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Egypt | 24 July 2025

Embracing faith and facing oppression in Egypt

 

 
Show: true / Country: Egypt / Egypt

When Adam and Dina chose to follow Jesus, it cost them everything. But here's how your support helped.

Like many sons in Egypt, Adam* decided to follow in his father's footsteps and do the same job. "I began working as a taxi driver, using my father's cab," Adam says. "I was thankful for the [cab] provided by my father."

This was also a good development for Adam's father, who was a religious leader (an imam) at a local mosque. "This arrangement allowed my father more time to fulfill his duties at the mosque," Adam explains.

"Faced with a real threat, we had no choice but to leave our home and the community immediately."

Adam*, Egyptian believer

Adam and his wife Dina* lived with Adam's parents, another common situation in Egypt. Adam's cab driver work allowed him to help support his entire family, and things carried on.

That is, until Adam and Dina encountered the truth of Jesus.

A dangerous decision

Dina's brother, Ihab*, had converted to Christianity from Islam. He'd begun attending a church supported by Open Doors partners. "I was not aware of my brother's conversion," Dina says. "I noticed important and positive changes in his behavior, but it didn't cross my mind that he had started following Jesus."

Ihab told Dina and Adam about his new faith and shared his testimony with them. The couple was fascinated and began to explore Christianity.

"Ihab's conversion was the light that we were missing in our lives," Adam says. "His testimony enlightened our minds and changed our lives forever; we started reading the Bible on a daily basis, and it encouraged us and enlightened us to see the truth and the way."

As they read, the couple became convinced that Jesus is "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" and decided to follow Him. Ihab introduced the couple to a leader at the church, where they received the discipleship and support they needed.

"We joined the church Ihab brought us to," Adam says. "We began a journey of growth and spiritual transformation, learning the importance of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

The couple was aware of the risks of their decision. Adam might have had an idea about how his family would react to their conversion—after all, his father was an imam and had made it crystal clear that he strongly disliked followers of Jesus. Adam hoped the good relationships he had with his family would stop any severe repercussions... but he couldn't be sure.

And so the couple decided to live as secret believers, at least for a while. "I had to keep my faith in Christ hidden, especially from my family. I wasn't sure how they would react," he says. "I knew my family considered Christians to be infidels, but I didn't know how they would respond now that one of their own had become a Christian."

Confronted with the truth

In Egypt, Adam and Dina's decision to hide their faith is common. Converts from Islam often face severe danger from family and society; exposure could lead to problems in the workplace, expulsion from their homes and community, physical violence or even death.

Adam and Dina discovered that truth firsthand.

After their conversion, Adam gradually stopped attending the mosque and participating in Islamic prayers. His father noticed immediately, as Adam had once been dedicated to Islamic rituals.

Suspecting something was amiss, Adam's father grew increasingly wary of his son's behavior.

One day, while Adam and Dina were out, his father entered their room and found a Bible. He couldn't accept the possibility that his son might have turned into an "infidel." He waited for the couple to return home, hoping they would give a satisfying explanation for the presence of a Bible in their room in his house.

Confronted with the discovery, Adam and Dina openly professed their faith in Jesus, attempting to share the truth they had found. But Adam's father refused to listen, overwhelmed by anger and betrayal.

"He called us infidels, traitors," Adam recalls. "I had never seen him so filled with anger and hatred. He even said we deserved to be killed and threatened us with harm if we stayed in the village."

With their faith revealed, Adam and Dina could no longer stay in the family home—or even their neighborhood. It was simply too dangerous.

"Faced with a real threat, we had no choice but to leave our home and the community immediately," Adam says sadly. "We left everything behind, including our only source of income, the family taxi, and stepped into an uncertain future."

A lifeline

The days that followed were marked by hardship and doubt. Adam and Dina had lost everything and even found themselves questioning their choice to follow Jesus. But God's grace provided help when they needed it most.

Through the Open Doors partner church that they joined earlier, they were able to find a new place to live, and Adam received a motorized freight trike he could use to transport goods. Along with practical help, they also received psychological support, which was invaluable in facing their ongoing challenges.

"We encountered numerous challenges spiritually, psychologically and financially," Adam says. "However, the ministry extended support to us in every aspect. They helped us find a place to stay and even provided the means for me to acquire a tricycle, enabling me to transport goods and regain income to provide for my family.

"Not only that, but the ministry also offered psychological support through counseling sessions and nurtured our spiritual growth through a discipleship group. We discovered a secure and nurturing community to accompany us on our journey."

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Ongoing danger... and courage

However, Adam and Dina's new life still comes with danger. Living under dual identities, they continue to hide their faith from neighbors to avoid violence. The fear of discovery looms constantly, and they remain in need of continued support from the ministry.

The situation for Muslim converts seems to be deteriorating in Egypt, as the pressure is increasing from both Muslim extremists as well as state security officials.

But the support you provide has been a lifeline, helping Adam and Dina remain grounded in a supportive community of believers. They receive ongoing counseling and maintain their livelihood. Despite all they have endured, Adam and Dina have found comfort in their faith, holding fast to the belief that God never forsakes His people.

*Names are changed for security reasons.

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