05/26/2020 Egypt (International Christian Concern) – Local Egyptian news are circulating with fresh rumors regarding the kidnapping and forced conversion of Rania Abd el-Messiah. They report that the police have detained three individuals accused of kidnapping Rania: the school director, a cell phone seller, and one other person. Her brother is denying reports that Rania has been returned home.

Rania is a Christian schoolteacher who was kidnapped on April 23^rd by two veiled women in Monufia Governorate. Just three days later, a video circulated announcing that she had converted to Islam. The video appears to have been made under duress. She is the mother of three daughters and is known for living out her faith in a public way.

Christian women in Egypt are often kidnapped by extremists with the purpose of forced conversion to Islam and marriage. In these cases, justice often remains elusive. The families often feel as if the police do not seriously investigate these kidnappings and if the abductors are detained, they are still not held accountable before the law. The police often credit it to a misunderstanding, or say that it was a situation created by her own free will. The consequences of this situation often is with the families for a lifetime.

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