{"id":1868,"date":"2011-12-19T12:52:18","date_gmt":"2011-12-19T17:52:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=1868"},"modified":"2011-12-19T12:55:07","modified_gmt":"2011-12-19T17:55:07","slug":"jay-sekulow-egypt-christians-face-growing-dangers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/12\/jay-sekulow-egypt-christians-face-growing-dangers.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Sekulow: Egypt – Christians Face Growing Dangers"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The images from Egypt are heartbreaking. Women being beaten, kicked and dragged through the streets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The violent response to protesters from the Egyptian military has resulted in at least the deaths of 10 people in recent days – including two children. This latest disturbing event is occurring as the votes continue to be counted in the national elections and as radical Islamists continue to gain ground.<\/p>\n

The Muslim Brotherhood is now approaching 40% of the vote<\/a> in the second round of the country’s staggered parliamentary election. A troubling trend for the reported 8 to 10 million Coptic Egyptians, which represents about 10% of the total Muslim population.<\/p>\n

Clearly, what is happening in Egypt is not a good sign, prompting ominous predictions from many. “Christians are rightly concerned,”<\/a> said Odon Vallet, a French historian and expert on religion. “Their future in the region is rather bleak . . . and the current political climate is not in their favor.”<\/p>\n

And with women now being openly targeted in Egypt, there’s growing concern – especially from women who are Coptic Christians. In recent testimony before the Human Rights Commission in the House, Cynthia Farahat, a Coptic Christian and human rights activist from Egypt, told lawmakers<\/a> that Christians in Egypt have been suffering violent persecution due in no small part to the billions of dollars in military aid the U.S. has given Egypt since 1979 – a government that has used its military to attack its citizens.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I have an Egyptian passport, but I am not a citizen,” Farahat told the committee<\/a>. “The concept of citizenship is a western concept that does not apply to us in Egypt. I am a woman and I am a Copt. I am a fourth-class citizen in Egypt. The first class citizen in Egypt is the Sunni male. Second class is the Sunni female. The third class is the Coptic male and the fourth class is the Coptic female.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>A respected writer in his native Egypt, Dr. Sherif Meleka – a physician specializing in pain management with the rank of Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore – believes that this rapid trend towards Islamization is sweeping Egypt without any hint of a substantial opposition. In a recent post<\/a>, Dr. Meleka put the issue into perspective: Will this “new” Egypt look more like Pakistan, with an unbreakable alliance between the army and the Islamists in defiance of democratic and progressive values?<\/p>\n

Everyone is trying to figure out what the future will bring. As one analyst<\/a> put it: “The Christians have always been a minority in the Middle East, but an active minority.” With Egypt moving forward in assembling a new government, the question now becomes, how will Christians adapt?<\/p>\n

As we celebrate this Christmas season, please keep all Christians – especially those in the Middle East – in your prayers. This is such an important time in Egypt<\/a>. Coptic Christians face new dangers and new challenges. New fears, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At the ACLJ, we will continue our work to assist them\u00a0and stand with them<\/a> as this new government takes shape.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jay Sekulow<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The images from Egypt are heartbreaking. Women being beaten, kicked and dragged through the streets. The violent response to protesters from the Egyptian military has resulted in at least the deaths of 10 people in recent days – including two children. This latest disturbing event is occurring as the votes continue to be counted in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173,3,54],"tags":[743,410,409,791,411,757,100],"class_list":["post-1868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christian-persecution","category-faith","category-religious-freedom","tag-aclj","tag-coptic-christians","tag-egypt","tag-jay-sekulow","tag-muslim-brotherhood","tag-radical-islam","tag-religious-persecution"],"yoast_head":"\nJay Sekulow: Egypt - Christians Face Growing Dangers - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/12\/jay-sekulow-egypt-christians-face-growing-dangers.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jay Sekulow: Egypt - Christians Face Growing Dangers - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The images from Egypt are heartbreaking. 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He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1868"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1868\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1877,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1868\/revisions\/1877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}