Coptic Solidarity

05/26/2026

Join us on Tuesday, June 9, for an interactive event on Coptic Solidarity’s newest initiative, CoptWatch!
CoptWatch is an open-source, public database that aims to record incidents of anti-Coptic hostilities in the last few years. This event features a presentation on the database, an audience demonstration of how data is collected and recorded, and a conversation on the importance of incident documentation to human rights advocacy. Registration link in comments.

05/25/2026

Assyrian Groups Reject Plan to Alter Demographic Composition in North Iraq
By David Barsom – Assyrian Post

By David Barsom – Assyrian Post – The Assyrian Democratic Movement, and two other smaller Assyrian groups, described the recent actions as “a clear attempt to impose a new demographic reality” in violation of the Iraqi Constitution and previous official decisions. The ADM warns that the meas...

05/24/2026

Join our 14th annual conference on Capitol Hill on June 8 and 9. Registration is free. Link in comments

05/21/2026

Little did we know that a few short days after we made this presentation at the United Nations’ Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, a proposed legislation will be tabled in the Egyptian Parliament, now signed by 60 MPs, to allow the state to confiscate 25 of the holiest Coptic Christian sites associated with the Holy Family’s Flight to Egypt.

The legislation was submitted to Parliament without meaningful consultation with the Coptic Orthodox Church, despite the fact that the entire project is centered on churches and monasteries that the Church has preserved and maintained for centuries

The draft law would create a new authority reporting to the Prime Minister with broad powers over lands, facilities, and revenues connected to sites along the trail. It would permit the authority to impose entrance fees, establish investment partnerships, and potentially assume control over properties associated with churches and monasteries.

These churches and monasteries are not simply historical landmarks.
They are living places of worship and enduring symbols of one of the world’s oldest Christian communities.

Please help us defend our Coptic heritage and ensure that the voices of Copts are heard on the world stage by making a small gift today - link in comments. With your help, we can:
* Raise urgent threats to Christian heritage sites before the United Nations
* Meet directly with diplomats and international decision-makers
* Publish timely reports and legal analysis
* Mobilize international pressure to protect churches and monasteries
* Defend the rights of Copts to preserve and manage their sacred sites

05/19/2026

At the United Nations last month, Coptic Solidarity raised an urgent concern: the growing threat to Egypt’s churches, monasteries, and historic Christian properties.
During the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, we delivered an official intervention highlighting the Copts as Egypt’s indigenous Christian community and warning that their religious and cultural heritage is increasingly at risk as state authorities continue to erode the autonomy of Christian institutions and weaken the ability of Copts to safeguard their own sacred sites.
That concern has become even more urgent following the introduction of a proposed law governing Egypt’s Holy Family Trail, which was submitted to Parliament without meaningful consultation with the Coptic Orthodox Church, despite the fact that the entire project is centered on churches and monasteries that the Church has preserved and maintained for centuries.
The draft law would create a new authority reporting to the Prime Minister with broad powers over lands, facilities, and revenues connected to sites along the trail. It would permit the authority to impose entrance fees, establish investment partnerships, and potentially assume control over properties and donations associated with churches and monasteries.
Many observers fear that sacred places of worship could gradually be transformed into commercial assets, while the Church is reduced to only a minor voice in decisions affecting its own religious heritage.

This is about far more than tourism.
It is about whether Egypt’s Christian community will retain stewardship over some of its holiest sites, or whether those sites will be subjected to increasing state control disguised under the banner of “development,” or any other convenient justification.

At the United Nations, Coptic Solidarity met with diplomats, UN officials, and human rights advocates to ensure that these concerns are heard internationally before irreversible decisions are made.
Your support makes this work possible.
Please make a gift today to help us protect Egypt’s Christian heritage and ensure that the voices of Copts are heard on the world stage. Link in comments.

05/19/2026

05/19/2026

At the United Nations last month, Coptic Solidarity raised an urgent concern: the growing threat to Egypt’s churches, monasteries, and historic Christian properties.
During the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, we delivered an official intervention highlighting the Copts as Egypt’s indigenous Christian community and warning that their religious and cultural heritage is increasingly at risk as state authorities continue to erode the autonomy of Christian institutions and weaken the ability of Copts to safeguard their own sacred sites.
That concern has become even more urgent following the introduction of a proposed law governing Egypt’s Holy Family Trail, which was submitted to Parliament without meaningful consultation with the Coptic Orthodox Church, despite the fact that the entire project is centered on churches and monasteries that the Church has preserved and maintained for centuries.
The draft law would create a new authority reporting to the Prime Minister with broad powers over lands, facilities, and revenues connected to sites along the trail. It would permit the authority to impose entrance fees, establish investment partnerships, and potentially assume control over properties and donations associated with churches and monasteries.
Many observers fear that sacred places of worship could gradually be transformed into commercial assets, while the Church is reduced to only a minor voice in decisions affecting its own religious heritage.

This is about far more than tourism.
It is about whether Egypt’s Christian community will retain stewardship over some of its holiest sites, or whether those sites will be subjected to increasing state control disguised under the banner of “development,” or any other convenient justification.

At the United Nations, Coptic Solidarity met with diplomats, UN officials, and human rights advocates to ensure that these concerns are heard internationally before irreversible decisions are made.
Your support makes this work possible.
Please make a gift today to help us protect Egypt’s Christian heritage and ensure that the voices of Copts are heard on the world stage.

05/17/2026

Neighbour of Coptic Christian family who recorded the remains of their demolished home in the village of Al-Tala in Minya Governorate alleges that Deputy Mayor (or President of Regional Government) ordered the demolition of the legitimately licensed house because, according to him, "the owner is a cowardly Christian son of a b.... and will not do anything about it."

Stand with us for . Support our work as we give our Coptic brothers and sisters a voice. Donation link in comment.

05/14/2026

Egypt’s ‘Holy Family Trail’: When the Sacred Becomes a Battleground Over “Dividing the Cake” By Nader Shoukry – Watani
"The first major question is this: how can a draft law directly concerning churches, monasteries, and sites affiliated with the Coptic Church be introduced without consulting the Church or discussing it with its representatives?"

By Nader Shoukry – Watani – For years, the Egyptian state, in cooperation with the Coptic Church, has sought to transform the Holy Family Trail project into one of the world’s most important spiritual tourism initiatives. The project is not merely about archaeological sites, churches, or monas...