Christians in Egypt are seeking to have Easter Sunday recognized as a public holiday, a proposal currently moving through the judicial system.
Egyptian Christians only compose 10 percent of their population, but they also represent one of the oldest Christian traditions in the world.
Those Christians are expected to work on Sundays, since Sunday is a normal working day in Islamic cultures.
Alliance Defending Freedom International noted that the Administrative Court heard an appeal “challenging the Prime Minister’s denial of a petition calling for Easter Sunday to be recognized as an official public holiday.”
The State Commissioners Authority is now slated to review the issue early next year.
“This petition represents an important opportunity to advance the right of Christians to freely practice their faith in Egypt,” Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom at ADF International, said in a statement.
“For millions of Egyptian Christians, recognizing Easter as a public holiday would mean being able to fully observe one of the most sacred days of their faith without having to choose between work or school and their religious practices,” she added. “It’s a meaningful step toward ensuring their rights are respected.”
The holidays of some religious groups, such as Orthodox Christmas and Muslim celebrations, are allowed to be celebrated and are already recognized by the Egyptian government.
The nation’s constitution purportedly allows religious freedom, and several other Middle Eastern nations permit religious celebrations.
Christians in Egypt have a lengthy history that precedes Islam.
Coptic Christians assert John Mark, who wrote the Gospel of Mark, as their founder in the first century.
Roman emperors such as Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian persecuted Egyptian Christians during the first three centuries after the resurrection of Jesus.
In the seventh century, Islam started its conquest of the Middle East, drastically weakening the Christian culture of Egypt.
Open Doors noted that mob violence can sometimes force Christians to flee from their homes, especially in Upper Egypt, which has more active Islamic groups.
Christians who leave Islam to follow Jesus can “face severe pressure from their families to return to the religion,” Open Doors said.
“In particular, converts from Islam continue to face violent opposition, while in several incidents, Coptic believers have been attacked, unjustly detained and, in one case, killed,” the ministry added.
Recent economic turmoil also impacted Christians more than other populations.
“Many Christians are treated as second-class citizens, relegated to performing menial jobs with poor safety conditions and limited pay,” Open Doors reported.
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