Egypt is located in Northeastern Africa on the Mediterranean Sea, sharing borders with Libya and Sudan. It contains a large portion of the River Nile, running down from Ethiopia to the Mediterranean Sea.

Egypt’s population is approximately 85 million people, with about 7 million living in Cairo, the capital city. The national language of the country is Arabic. Even though the entire population can speak the language, only 71% can read and write it.

The Egyptian laws play a huge role in the religious freedom of the people. The majority of Egypt’s population is of the Islamic faith (approximately 85%), while the rest are of minority faiths, including the Christianity. These statistics can never be completely accurate due to the persecution of Christians and the preference the government gives to Islam.

Egypt was dictated by President Hosni Mubarak for 30 years until the Egyptian Revolution on January 25th, 2011, which overthrew his regime. After the fall of Mubarak, Mohammed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, became the president of Egypt. A little over a year into his presidency, Morsi was forced to step down by the will of the people on July 3rd, 2013.

From 2011 to 2013, there was a period of instability that severely affected the Egyptian people, as it widened the gap between the lower and upper classes. The population under the poverty line almost doubled, increasing from 25.2% in 2011, to over 40% in 2014. The majority of the economy is currently owned by less than 5% of the population, and so the inequality and oppression in Egypt is evident on a daily basis.

The Coptic population was affected the most during the revolution and it continues to feel the effects. Not only they are going through the daily struggles that the entire country is experiencing, but they are also being persecuted and discriminated against. Their struggle is twice as hard as the non-Christian population.