The massacre of protesters in Egypt this past weekend is one more reminder to the world of how dangerous the situation is for Christians in that nation right now. More than 20 Coptic Christians were killed in the initial attack by the military, and our sources in the country say that the death toll now exceeds 79 due to a lack of medical help for those who were injured.

The protesters were staging a peaceful demonstration to demand protection from Muslim extremists who have been attacking them with impunity since the government was overthrown earlier this year. As the Christians were marching, they were pelted with rocks by an angry mob. Military units assigned to guard the nearby state TV station responded to the conflict and began running over the protesters with armored vehicles.

As events unfolded, local TV stations reported that the Christians were fighting the military. The stations encouraged Muslims to go into the streets and assist the military.

In addition many mosques immediately called for revenge against the Christians for what they saw as a “Christian attack on Muslims.”

The Egyptian military has taken over the investigation of the case from the civil authorities in what is viewed as an attempt to promote its version of events and suppress further inquiry into its actions.

Please remember to pray for Egyptian Christians during their time of persecution. They are in need of strength and mercy from the Lord as their nation moves closer to a general election that could usher in a new era of state-sanctioned Muslim oppression.

Now that World Compassion is beginning a new work in Egypt, all of us have a unique opportunity to offer practical help to Egyptians during this time of need. We will be distributing food, shoes, and blankets along with Bibles and The Story of Jesus booklets to the poor in Cairo so that they will not have to go another day without knowing that God’s people love them.

We ask you to partner with us and give so that the gospel of Jesus Christ will be seen and heard clearly in the nation of Egypt.