The Kidnapping of Christian Girls In Egypt

I have a 20-year-old daughter whom I love dearly. She is precious to me beyond words and I can only imagine how I would feel if she were to be kidnapped and forced to marry her abductor.

Yet, this is the fate of hundreds of Egyptian Christian girls every year. The Voice of the Martyrs is convinced that many of these abductions have involved organized Islamic groups intent on destroying the remaining Christian population in Egypt. Most incidents go unreported, as families, in fear or shame, refuse to report the incident with police. Many others know that it will do no good, authorities inevitably side with the Muslim kidnappers. The Egyptian government has been negligent in resolving this problem and is believed by Egyptian Christians to be actually aiding and abetting the kidnappers.

In their September 2006 edition, El Tareek, Egypt's only Christian newspaper, published a thought-provoking and revealing article concerning the continued disappearances of Christian Egyptian girls and women. The article speaks to the complexities of attempts by Egyptian Christians to resolve the all-too-frequent disappearances of Christian women and the casualness and complicity of the Egyptian government in addressing the issue.

A translation of the article can be found on the website our friends at The Last Harvest. I would recommend that you read it and then do three things in support of these girls and their families:

1. Pray for those who are mentioned in this article.
2. Write to the Egyptian embassy in Ottawa and demand that the Eygptian government investigate more diligently reports of Christian girls being kidnapped and punish those found guilty of such crimes.
3. Write to the leader of the Coptic Church, Pope Shenouda and urge him to use his influence to pressure the government to seek the release of those girls who have been kidnapped.