After covering the misconception wars between the East and the West, I have decided to tackle another problem, I’ll tackle it through mentioning my own experience. I’ll talk about how it is like to be a Christian in the Middle East or in Egypt specifically. I will not be bias to any side, I’ll tell my experience as it is, with its good and bad.
For starters, yes there are Christians in Arab countries, and despite being a minority, but we are not extinct, estimations say (not very accurate) that there is about 9 to 10 million Christians in Egypt, out of the 85 million (the whole population of Egypt). So here is some frequently asked questions regarding the situation of Christians in Egypt that I am going to answer, and if anyone has any more questions, leave a comment and ill respond.
Q: “Do you guys get killed, or are you in fear of your own life because you are a Christian?”
A: Of course not, I’m 22 years old now, and not once have I been threatened or have my life been put in harm’s way because of my religion. Besides that, but there are incidents, but these incidents are carried out by extremists. Like the bombing of the church on the 2011 New Year’s Eve, which was the most grossum one, then there was the year before it when a random drive by shooting took place in “Nag Hamadi”. So yes, there are incidents where Christians get killed because of their religion, but the people who carry out such actions are hated by Muslims before the Christians. They don’t get cheered or supported. All of my friends called me and offered their condolences after such actions.
Q: “Are Christians able to take up important jobs or huge political positions in Egypt?”
A: Sadly, no, which is a sad thing, but I promised that I will be bias and I will tell things as they are. In the appointed positions, the govt. chooses a few Christians to keep the balance, but any elected positions, it will not happen. I’ll break it down to you this way
- Governors: Yes, appointed.
- President: No, no way. But this was the same with the U.S.A a few years back, could anyone imagine an African American would become head of state? So I’m hoping for the best.
- Senators: Yes, very few and most of them are appointed and not elected.
Q: “Do Christians have the ability to open up their own business and succeed?”
A: Yes, for example, one of the biggest if not the absolute biggest businessmen in Egypt, “NaguibSaweras”, is Christian. He is the owner of big companies in many fields, construction, communication, etc…
After saying all of this, I must mention that in the places where the education level is declined, prejudice exists, this is why in places with no schools or a proper level of education, the prosecution against Christians tend to increase, and there are more than a several incidents of that case. Bottom of line, in the civilized areas, the majority of the people are peaceful and don’t have any prejudice against Christians, on the other hand, in other areas, it can be the opposite, as extremists can become the majority.
These 3 questions are the ones at the top of my head, so please, if you have any questions regarding this situation, don’t hesitate to leave it in a comment and I’ll get back at you and respond in no time.
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