Egyptian ID cards clearly list a person’s religion. And to prevent jihadist bombings, many churches in Egypt tend to require that unfamiliar visitors show an ID card before gaining entry.

Such a protocol is understandable, but it also makes things very difficult for converts to Christianity: Because basically all Egyptian converts must be discreet about their status, their ID cards still say they are “Muslim.”

This means people at the church entrance might suspect they are a jihadist. And even if they can prove they are a legitimate convert to Christianity, such a revelation might also lead to serious problems.

“Most converts try to look for churches that don’t ask for IDs,” said “Anjela,” an Egyptian woman who was raised Muslim and became an atheist before converting to Coptic Christianity, Egypt’s original Christian faith.

Converts might also quickly slip on a cross necklace before arriving at the church entrance. “But that doesn’t always work,” said Anjela. She managed to talk her way into the church she now belongs to when she “convinced the security guy that [she] was a Christian who needed to speak to a priest right away.”

“And that’s how I got regular access to the church,” said Anjela, adding that the people at the church entrance “eventually found out the truth, but my priest stepped in and told them never to block me from coming in.”

She said she has also entered other churches accompanied by an older friend who has a cross tattoo on her wrist (this type of tattoo has a long historical tradition in Egypt).

“When I’m with her, they usually don’t bother asking me to prove anything,” said Anjela.

And a different friend of hers (also a Christian convert) said one church admitted her after she fulfilled a request to recite the Lord’s Prayer.

Anjela had a less successful outcome at the first church she tried, where the people at the entrance quickly discerned she was a convert after she refused to show her ID.

“I pleaded with them to let me in for a while, and they did,” said Anjela. “But they ushered me out quickly.”

Many Coptic priests are unwilling to deal with converts, fearing retaliation against them and the other members of their church.

Egypt — which is about 90% Muslim and 10% Christian — has seen many violent attacks on churches, including the 2017 Palm Sunday suicide bombings at two churches that killed at least 45 people. This coordinated attack, the most lethal in modern history against Egyptian Christians, came just months after a Dec. 11, 2016, bombing killed 25 people at a Coptic cathedral in Cairo, the capital city.

Despite these incidents, Anjela said Egyptian Christians, at least those who live in cities, generally feel safer under Egypt’s current president, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, than they did under Hosni Mubarak, who was Egypt’s president for 30 years until the 2011 Egyptian Revolution (part of the “Arab Spring”).

Among Egyptian Christians, the reaction to the 2011 Arab Spring was rather split. “A lot of Christians participated,” said Anjela. “But also a lot decided to emigrate out of the country.”

From what she can determine at this point, “I would say most Christians just don’t want any kind of unrest.”

Since taking over in 2014, President El-Sisi has, at least publicly, shown concern for the safety of Christians. And the past several years have not seen large-casualty attacks on churches.

Instead, anti-Christian hostility persists on a level that tends to avoid headlines. Anjela said Christians in southern Egypt in particular face consistent persecution from “local people” and sometimes even “mobs.”

She said in much of the region, the police “barely do anything to stop” people who try to “destroy churches under construction” or partake in “other violations” against Christians.

The atmosphere is less hostile around Anjela’s regular church. But she said she still tends to keep her distance from other churchgoers. Most are likely unaware she is a convert, and she prefers to avoid having extensive conversations that could expose her non-Christian background.

Despite this degree of cautious isolation, Anjela knows her predicament is far from unique in Egypt. She has come to realize, largely through her discussions with Coptic priests, that her country has many Christian converts. “I know some churches with a large percentage of them,” she said.

Some of her friends know of her apostasy. “But none of my family members,” she said.

In many Egyptian families, you can get away with giving up on your Muslim faith, as long as you don’t draw attention to your lack of belief. Anjela said many families, including her own, “just quietly accept or ignore it, as long as no one makes a big deal or criticizes Islam openly.”

But you must stay away from Christianity. Just the rumor of a conversion can trigger mob violence.

Anjela said “a large number” of Egyptian Muslims would feel it is their duty to kill someone who converted to Christianity. And even among those who didn’t want to do the actual killing, “more than half “would approve of such a punishment, she said.

There is less hostility for Egyptian Christians who were raised in the Christian faith.

Anjela said most Egyptian Muslims prefer to keep things polite on a surface level when dealing with these Christians. “But behind their backs, most talk negatively … with stereotypes or complaints.”

The consequences for her, of course, could be infinitely more severe than a few behind-the-back remarks. Currently a university student, Anjela knows she will have to stay in Egypt for a while longer. But she said that, once she obtains her degree, she will “seek to get out.”

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by R. Cavanaugh