06/06/2019 Egypt (International Christian Concern) – On May 27th, a Sudanese man seeking refuge in Egypt received a threatening phone call from an unknown number. The caller accused Al Hadi Izzalden Shareef Osman of being “an infidel and fuel for hell.” Osman said he recognized the caller as one of five Islamic hardliners who, one week earlier, appeared at his house and demanded he renounce Christ.
Osman fled to Egypt after by Sudanese authorities threatened to torture and kill him if he did not return to Islam. They had accused him of apostasy, which in Sudan, is punishable by death. Since being in Egypt he has been continually harassed, causing him to relocate once already due to fears for his own safety.
Life in North Africa is difficult for Christians, it often feels like nowhere is safe. Sudanese refugees face a number of challenges in Egypt, challenges made even more difficult because of their faith. While their situation is better than in Sudan, where converts can face a death penalty, violence and harassment still often follows them wherever they flee.
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