Christian Students in Egypt Face Systemic, Sometimes Extreme Discrimination

According to Christian teachers and parents in Egypt, students in the country are facing frequent cases of discrimination for their faith, sometimes extreme, in violation of Egyptian law. The country’s constitution states all religions can be taught in school, and emphasizing one religion as more true than others is illegal. Despite these protections, in practice, teachers and parents say the rights of Christians are often violated. 

Dr. Nady Atef*, a Christian teacher in Cairo, shared with Global Christian Relief the forms of discrimination he regularly witnesses. He says from a young age, students’ education is heavily influenced by Islam, and Christian students are overlooked in school curricula. Texts of the Quran and hadiths are used to teach Arabic and are expected to be memorized, while words or expressions that reference the Bible in any way are completely excluded. The educational curriculum ignores Egypt’s long period of Coptic history, and some schools host religious competitions in which Christians cannot participate. 

Samaan Moussa*, a Christian living in Cairo, shared an example of the bias and religious pressure on young students.

 “I have a ten-year-old son, who is a fourth-grade student,” Moussa said. “He is good at making announcements in the morning loudspeaker, repeating wisdom and news to the students in the school courtyard before entering their classes. One day, the Arabic language teacher surprised him with a request that he did not understand at the time, but it hurt him. While in class, his teacher asked him to read Qur’anic verses from a book with her. My son was shocked, and it showed on his face. 

Before he could say a word, the teacher commanded, ‘You will read the Qur’an tomorrow on the morning school announcements.’ My son replied to her, ‘I am a Christian. Can you choose someone else?’ She responded, ‘You are the one who will read the Qur’an, not anyone else.” When my son told her he could not do that, she insulted him and hit him. When my son returned home from school, he told me what happened. I met with the school principal the next morning, who had no choice but to apologize to us. Thankfully, he addressed the problem properly.”

There are also reports of teachers encouraging students not to mix with their unveiled classmates. Nashaat Tawfiq*, a Christian resident of Upper Egypt, has a twelve-year-old son. 

“My son is in sixth grade,” Tawfiq said. “The Islamic religion teacher at his school is known for extremism. One of my son’s Muslim classmates is a close friend and told him that when the Christian students leave the classroom so the teacher can begin Islam class, as is customary, the teacher instructs the students not to interact with their Christian classmates. He said not to befriend any Christians, as they are infidels and considered to be defiled. The teacher also shared that their religion commands them to avoid contact with Christian students.” 

Dr. Atef explained the disparity in the education system. “There is discrimination against Christian students in government education, from elementary schools to graduate studies,” he said. 

“The Egyptian government often chooses employees only from certain prestigious Muslim universities and does not recognize the Christian College of Theology. This is part of the reason why there are very few Christians in influential government positions. In addition, there is a deficit of university jobs for Christians, as it is rare for there to be a Christian head of a university department, university professor, or university director in any public university. There are few Christian principals in public schools, as well.” 

“Christians are demanding that the school curricula be reviewed to ensure it is free from insulting Christianity. We want schools to encourage students to accept and respect others. We also recommend introducing compulsory subjects in government schools to teach human rights. Our Christian history and culture should be taught in the Egyptian schools where our children study.”

*names changed for security purposes

Global Christian Relief (GCR) is America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition to equipping the Western church to advocate and pray for the persecuted, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith-based discrimination and violence.

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The views expressed in this commentary do not necessarily reflect those of Christian Headlines. 

Global Christian Relief (GCR) is America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition to equipping the Western church to advocate and pray for the persecuted, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith-based discrimination and violence.

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