More than a decade ago the Egyptian military ended Cairo’s short-lived experiment with democracy. When Gen. Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, both Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defense, seized power in July 2013, he did so with the public support of Coptic Pope Tawadros II. Unfortunately, el-Sisi has betrayed the estimated 15 million Copts in Egypt, the largest Christian population in the Middle East. Although Cairo is a nominal American ally, it oppresses religious minorities as well as political dissidents. These practices contribute to the instability and violence which continue to bedevil the Mideast and entangle the United States.
The Forgotten Christians of Egypt
Coptic Christians, once hopeful after the Arab Spring, now endure renewed marginalization under a regime praised abroad for stability but criticized for repression.
