From the World Council of Churches:

Churches in Egypt are praying and helping migrants, who flee home due to political turmoil, violence and uncertain future. There is a great need to develop stable democratic societies if the “Arab spring” is to bear fruits. Or else it might turn into an “Arab winter” with religious minorities at the risk of persecution.

David Victor R. Youssef expressed this concern at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Global Ecumenical Network on Migration meeting taking place in Beirut, Lebanon from 5-7 December, organized by the WCC office for Just and Inclusive Communities and hosted by the Middle East Council of Churches.

Youssef works for the Coptic Evangelical Organization for Social Services and was interviewed by Naveen Qayyum, the WCC staff writer. Read full interview.

Participants of the consultation on freedom of religion with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople, Archbishop Alois Kothgasser and Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima. Photo from WCC website.

30 experts on religious rights from 23 different countries are attending “Freedom of Religion and Rights of Religious Minorities,” a conference sponsored by The World Council of Churches (WCC) Commission of the Churches on International Affairs and hosted by the Ecumenical Patriarch.  The conference will end Dec 2. 

In a presentation to the gathering, the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said there must be respect for the “inherent rights of all human beings and their aspiration and rights of religious freedom should be important components to sustain tolerance among all God’s creation.”

“We are called to promote dialogue among all communities and peoples to create peace, harmony and tolerance in a world that is faced with violence, conflicts and religious hatred”, the Patriarch said.

Read more about the WCC”s activities in:

• Accompanying churches in situations of conflict
• Advocacy for human rights

Recent renewed violence in Cairo has claimed the lives of over 30 people. Picture from BBC website.

Continuing violence that claimed the lives of about 38 people in Cairo has left the area mourning, angry and uncertain, despite an official apology from the military and a promise that parliamentary elections will actually begin to take place next week as planned.  Elections under former President Mubarak were heavily influenced by his police, which denied access to the polls for many against the regime.  Protestors are asking for the military to give up power now, but that is not scheduled to happen even after this election.   Read analyses of Egypt’s situation, especially Egypt’s Democracy.

Our prayers continue to be with those who have suffered from violence and death, our ELCA missionaries there and all of the companions and people of the country, that wisdom and justice would overtake the fear.

Professor Mark S. Nygard, an ELCA missionary in Cairo, penned these words to his sponsors to give a feel for what it’s like there on the ground:

My taxi driver thought I should get a glimpse of it live, this
morning on my way back from Arabic class. On his own initiative he
stopped his car on the Sixth of October overhead freeway opposite the
Egyptian Museum from the square itself, and we peered between the
buildings toward the stopped cars and the crowds beyond. He said he
was going to go down there himself after work today. So did my
seminary student tutor, Amgad. Two of the international students at
the International Language Institute had been on the square the day
before, and Charlie, a Brit from Exeter, said it wasn’t pretty what he
had seen – bloodied faces and bruised bodies. Another student, Maya,
used break today to announce the request for medical aid for the
square at drop-off points around the city. Dr. Magdi, seminary vice
president, counselled us to go home during the daylight hours this
week. On my way this afternoon, I found the usually crowded parking
places on Abbasia Street empty.

So… on the one hand, we are quite conscious of the conflict and we
have stores of water, food, and money to try to be ready for any
disruption that might be necessary. On the other hand, our days
continue on under the press of our own schedules and ministries as if
nothing at all was unusual. Fall semester classes are now two-thirds
over, Aisha of Maa’di discusses connectors of direct and indirect
objects to Arabic verbs, Philip Friesen of St. Paul offers November
guest lectures on social change, I prepare for a Scholar’s Seminar
called “1960 and 2010: Missiology Then and Now,” my Dutch colleague,
Willem, offers a daring way better to manage our challenging
curriculum, and in the midst of it all, a French missionary teacher
friend needs us to babysit a kitten for five days, and this, in an
apartment where pets are forbidden. Things don’t simply shut down
because a country is struggling to determine its destiny! Our life is
full.

Today, Rev. Andrea Zaki, Ph.D., Vice President of the the Protestant Community in Egypt, issued a statement from the churches on the recent violence in their country. This statement follows a similar declaration from the Coptic Orthodox Church, with which the Protestant communities are in a close relationship. The statement is reproduced here, in full:

*******

Statement from the Protestant Church in Egypt:
On the Incident of the Church of Al-Marinab village, Edfu-Aswan and Events of 9^th October, 2011.
 

The Protestant Church in Egypt condemns outright all forms of violent actions.  Particularly, the Protestant Church rejects acts of violence in Egypt during this time of socio-political transition.

Leaders of the Protestant Church have closely followed recent violent events and, in response, call for:

• Lawlessness to be swiftly addressed and corrected.
• Compromising policies and Recognition meetings to be abandoned.

In addition, the leaders of the Protestant Church stress that the recent violence does not accurately represent the national Egyptian context.  Violence as has recently been witnessed serves only to undermine not only the country’s prestige and dignity, but also works to erode national security and stability.

The Protestant Church laments the repeated incidents – first with the violence in Edfu-Aswan, followed by the events of 9 October – events which occurred due to a lack in reaching a solution to problems.

The Protestant Church, therefore, appeals to all those within the nation to stand together side by side in order to confront these incidents.  We call on all Egyptians to reject the use of violence and, in doing so, work together to create a unified legislation to allow for building places of worship for all.  In addition, we call for the law to correctly punish those responsible for harming citizens and property.

With Egypt standing on the cusp of a new era, the Protestant Community raises its prayers to God, calling for the protection of the people of this great nation from all that is being plotted against them.  The Protestant community also raises its prayers for those victims and injured in the violence in Edfu-Aswan and across the nation on October 9, 2011.  Finally, the Protestant Community calls on the interim government to meet it’s responsibility to the nation by ensuring the safety and security of all citizens.

Rev. Andrea Zaki, Ph.D
Vice President (and Acting President)
The Protestant Community in Egypt

In this past week of tremendous political drama surrounding Israel and Palestine, it is tempting to forget that the entire region is in the midst of profound change.

NYT: Fearing Change, Many Christians in Syria Back Assad
This report in the Times highlights the complexities of Christian contribution to society inSyria, a context entirely different from Egypt, Jordan, or Palestine. Nevertheless, the difficulty of finding a clear Christian

The outcome of Syria's seven-month-old uprising is far from clear. (NPR)

position can help generate empathy for Christians seeking to navigate their communities’ evolving encounters with the various regional states.

NPR: Syrian Leader Digs In For A Long Battle
This very interesting report from NPR highlights the profound complexities of the Syrian manifestation of the Arab Spring. Most important for our interest in the ELCA is the record of Christian public support for the Assad regime, presumably following the previous day’s groundbreaking report in the Times.

AP: Egypt convicts Mubarak’s information minister
Egypt continues the long, slow process of ensuring accountability and constructing a new foundation for civil society. These sorts of convictions are important steps along the way. Until Mubarak is convicted, however, doubts concerning the next steps will remain.

Developments such as these have provided a new context for the tensions betweenIsraelandPalestine. It remains to be seen, however, if these regional changes will help or further hinder the cause of peace. As long as security is seen as incompatible with peace, and as long as the preservation of regimes at the expense of one’s own people, the goal of restoring and reconciling the region will remain elusive.