“We deplore such violence and call on the government of Egypt to take every step possible to provide security for all the people of Egypt,” said Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the Geneva-based World Alliance of Reformed Churches, in a January 13 statement.
Six Coptic Christians and a Muslim security guard were shot dead in the southern Egyptian city of Nag Hamadi, on January 6, the Coptic Christmas Eve.
Nyomi was speaking from Harissa, Lebanon, where he was attending the general assembly of the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches.
During briefings at the meeting from representatives of Reformed churches in Egypt, Iran, and Iraq, Nyomi was told that while in some places Christians and Muslims are working collaboratively, in others Christians have been victims of violence and discrimination.
The Evangelical Church of Egypt, Synod of the Nile, reported having experienced discrimination over many years. A recent wave of violence against Christians has resulted in the burning of churches and targeting of Christians.
Nyomi also expressed concern that Christians in the Middle East are leaving in increasing numbers because of a lack of security and a dearth of employment opportunities.
WARC noted that The New York Times has reported that Jerusalem was approximately one-fifth Christian in 1948 but today the proportion stands at two per cent. A century ago 20 percent of the region was Christian, but today the figure stands at about five per cent, with the figures still dropping fast, according to some observers.
Representatives from Iraq at the Harissa meeting described the security situation in their country as being worse than before the 2003 war. Many of the economic activities that sustain ordinary people have come to a standstill. They noted that before the war there were five vibrant Presbyterian congregations, but now only three are active.
Nyomi heard that the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Iran continues to stand faithful in the midst of some great challenges, WARC said. However, the Iranian church is now also experiencing the effects of emigration.
In an address to delegates at the January 11-13 meeting in Lebanon, Nyomi described Christian unity in the Middle East as an oasis of hope in the midst of difficult circumstances.
“While the tendency in the face of difficult circumstances is for Christians to yield to fragmentation and division, you have remained together,” Nyomi said.
The Fellowship of Evangelical Middle East Churches brings together Protestant churches working to promote leadership training, run schools, and support programs for women from Sudan to Iran.
Protestant Christians, who represent 0.5 per cent of the region’s population, play a significant role in education, such as secondary schools, colleges and seminaries, medical services and publishing, despite their small numbers, WARC noted.
In 2006 the fellowship helped broker an agreement among Lutheran and Reformed churches in the Middle East and North Africa. This established a basis for closer cooperation through the mutual recognition of their baptism, ministry, and the ordination of clergy.
WARC gathers 75 million Reformed Christians in 214 churches in 107 countries.
