Christians in Egypt Hope for Freedom amid Protests
In a time of political uncertainty and major civil unrest, Christians in Egypt are praying that freedom will come to the minority group, whose stance on the longstanding Mubarak regime has been divided.
"The people are afraid for the future, since this is an extremely critical time," said a pastor identified only as George. "But we trust in God, and we hope and pray for a new Egypt, with democracy and freedom for Christians."
George, who is in Egypt co-working with Open Doors, an international ministry supporting persecuted Christians, reported believers have been forced to gather in houses for prayer, fearing it unsafe to meet in the church.
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"It is very important that we pray at this moment," he urged. "We see that the uproar could lead to a better Egypt and that things could turn out for good, but we do not know yet. So prayer is important."
With banks closed for over a week and ATMs empty, the work of George's church is currently at a standstill.
"Our co-workers and other volunteers cannot go to their ministries or work anymore," he stated. "Road blocks, lack of public transportation and curfew are all hindering this. And even now we have no cash funds anymore to pay for projects or to provide our co-workers with enough money to do their work."
"We also are having problems with the provision of our food. The infrastructure in the country is under pressure. It is very scary not knowing how the situation will develop further," he said.
Egyptian Health Minister Ahmed Samih Farid reported eight people were killed and injured up to 900 people since the march on Wednesday, when millions of angry protestors clashed with government security forces in Tahrir Square, Cairo.
President Hosni Mubarak told ABC news Thursday he is "fed up" after 62 years in public service, but fears the nation will fall deeper into chaos if he were to immediately step down.
"We pray for him (President Mubarak) that he will do what is good for Egypt and that he will leave at the right moment," said George.
