Interview with Fouad Youssef, former Secretary General of the
Evangelical Fellowship of Egypt
Suggested Cue:
Christians in the UK and Ireland are being urged to stand with Egyptian
Christians in prayer this week. The aim is to support the suffering church in
Egypt and halt the exodus of Christians from the last major enclave of
Christianity in the Middle East.
A Christian leader in Egypt says the church in his country is holding the line
against extremism spreading to Europe. As we pray for the church in Egypt,
he says, we defend our own religious freedom.
Andrew Boyd of Release International, which is supporting the call to pray,
spoke to Fouad Youssef, the former Secretary General of the Evangelical
Fellowship of Egypt…
In:
‘Can you describe…’
Out: ‘The church is silent. Why?’
Dur: 9mins 27 secs
Back anno: Release International is calling on UK Christians to sign a
petition calling for greater religious freedom in Egypt. That petition is on the
Release International website.
Outline of Interview:
0”
Exodus of Christians from Egypt and Middle East
3’43
Crisis of faith for ordinary Egyptians
Opportunity for the gospel
5’45
Dramatic change in our ideas of church required
Pull down the walls – reach out
Burning churches will never destroy the Church
7’45
Egyptians are praying for the church in England
8’
Egypt church is frontline of defence against extremism spreading to Europe
1
Interview transcript:
Q. Can you describe the impact on faith in Egypt that all of this turbulence and upheaval has
produced for Christians and also for Muslims. What has been the effect on the heart of faith
for the ordinary Egyptian?
15”
Of course, it has many effects in the whole country. One of the big effects on the churches is
that many of the families, the educated people in the churches left the country, escaping
from the unknown future for their kids, especially after the period of burning churches and
killing Christians and what happened in August 2013. And I think we lost many of our good
leaders, fleeing to the States and Canada and Europe. And this affects our ministry, affects
our population and affects our leadership capabilities in Egypt. This is one of the things.
But at the same time, I think the people who remain in this tough situation, they have more
faith now, they are more connected to God, more expecting big changes which will happen
in the area. Yes, we can say that there is a lot of positive and negative effects.
The effect mainly in the youth; most of the youth now are rethinking their connection with
the religions, especially the Muslim youth, who are seeing all these disasters in the whole
Arab world and noticing that the relationship between what they call political Islam and
killing people and destroying villages and kicking people out of the villages. I think it's
affecting the morale of the people.
Many of these youths now are rethinking of being connected to any kind of religion. They
are millions, they are not few people. Now they are announcing their new faith, or new
unfaith publicly. And they say we don't want this kind of religion which is affecting our life
and killing others and this is not God. God is not that severe God to allow this. And I think
the morale of the people are changed.
There is a big change in demography in the area. Many people, when we talk about all the
Arab countries, many people left, especially the Christians and educated people have left the
countries, by thousands and we can say by millions. In Syria, there are millions left their
homes. Yes, we are really affected. Maybe Egypt is the less country which is affected by the
whole revolution movements, but everybody in the Arab world is affected by what
happened.
3’43
Q Would you say what has happened has produced a crisis of faith for both Christians and
Muslims?
This conflict now is affecting the people very, very much, because people are rethinking,
‘Where is God in this?’
4’02
Q. Do you see this as an opportunity for the gospel in Egypt?
2
We are living in an era we didn’t see before. We have the chance to talk to everybody. We
are dealing with people now who are very hungry to see the real God who cares and loves
his creation. They are really hungry and ready to listen to whoever speak about other faith
or other hope.
Yes, the church has a tremendous chance now to speak, to show love to people. That's why
it is one of the best timing for the church in Egypt and in the Arab world to move – and very
fast. We don't know if this will continue or not.
We have open gate to talk, to show love, to care for others, and if the church is not doing
what Jesus did while he was on earth; he moved to heal, to help, to support. This is what the
church needs to do, not to preach. It's not timing for preaching, it’s timing for to be
dissolved in the society, support the society, support the needy people, heal the ill people –
this is what the church needs to do.
5’45
And I think this is something dramatic change in the mission of the church nowadays. This is
what we feel, this is what we are moving for and this is what we are convincing all the
churches. Put the walls down. Move outside of the church. Support people. Help feed the
people. This is the church and this is what we need to do in our era now.
When Jesus talked about the church he talked about one church. And this one church is
growing. It’s continuing. It will never fail, even if they burn it. And we here in Egypt, we
experienced this. Burning churches will never affect the church, it will empower the church.
Killing believers, it will empower the believers. And facing problems never stop this big body
from growing.
God left the church on earth to do what he was planning to do while he was on Earth – it is
to love, to heal, to witness to people, to disciple people, to support the poor people, to
support the needy people, and this is the church. When the church is not ready to do this,
when the church is busy in activities, busy in doing programmes, busy in making conferences
or making whatever, I think we need to come back to why we are here in this earth.
The successful church is the church connected to the big body, is the church understanding
the responsibility of the pain of other members everywhere. If the church is living for itself it
will die.
7’45
We are praying for the church in England. We are praying for the church in Europe. We are
hoping that the church in the West come back to be the missionaries and the people who
cares and pray and love and give all their resources from education, technology, whatever to
support the church in the Arab world.
8’
And I think we need their prayers for the Arab world, for the church in the Arab world,
putting us into consideration that we are facing the fanatic and fanatic people. We are in the
3
first line of defence. We are not defending ourselves. We are defending the whole world.
That's why they need to pray in a different way.
They need to understand that whatever way they support the church in Egypt and in the
Arab world they are supporting themselves, because what will be stopped here, it will be
stopped in Europe. And what will be loosed here, it will be loosed in Europe. We need to
hear their voice in the international gatherings, in the US, wherever there is a voice for the
church, we need to hear the voice.
We didn't hear any voice talking about what happened in Iraq and Syria and Libya and
wherever. The church is… silent. Why?
ENDS
andrewboydconsultant@btinternet.com
07919 311993
01903 744993
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