Coptic Christians in worship at a Palm Sunday service in Cairo, Egypt on April 5, 2026. (Ahmad Hasaballah / Getty Images)
By Ben Zeisloft August 8, 2026 at 6:00am
A recent series of attacks on Christians prompted attention from believers around the world, as well as a response from the U.S. State Department.
Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, a Muslim who became a Christian, has especially provoked concern around the world due to his imprisonment, per Fox News.
Raymond Ibrahim, a historian who writes frequently on the Islamic world, noted that Abdelrazek “endured years of harassment, detention, and abuse” after becoming a Christian in 2016.
“On April 13, prosecutors referred him to a terrorism court, while his lawyers were denied access to the case file,” Ibrahim wrote.
“He remains imprisoned, with advocates reporting torture, physical abuse, denial of adequate medical care, and repeated postponements of his trial.”
Said Mansour Rezk Abdelrazek, a 30-year-old Egyptian Christian convert, is imprisoned in Egypt after Russia deported him in 2024 despite his UNHCR refugee documentation.
Said has faced years of persecution for leaving Islam, including arbitrary arrests, torture, abuse, forced… pic.twitter.com/kI42P02DBy
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 21, 2026
The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights meanwhile highlighted reports of an Islamic mob besieging a church in Upper Egypt.
The mob, which was reportedly throwing stones, injured Christians and damaged a priest’s car.
Rev. Matta Roushdy, a priest at the Virgin Mary and St. Abanoub Coptic Orthodox Church, was attacked days later.
Open Doors said of the incident that “these types of attacks are usually committed by members of radical Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood.”
“Their actions reflect a broader anti-Christian sentiment, especially in rural and village societies across the country where weak law enforcement leaves Christians vulnerable to attack,” the ministry said.
“Though violent cases like this have decreased in the last decade, these attacks will continue until the state takes anti-Christian fanaticism as seriously as it deserves.”
The U.S. State Department issued a response to the violence in a statement to Fox News.
“America will always defend the right of every person to live out their faith openly, freely, and without fear,” a representative said.
“Religious freedom is a fundamental American value. We aspire for all others to enjoy the same freedom, protection, and benefits.”
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Ben Zeisloft is the communications director for the Foundation to Abolish Abortion. He also serves as a writer and editor for The Sentinel. He is a former reporter for The Daily Wire and has been published in other conservative media outlets such as The Spectator and Campus Reform. Ben graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School with concentrations in business economics and marketing.
