Egypt charges Christian convert with terrorism

Saeid Mansour Abdulraziq, an Egyptian citizen who converted to Christianity in 2016, was charged by the Egyptian State Security Prosecutor’s Office on July 22, 2025, with participating in a terrorist organization, inciting unrest, and spreading false news for requesting that his new Christian faith be listed on his ID card.

In Egypt, he was briefly interrogated and released with a warning not to speak or proselytize, but he did not face charges until he officially requested to change his religion on his ID card.

According to Christian lawyer Saeid Fayaz, thousands of converts in Egypt lack protection and live in fear and misunderstanding. Fayaz claims that he trusted the Egyptian Constitution, which formally recognizes religious freedom, without considering that this right is exercised only in one direction: from Christianity to Islam, but not vice versa.

Although the constitution enshrines freedom of religion, in practice the state refuses to officially recognize conversion from Islam to another religion. This is due to the lack of specific legislation on the matter: judges interpret the conflict between Sharia and constitutional equality, favoring the Islamic status quo.

This case reflects a broader trend of hostility toward Christians: organizations such as Aid to the Church in Need and other reports record that Egypt continues to deny official recognition of religious conversion, despite constitutional provisions to the contrary.

The Abdulraziq case is not an isolated one. Experts on religious freedom maintain that in Egypt, this freedom tends to be curtailed when it affects the Muslim majority, especially if it involves a public questioning of the dominant Islamic faith. Converting to Christianity, although a legally protected act, becomes an act of courage that is socially and judicially penalized.