The personal stories of Egyptian refugees – Series No.6 of 22
The following narratives introduce individuals who are detained in refugee camps. They are in desperate need of the La Casa Futura project currently underway by Voice of the Copts. Egyptian youths have been uprooted and displaced for various reasons all related to religious persecution. Names have been changed to protect identities. Narratives are based on true accounts of actual events.
Mervat comes from Bani Sweef province in the rural Al Minya governorate in the very small town of Saft Al Kharsa. She heard about local police breaking into her church social services center and desecrating the building in the middle of the night. It wasn’t surprising. Throughout her childhood, the illegal activities of the local police were well known. They are never held accountable. Churches are always targeted.
This time the local police forced down the door of the church social center and ransacked the interior -- grabbing up sacred utensils, pictures, holy books, and furnishings and tossing in the middle of the road. Police re-padlocked the door and placed guards before the emptied building.
Mervat has given much thought to where she lives -- the country of her birth -- and the severity of her life just because she and her family are not members of the state religion or dominant culture. Severe discriminatory restrictions created by the state against Copts make it a simple process for police to turn a blind eye toward repeated harassment of minority Copts allowing deadly attacks to be launched against them with impunity.
In Egypt, laws governing church-owned buildings serve to micro-manage trivial matters. They are meant to entrap Christians. Such laws are put into place by the state because it views church structures as a threat to national security. Their mere existence incites Islamic terror.
Mervat sees a hopeless situation and has exited the country in order to seek a better future. She risked everything to do so and resides now in a refugee camp without knowing where to turn or how to begin again.
But word is out that a real solution is in the works for the young Egyptians who have braved an exit from home and country to start again – La Casa Futura.
Please help us in this effort to help the youth from these camps. They urgently need a path to begin again. Donate today by going to the GoFundMe link at:
Your gift will go directly to the La Casa Futura project. Thank you!
La Casa Futura project currently consists of one dormitory building providing help for up to 100 youths per session. Each session provides language learning, job direction, and cultural understanding. LCF is in its initial stage of development as we seek financial backers and matching funds for individual donations.
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