Mary is trembling as she talks to Linda from Release about how she became a Christian, and what she does now. It is not surprising. In Egypt talking to strangers about your faith is always risky. Give securely online
'When I was 13, there was a Christian girl in my class. I was nasty to her but she never retaliated. I took her book and read about Jesus. When I turned 21 I became a follower of Jesus. My family saw the difference and gave me a really hard time. I used to scribble Bible verses on bits of paper to read in the toilet. I was touched by the story of Abraham being told by God to leave his tribe. I believed God was telling me to do the same. I was afraid, but in the end, I did.
'I came to the city with very little money. At times I had to sleep on the streets. One priest told me to reconvert to Islam and go back to my family. But another introduced me to a Christian girl, like me, from a Muslim background. God then gave me the vision of helping other girls who had converted to Christ from Islam. Perhaps there could be a place where we could live, pray and study the Bible together.
SAFE HOUSE
'Now I am part of a team looking after the girls in a safe house. During 2009 I had to move three times. If you live at a fixed address and the police find out you are Christians, they tell your relatives where you are. Many girls have been kidnapped by their own families, forced to reconvert and marry a Muslim, often someone much older than them. Some men have even killed their own daughters.
'I received a phone call from a friend. He told me, "I have a "sister" here with me. She is a believer from a Muslim background and I need you to take care of her for a while."
'At 11 pm she came to my apartment and told me about how she came to meet the Lord. She mentioned that she is working in a very sensitive position; and that her brother is a high-ranking secret police officer. I felt fear, but I remembered Psalm 27 and kept repeating it. We prayed and thanked the Lord for His protection. I told her the house rules. She was so excited and happy to hear that we study the Bible. We did that for almost three weeks while her brother was trying to find her.
'One day I forgot to lock the phone when I went out. She made a call. Late that night she had a severe toothache. I called a Christian dentist who offered to treat her immediately out of hours. When we returned it was after 2:00am. We opened the door and were shocked to see secret policemen waiting for us. They started beating us with their hands, feet, and truncheons. They had traced Salwa's call.
'They took her away. I had to move immediately and change my mobile. The Lord told me, 'Do not get rid of this phone'. I was thinking and asking God, why do I keep this old phone and pay monthly fees while I do not use it? The Lord said to keep it. I did. I kept it charged and with me but never used it for over seven months. All that time I had no idea where Salwa was or if she was still alive. But then she called and asked me to meet her in a mosque. I wondered if she was preparing a trap for me to be arrested. I was so encouraged when I heard from the Lord that I should go and not to worry.
'I wore a complete veil so only my eyes could be seen and nobody could recognise me. I went to where Salwa told me that she will wait, also wearing a veil.
'I came near to her and softly said, 'Salwa?' She said, 'Yes'. After hugging we went where nobody could hear us. I gave her a small New Testament and we started praying and studying it. During Ramadan I met her every night to read and study the Bible.
'Salwa said her brother locked her indoors. She was not allowed out except to the mosque during Ramadan escorted by her brother. She was not allowed to leave until one of her brothers came to bring her home. Salwa lifted her veil. Her face was distorted by acid which her brother used to punish her. He told her that he was going to kill her if she did not go back to Islam. But she was carrying on as a secret believer.'
GREAT RISKS
Mary says, 'During the last two years God gave me three new girls who came to Christ after I trained their sisters to become soul winners.'
But these young women still run great risks. Mary has been arrested and badly treated by the police. Once she was kidnapped by her cousins who tortured, burned, and almost killed her. Three years ago, one girl was kidnapped by her father, who killed her. After incidents like these, Mary has to find somewhere new. This is why the safe house is rented, so the girls can move at short notice if they need to.
It costs about £13,000 a year to provide this shelter and support. Last year, Release covered nearly half this amount. Other safe houses are needed, including one for young men.
BEING A VOICE FOR CHRISTIANS IN EGYPT
One brave Christian has been publishing an underground monthly newspaper in Arabic with a circulation of 20,000 copies distributed mostly in Egypt, but also in Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries. It reports on the discrimination and persecution suffered by Egyptian Christians and includes regular sections for women, children and students. It is produced by a full-time staff of six working from a rented office, plus others who help as required.
The total cost of each edition is £4,500 for the print as well as the rent and salaries, which works out at about 22p per copy.
Last year the staff worked for five months without pay because of funding and cashflow problems. So in addition to our safe house projects, we would like to send at least £10,000 to help fund several editions of the paper this year.
Although the editor fears arrest, with the risk of imprisonment for up to ten years, he feels compelled to continue to publish the paper, to inform, represent and encourage the Christian community in Egypt and the Middle East more widely.
Your generous response to this appeal will help these Christians in Egypt know that they are supported by their brothers and sisters in the UK and Ireland and will enable and encourage them to carry on in their work for Christ. Give securely online
Please will you help to support and encourage these courageous Christians?
YOUR HELP CAN REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE
It costs just £250 a week to cover the rent of Mary's safe house – as well as the wages of the three staff. Might you be able to help with a donation of a multiple of £25 or £50 to help cover this cost? For example:
- £50 covers just over a day's costs
- £250 covers a week's costs
- £500 covers a fortnight's costs
- £1,000 covers four weeks' costs
All donations are, of course, gratefully received!
But the more generous you can be the more
effective Mary and her fellow Christians can be.
HELP FUND THE CHRISTIAN NEWSPAPER
It costs just £4,500 per edition to produce the Christain newspaper – including rent and salaries, which were only paid intermittently during 2009. That's a total cost of 22p per copy.
So would you be happy to donate:
- £22 to cover the total cost of 100 copies
- £220 to cover the total cost of 1,000 copies
... or something in between?
Please support your courageous Christian brothers and sisters in Egypt. Make a donation via our secure web page
PLEASE PRAY
- for Christian believers from a Muslim background in Egypt
- that those who have been kidnapped will find a way to escape
- for those who face daily difficulties because they love Jesus
- that the Lord will show you how you can bless them
FIND OUT MORE
WATCH THIS INSPIRING DVD
Our new 10-minute DVD Staying Power tells the stories of Muslim-background believers in Egypt, including Mohammed Hegazy, who was detained and tortured by the authorities, and who is now taking ground-breaking legal action to change his religious status. Staying Power can be purchased online from our estore for £10.
Play a clip from the video
Read more about persecution in Egypt
All personal and place names have been changed. All photos are posed by other individuals.