It's Not about Religion in Egypt

The Arab world has been upended in many ways over the mass protests in Egypt. While it’s easy to read Islamic proliferation into the various Middle Eastern struggles, in the case of Egypt, which isn’t in the Middle East, it’s about the structure and function of government. In a world seared by the fear of radical Islamic terrorism it’s a positive to see Egypt’s internal strife focused on a dictatorship rather than an ayatollah or imam. Egypt, much like Iran, has a young population that seems hungry for a form of democracy. This is about the only similarity between the two countries. Egypt is a Sunni Muslim country without a theocratic element; Iran is predominantly Shia Muslim and is run from the shadows by radical clerics. Sunni and Shia Muslims do not get along with each other, an issue that goes back to the 7^th century. Iran is in the Middle East and Egypt is part of the African continent. Miles apart in many ways, these two countries are poised to define the face of the future for Islam.

No one knows how the acute Egyptian upheaval will end, or what the lasting results will be. The same can be said for the smaller, quieter freedom movement in Iran. The brightest light is that a yearning for some form of freedom and democracy is in evidence among the younger Muslims in each country. Radical Islam can only be stopped from within Islam. If it’s true that 15% of Muslims are on the radical right; 15% form the liberal left; and, 70% occupy the middle, it’s possible that the average Muslim is not intent on the destructive progression of Islam (the end goal of Islam is to permeate the world with Islamic influence). If this assessment is accurate, there is a hope that the huge majority of centrist Muslims will sway both Sunni and Shia Islam away from the Al Qaeda, Taliban, Hezbollah and other extremist elements. Obviously this is only a hope as there are no guarantees and thus far, the larger centrist faction has been quiet. But, hope is what makes today’s world go round.

So pray for all Egyptians as this epic uprising continues to unfold. Pray for the Christian church in Egypt and the safety of missionaries and believers caught in the middle of this struggle. Pray also for Iranian Christians, some of whom have faced strong persecution over the past years, and for the amazing progress of the Gospel in Iran. Our close work with Elam Ministries has allowed us to keep up with the growth of the Christian church in Tehran and across the country. And pray for the quest for democracy from within each country. An open mind for democracy signals an opening for other new ideas and practices…and the light of Jesus Christ has an amazing ability to find its way through even the tiniest of openings.

Michael McCullar