Pray For…Egypt

Stats
•Population – 78,866,635
•Percentage of Evangelicals – 2.5%
•Total Number of People Groups – 28
•Number of Unreached People Groups – 28
•Language Spoken – Arabic (official), English and French
•Major Religion – Muslim (mostly Sunni) 90%, Coptic 9%
•Human Development Rank – 123
•Persecution Index – 20

Egyptian civilization has existed for thousands of years. This land is home to wonders like the pyramids, the Sphinx, and hidden tombs of pharaohs past. After the time of Christ, Egypt was predominantly Christian until the mid-seventh century when the Muslims converted most of the people to Islam. One group, Coptic Christians, resisted conversion. In 1952 Egypt became an autonomous country. Egypt has the largest population in the Arab world and continues growing at a rapid pace. With a growing population and limited resources, there are many Egyptians that live in poverty. Almost 14 million live on less than US$1/day. In addition, Christians are under the threat of persecution daily. The country’s constitution gives preference to Muslims, and Christians are treated as second-class citizens being denied political representation and discriminated against in employment. Converting to Christianity is not illegal in Egypt, but some Muslims convert and trust in Christ are imprisoned for ‘despising Islam’ or ‘inciting intercommunal strife’. (sources: CIA World Factbook, IMB Global Research, Voice of the Martyrs, Operation World, and UN World Food Programme)

•Pray for God to sustain believers in Egypt as they face varying degrees of persecution.
•Ask God to provide for the millions in need for His name’s sake.
•Pray for the church in Egypt to be strengthened in God’s Word.
•Pray the gospel to be spread to all the 28 peoples in Egypt, all of which are considered unreached.