Discrimination against Christians

By: Farah and Mohamed Zahran

The problem
In Egypt, Christians who
makeup 5% to 20% of the
population, suffer from
persecution in various
ways. Though President el-
Sisi has publicly expressed
his commitment to
protecting Christians, his
government’s actions and
extremist groups
continued Christian
persecution attacks on
individuals and churches,
leaving Christians feeling
insecure and extremely
cautious
Gathering information

 Christians of all backgrounds still face

difficulty in building churches
 Islamic extremist groups target Christians and
churches in numerous violent and deadly acts
of persecution.
 Christians, especially women, face
discrimination in their workplaces and public
spaces.
Continued:

 Important ministry positions, such as in the

defense, interior, production and foreign
ministries, never go to Egyptian Christians.
Hence, there is a lack of representation of
Christians in the government.
 Nearly every Christian has a story to tell
about unfair employment and discrimination
in the workforce but due to loopholes they
can't reach official help.
Continued:

 There is clear discrimination against Christians

in the university jobs. It is rare to find a head of
department, a university professor, or
university director that is Christian.
 They suffer from chronic discrimination in
senior and leadership positions in the country,
like holding high positions in banks or police.
Examples:

 In December 2017, a gunman opened fire in

Cairo at a church and a nearby shop owned
by Christians. Eleven people died as a result
of the attack.
Continued:

 In July 2018, a mob attacked Christians in a

village in Minya.
Continued:

 Many Christian girls and women have

become the victims of sexual harassment,
abduction and rape. In just one month (April
2018), at least seven cases of abduction were
documented.
Continued:

 In early November 2018, Islamic State

militants attacked a bus carrying Coptic
Christians from a church in Minya, killing
eight and injuring more than 13 people.
Discrimination V.S
prejudice:
Prejudice and discrimination are pretty
much the same except that a
prejudiced person may not act on the
prejudiced view of something, while
discrimination is the negative actions
against an individual or group
Solutions:

Solutions that could help in limiting

discrimination against Christians in Egypt is
enforcing the discrimination as hate crimes
and convicting the person causing the
discrimination based on how extreme it is.
That should be an effective of solution of
starting to convict hate crimes, however,
this might even start a bigger war.
Continued:

We could also educate the Egyptian people

more on Christianity in schools and letting
them know at least basic knowledge. This
might help limit the hate against the
religion for some people, however for others
they might hate the idea of learning about a
religion that’s not theirs
Implementing a solution:

A drastic change in legislation, the

second article in the constitution
stating "sharia (Islamic law) is the
source of legislation in Egypt", and in
regulating citizens based on religion.
Evaluating the solution:

This would make all Muslims and Christians

equal in so many ways. Firstly they will not
be judged or treated differently in
government institutions as religion won't be
put on identity cards anymore. It will also
increase the efficiency in the workforce since
they're not picked upon religion; instead
they're picked upon their qualifications.
Continued:

Secondly, it will help the government to

have a proper vision of a society based on
citizenship, equality and human rights.
Furthermore, Religion won't be required on
forms for organizations like sports clubs and
universities. There will be no discriminatory
laws in building and maintaining houses of
worship. And lastly there will no longer be
lack of representation of Christians in
government positions.
Thank you