under restrictive policies or rules designed to favour the Muslim majority. Yet, we remain steadfast in supporting them in the courts and corridors of power.

Religious freedom is a fundamental human right, worthy of the highest protection. Now is the time to act and stand in solidarity with those persecuted for their faith.

With you by our side, we can:

Champion advocacy efforts to protect and promote the right to freedom of religion or belief
Coordinate key advocacy at international organizations
Defend and expand legal protections for freedom of religion or belief at the national level
Secure justice for victims of religious persecution by supporting their defence in courts of law
Slow, stop, and ultimately reverse the spread of laws that explicitly forbid religious freedom

Will you help us and stand up for religious freedom everywhere?

Cover the legal fees & expenses associated with court proceedings

Work alongside hundreds of individuals like Abdulbaqi who come to us for help

Advocate for laws, policies, and guidance that protects freedom of speech, thought, religion, life, and the family

The peaceful expression of one’s religious convictions should not lead someone to be detained for years. No one should be imprisoned for supporting Christian converts, let alone be told that they are a national security risk for expressing their beliefs.