Deep in the heart of the Sinai Peninsula, at the foot of the hallowed Mount Sinai, stands St. Catherine’s Monastery, an architectural and spiritual marvel that has weathered the tides of history for nearly fifteen centuries.
As one of the oldest continuously operating Christian monasteries in the world, it is a living testament to a faith that predates the founding of Islam by over 200 years. Yet, today, this sacred sanctuary faces a shocking new threat, a microcosm of a wider and more insidious crackdown on Christians by the Egyptian state. This is a betrayal of the highest order, a stark and painful reminder that in a region defined by persecution and intolerance, Israel stands alone as the last bastion of hope and a genuine safe harbor for the region’s beleaguered Christian communities.
The threat to St. Catherine’s is not the product of radical jihadists, whose attacks on the monastery have, thankfully, been repelled in the past. It comes from the very government that purports to be its protector.
Troubling Move
In a recent and deeply troubling move, an Egyptian court declared the monastery’s land to be state property, an act that has sent shockwaves through the Coptic and Greek Orthodox communities. While government officials have offered hollow assurances, their actions reveal a policy of slow-motion suffocation. By seizing control of the land and, in some cases, attempting to interfere with the monastery’s priceless library and academic research, the state is effectively nationalizing this ancient site. This brazen power grab risks stripping the monastery of its spiritual and historical autonomy, turning it into a sterile, soulless museum and threatening the very existence of its monastic community.
This incident is not an anomaly. It is part of a systemic pattern of persecution and discrimination that has long plagued Egypt’s Coptic Christian population. While President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has occasionally engaged in public gestures of support, the reality on the ground is grim. Coptic Christians are frequently targeted in sectarian mob attacks on their churches and homes, and those responsible for the violence often go unpunished. Discriminatory laws make it almost impossible for them to build new places of worship, forcing many communities to meet in secret or in homes. In rural areas, Coptic Christians are treated as second-class citizens, subjected to constant pressure and the threat of violence. The result is a steady and heartbreaking exodus of Christians from the land of their ancestors, leaving behind a heritage that stretches back to the time of the pharaohs.
Distressing Situation
This distressing situation in Egypt stands in stark and compelling contrast to the reality for Christians in Israel. Since its founding in 1948, Israel has been a beacon of religious freedom in a region where such liberty is a rare commodity. The country’s Declaration of Independence promises “complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race, or sex.”
This is not merely a statement of principle; it is a lived reality for the country’s diverse Christian communities. Unlike almost every other country in the Middle East, the Christian population in Israel is not shrinking; it is, in fact, growing.
This growth is a direct result of Israel’s unwavering commitment to protecting all its religious minorities and their holy sites. Israel’s Protection of Holy Places Law, enacted in 1967, is a cornerstone of this commitment, guaranteeing access to and protection for Christian, Muslim, and Jewish sites alike. The government provides essential funding for the maintenance and preservation of these sites, ensuring that ancient churches and monasteries remain vibrant centers of worship. Furthermore, Israel allows Christian communities to manage their own internal affairs and safeguards their places of worship from desecration, a right that is systematically denied to Christians in neighboring countries. In Jerusalem, a city of immense significance to all three Abrahamic faiths, Israel has meticulously preserved a delicate and often challenging status quo, ensuring that Christian pilgrims and residents can worship freely and without fear.
The choice Christians in the Middle East face is increasingly stark and tragically simple. On one side, there is the rising tide of state-sanctioned persecution and institutionalized discrimination, a reality for Christians in places like Egypt. On the other, there is the unique and courageous example of Israel, a country that not only tolerates but actively and legally protects its Christian citizens and their sacred heritage. While the world’s attention is often focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a more fundamental truth is playing out in the Holy Land: Israel is the last remaining haven for Christians in a region that is rapidly being emptied of its ancient communities.
Amine Ayoub is a policy analyst and writer based in Morocco.
