I was having dinner recently with a group of Copts who had just moved to the United States. I asked one of them whether he missed Egypt. “I miss my life in Egypt,” he responded, “but that Egypt is gone. That train has definitely pulled out of the station.”
That really haunted me. For all its turmoil, are we really witnessing such fundamental shifts in Egypt that the country we once knew will be gone forever?
The man I spoke to was a highly-educated professional. He had the choice to leave. But millions of Copts, living in poverty, will not have that choice. They will have to stay and deal with whatever Egypt turns into in the next few years.
But there is still hope for Copts to have a life in Egypt, if we keep our eye on the ball.
Keeping our eye on the ball means a young girl has a shot at a real education rather than an early marriage; a fatherless boy has a mentor to tutor him and stays around to see him through college; a widowed mother can get a no-interest loan to start a business.
That’s the life Coptic Orphans is fighting to preserve in Egypt. Now more than ever, help us fight for an Egypt that still holds a future for the Copts. It is our responsibility to support the Copts in Egypt – before it’s too late.