Famed for its rich history of developed early civilizations, Egypt is a country known for the only remaining monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the pyramids of Giza. Egypt was ruled by numerous empires, including the Ancient Egyptians, the Romans and the Ottoman Turks, gaining independence from England in 1922 under King Farouk. A military coup in 1953 removed the monarchy from power, making Egypt a Republic.
Government
Egypt was autocratically ruled by President Hosni Mubarak for 30 years from 1981. In the wake of the Arab Spring the Egyptian Revolution began in late January 2011, when mass demonstrations erupted in Cairo, protesting the continued presence of President Mubarak in government. He resigned as president in February 2011. Multi-party elections in October that year saw the Muslim Brotherhood win, and Presidential elections are due to be held mid-2012.
Social Issues
Unemployment currently stands at 9.7% and an estimated 20% live below the poverty line. 1. Egypt faces problems with illicit drug trafficking, being the region’s largest supplier of cannabis, heroine and opium to Europe. The United Nations Literacy for Life report of 2006 records the literacy rate among Egyptian adults as being 56% of the population.
The Way TV Viewership
According to surveys carried out in 2012, 20% of Egypt’s population of 80 million people regularly watches The Way TV.
Religion
Sunni Muslims account for 75% of Egypt’s total population, with Christians making up 20% and the remainder consisting of religious minorities such as Baha’is, Shiite and Sufi Muslims. 3. Islam was declared the state religion in 1980. Despite the significant number of Coptic Christians in Egypt, there have been numerous reports of persecution against them in recent years.
Prayer Points
Pray for safety for Christians in Egypt and especially that they will feel able to remain in the country, rather than emigrate.
Pray that the new President and government will protect the rights of Christians in the future.
“THE WAY TV is like a church in every Christian home. It became like a church to my family and to my children. It satisfies me not only with the spiritual food, but with my social and cultural needs as well. It is very beneficial to all the members of the family.” From an Egyptian man
