Out of the frying pan into the fire. Now what could Eritrea and Egypt possibly have in common that would make people in both countries want to persecute Christians? Why, it’s a mystery! Islamic Tolerance Alert: “Eritrean Christians facing ‘unimaginable suffering’ in Egypt,” by Amy Shank for Christian Today, June 10 (thanks to Assad Elepty):
Eritrean Christians fleeing persecution in their homeland are facing imprisonment, torture, beatings and sexual assault in Egypt, reports Barnabas Fund.
The charity, which supports the persecuted church worldwide, estimates that hundreds of Eritrean Christian refugees have been subjected to terrible abuse after arriving in Egypt.
Egypt is the most popular destination for Christians escaping from Eritrea, one of the most hostile countries in the world for followers of the faith.
In Eritrea, Christians and evangelicals in particular are viewed as a threat to national security because of their allegiance to God before the state.
As a result, many of them are tortured and imprisoned for their faith in conditions described by Barnabas Fund as “horrendous”.
Persecution has intensified in recent months after an Eritrean governor ordered a purge against Christians at the end of 2010.
The charity said hundreds of Eritrean Christians were risking their lives each month to enter Egypt, where they go in the hope of eventually being able to cross the border into Israel.
A Channel 4 documentary, “Breaking into Israel”, last week charted the harsh 900-mile journey made by Eritrean refugees, some of whom die before reaching their destination. Some are shot dead crossing the Egypt-Israel border and others are caught and returned to Eritrea where they face torture and even death.
According to Barnabas Fund, the majority of the Eritrean refugees are Christians.
It warned that many of them were ending up in Egyptian prisons or being held hostage for $20,000 ransoms in the deserts of Sinai by Bedouin Muslim nomads who work with human traffickers….