“We don’t have to be afraid,” continued Kirlos. “The bad people want us to be afraid and not go to church, so do you want the bad people to win and let us be afraid?”
Many parents are telling their children not to be afraid of the violence which they might experience as Christians. One mother told her children shortly after the St. Samuel attack how “Christ did not promise us with an ideal world, but that sorrow will exist in the world. [However, we must] trust that Jesus has defeated the world.”
Even as parents attempt to spiritually strengthen their children for the persecution which they will inevitably face in Egypt, they also share practical advice for lessening their exposure to potential acts of violence.
One mother told her daughter to stay away from Upper Egypt, where the violence against Christians is the most severe. “El-Minya is a cursed governorate. Please do not go there, its residents are extremists and terrorists. [Just] look and see what is happening there. Please… stay here,” she begged her daughter.
For Karem, he has tried to use the situation to motivate his children to find a way towards a better life. He said, “This [Egypt] is a failed government. Work hard and study well. Try to get a better way to live or leave here and [and go to] another country.”
Many parents are encouraging their children to stay as far away from potential trouble spots as possible. “God save my sons,” one mother told ICC. “Please don’t get into conflicts with anyone! When you leave the church, walk quickly and do not let them draft you into trouble with them. Stay away from them!”
Another mother echoed this sentiment. “My son, please keep yourself away from them. You are the only one for me. God please help them to see the truth and believe in you.”
But the challenge of staying away from potential troubles is difficult. One teenage boy remarked to ICC how it is impossible to melt into society. “We are counted as very few in numbers. The Muslim colleagues are always staring at us, as we look very strange to them. We are something to be outcast.”
Emad constantly worries about how these challenges will impact his daughter. “As parents, there is a dilemma between exposing children to what is happening in the world around us and letting them be aware, and how to deal with their Muslim friends, since not all of the Muslims are persecuting the Christians,” he said.
“I want my daughter to be aware, but not to be scared of the Muslims in our community,” he continued. “Sometimes it can be difficult to create a balance between the mind and what it should be and our feelings, when attacks like this happen and innocent people die.”
For interviews with Claire Evans, Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org