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This week, our Sunday School teacher taught us about a brave Christian teenager who is being persecuted in Egypt because he believes in Jesus. His name is Gamal Abdou Massoud.
Last April, 17-year-old Gamal Massoud was sent to jail for supposedly posting cartoons on his Facebook account that insulted the main religion of Egypt. He has said he didn’t do it, and some people aren’t even sure he has a Facebook account, but it didn’t matter. Mobs became angry and rioted. They even destroyed his home and the homes of some of the other Christians in his town. And the court blamed Gamal for starting the riots!
The judge gave Gamal the longest sentence he could—three years in jail. And that’s for something people aren’t even sure that he did! As for the crowd that destroyed Gamal’s home, and the homes of the other Christians, none of them have been arrested.
What makes what happened to Gamal even more unfair is that when people in Egypt insult God and the Bible, most judges don’t do anything at all. I don’t want people to go to jail for insulting Christians, but I don’t want Gamal to go to jail, either.
There are a lot of changes in the government of Egypt happening right now that will have a big impact on Christians like Gamal. Please pray with me that God will help Egyptian Christians to be strong and faithful, no matter what.
“Dear God, please help the Christians in Egypt to not be afraid. Help them remember that You never forget them. And, please help us not to forget about them, either. Help Gamal be strong and continue to tell others about Your love. We pray that he could come home to his family very soon and not have to stay in jail. Thank You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”
The facts of this story are based on World Watch Monitor news articles published on April 6, 2012.
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