Egypt

Egypt reasserted itself as an indispensable mediator in the Middle East after it successfully brokered a cease-fire deal in the short but costly Israel-Hamas war that killed scores of people and caused much destruction in the Gaza Strip.

Matthew 2 describes the incredible circumstances around the birth of Jesus as the fulfilment of prophecy, and all three prophecies he points to are geographic—Jesus is the Messiah because he was driven to Egypt, his exile caused weeping in Ramah, and he returned to Nazareth.

These two complications—faith and identity—pose the greatest contemporary obstacles for the Coptic Church in Egypt.

The Egyptian government just announced that it has approved 156 new churches and affiliated buildings for use in the country. Despite this news, many believe that the government is paying lip service to the rights of Christians while doing little to actually defend those rights.

The day before the largest church in the Middle East was scheduled to open, a bomb threat almost derailed the unveiling. It also claimed the life of a police officer.

The Coptic Church is reeling again after yet another terror attack that is eerily similar to an attack the church sustained last year.

Death sentences and prison terms have been issued to 46 people involved in terror attacks against the Coptic Church in Egypt.

If Coptic Christians receive the Nobel Peace Prize on October 5, they will be the first ethno-religious group to have received it.