Egyptian Christians fear uprising could increase persecution

At a Coptic Orthodox church in Miramar, Egyptian Christians fear that the uprising in their homeland may lead to more anti-Christian persecution.
Tuesday, 02.08.11
BY JAWEED KALEEM

Nadia Guirguis left Egypt 15 years ago for the same reasons her countrymen are protesting today: She wanted a chance at better jobs, more freedoms and a better life.

But as tumultuous demonstrations raged in her homeland, the Coptic Christian has become a reluctant supporter of the country’s widely disliked dictator, President Hosni Mubarak.

While much of the world — from those taking to the streets Egypt to rallies in South Florida — roots for democracy and the immediate ouster of Mubarak, the Copts, a persecuted minority in Egypt that make up a majority of its immigrant population in the United States, are raising concerns that an even less friendly Islamist government could take his place. the rest