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In Egypt, Muslims will be allowed to participate in church building in the future. The government has now approved it, as Vatican press service Asianews reported on Monday, according to Kathpress. The government is following an Islamic legal opinion (fatwa) of the Egyptian Grand Mufti Shawki Allam on January 24.
Until now, Muslims have not been allowed to participate in the construction of churches or the construction of other non-Islamic places of worship. Now they are allowed to do this “against payment” and “in any way”, as the fatwa says.
For Egypt, this fatwa and the government’s decision represent a radical step that is also considered controversial among the population. There are some severe criticisms about it. However, the measure is welcomed by both Christians and human rights organizations.
Until a few years ago, new churches were almost never approved and even mere church renovations were rarely approved. However, under the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, a much more Christian-friendly tack has been taken in recent years. According to Asianews, 44 churches are currently being built across the country and 16 are being renovated. In recent years, the government has retrospectively “legalized” hundreds of churches across the country.
Ten percent minority
Christians make up a maximum of ten percent of the state’s population in Northeast Africa. The largest church in the country is the Coptic Orthodox; Their information on the number of their members varies between eight and twelve million believers, and the lower number seems more realistic according to Kathpress.
The second largest church in Egypt is the Greek Orthodox (Patriarchate of Alexandria) with up to 200,000 believers. The Coptic Catholic Church has up to 170,000 people. Furthermore, there are said to be up to 15,000 Armenian Apostolic Christians in the country and a few hundred Syrian Orthodox. It is also estimated that up to 100,000 Protestants live in the country. The number of Roman Catholics is 20,000.
Christians and Jews are recognized
In terms of its constitution, Egypt is an Islamic state. Sharia has authority for legislation and social order. Only Christians and Jews are officially recognized as religious minorities. For them, in theory, there is also freedom of religion, but with numerous restrictions in daily life.
Since President Sisi came to power in 2013, the government has made efforts to offer Christians some degree of protection. For example, many churches are under police and military protection, for example, on holidays. Crimes against Christians are now punished by the authorities more often than before.
