Christianity’s surge in Middle East sees millions of Muslim converts amid conflict
Across the Middle East, a notable spiritual transformation is being reported as millions of Muslims turn to Christianity, according to trends monitored by Open Doors. Pastor Georges Houssney of Horizons International, who has spent five decades ministering in the region, says many people have grown disillusioned with Islam amid war and instability, while others report visions of Christ — a decision that can carry deadly consequences in countries such as Iran.
In Egypt, a wave of attacks targeting Christians — including the imprisonment of a man who converted from Islam to Christianity — has drawn concern from the U.S. State Department, which called on the Muslim-majority nation to uphold religious freedom.
The treatment of Egypt’s Christian minority remains a closely watched issue, particularly because the North African country receives $1.3 billion in annual funding from the United States.
Raymond Ibrahim, a specialist on Christians living in the Muslim world, wrote for the Gatestone Institute that Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, a former Muslim who became a Christian, has emerged as one of Egypt’s most significant religious freedom cases.
Ibrahim reported that after Abdelrazek converted in 2016, he faced years of harassment, detention and abuse. On April 13, prosecutors sent his case to a terrorism court, while his attorneys were reportedly blocked from reviewing the case file. Advocates say he remains behind bars and has been subjected to torture, physical mistreatment, inadequate medical care and repeated delays in his trial.
Separately, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights said a Muslim mob threw stones at a church in Upper Egypt on July 8, leaving Christians injured and damaging both the church building and a priest’s vehicle.
Days after that incident, a group of men attacked the Rev. Matta Roushdy, 49, who serves at the Virgin Mary and St. Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church in Dahab, located in South Sinai Governorate.
A State Department spokesperson told INC News that President Donald Trump has said, “America will always defend the right of every person to live out their faith openly, freely, and without fear.” The spokesperson added, “Religious freedom is a fundamental American value. We aspire for all others to enjoy the same freedom, protection, and benefits.”
However, there has been some progress in combating bias against Coptic Christians. The organization Coptic Solidarity wrote last week that a breakthrough unfolded with respect to the alleged longstanding discrimination against Coptic athletes in soccer.
Egyptian Coptic Christians attend the Resurrection Mass at the Monastery of St. Simon Al-Kharaz during Holy Saturday services on April 19, 2025, in Cairo, Egypt. (Ahmad Hasaballah/Getty Images)
“In an unprecedented move, Egypt’s Ministry of Youth and Sports announced that its investigation found sufficient evidence of misconduct by a coach at Alexandria’s Al-Ittihad Club who allegedly excluded a junior football player, Makari Younan, because of his Christian name,” the organization announced.
It added, “The decision deserves recognition. Whether motivated by public pressure or a genuine policy shift, the Ministry’s response represents a notable departure from the longstanding official tendency to dismiss such allegations.”
The organization continued, “It appears to be the first official acknowledgment that discrimination against Copts in Egyptian sport is not merely an allegation raised by disappointed families or human rights organizations, but a matter requiring government intervention.”
Open Doors, a global organization that aids persecuted Christians around the world, said of the attack on the priest, “These types of attacks are usually committed by members of radical Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.”
Their statement added, “Their actions reflect a broader anti-Christian sentiment, especially in rural and village societies across the country where weak law enforcement leaves Christians vulnerable to attack. Though violent cases like this have decreased in the last decade, these attacks will continue until the state takes anti-Christian fanaticism as seriously as it deserves.”
INC News sent multiple press query emails to the Egyptian embassies in Washington and Tel Aviv and called the embassy in Washington.
Coptic Orthodox Christians gather for an Easter service at the Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner, located in the Mokattam Mountain area of Cairo on April 19, 2025. (Ahmed Sayed/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Dalia Ziada, an Egyptian Middle East scholar and research fellow at the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, told INC News, “These cases represent only a small fraction of what Coptic Christians endure in Egypt every day. We are speaking about a population of more than 20 million Egyptians. On paper, they are labeled a minority. In reality, they are at the essence of Egyptian identity. They are the preservers of the country’s history and cultural memory.”
According to Ziada, “Women and Coptic Christians constitute President El-Sisi’s most important political base. These were the two vulnerable groups that felt most threatened by the Muslim Brotherhood in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. They strongly supported El-Sisi then, and they continue to support him today. Consequently, he must maintain the appearance of protecting and pleasing them by visiting their church on Christmas every year. But beyond that, nothing is actually happening to make them less vulnerable.”
The U.S. State Department 2025 report on Christians depicts a bleak situation for the Egyptian Christian community. The community makes up an estimated 10% of the nation’s 120 million people.
According to the State Department report on Egyptian Christians, “Despite efforts for greater representation, Christians remain underrepresented in senior positions across the public sector. Currently, only two Christians – the minister of local development and the minister of parliamentary affairs – serve in Egypt’s 31-member cabinet,” wrote the State Department, adding: “Of 27 appointed governors, only one is Christian. In the senate, 24 Christians (17 elected and seven appointed) hold seats, out of 300 senators. One serves as deputy speaker. A Coptic Christian is the head of the constitutional court. No Christian serves as president of any of the country’s 27 public universities. Employment discrimination against Christians – especially within the security services, judiciary, and senior civil service – remains a significant issue.”
According to an April 29 Christian Today report, a Coptic Christian YouTuber, Augustinos Samaan, was sentenced to five years in prison for insulting Islam because he published videos defending the Christian faith.
