Conventional manger scenes don’t show it, but besides the ox, the ass, the sheep, and the camels, there was another animal in the room at Christmas: an elephant. And the elephant in the room was the idea that Jesus’ mother was a virgin when He was born. A Yuletide blog that didn’t talk about the elephant wouldn’t be doing its job.
Walter Russell MeadDecember 27, 2021
While these reports are never perfect, their existence reflects how the US government is uniquely positioned to serve as a global leader in the promotion of human rights. USCIRF’s commissioners and staff deserve commendation for producing them.
Steven HowardMay 14, 2021
While Sisi has made some improvements, stating that Egypt has achieved some advanced level of religious freedom or pluralism is fantastical and premature.
Sara Salama & Steven HowardMarch 9, 2021
For those of us who have followed the struggle of Egypt’s Coptic Christians, particularly during the presidency of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi, there’s been both good news and bad news.
Lela GilbertJanuary 26, 2021
Conventional manger scenes don’t show it, but besides the ox, the ass, the sheep, and the camels, there was another animal in the room at Christmas: an elephant. And the elephant in the room was the idea that Jesus’ mother was a virgin when He was born.
Walter Russell MeadDecember 27, 2020
Here lies the main problem with the article by Candace Lukasik: outside of its wrong claims, the article shows a clear lack of knowledge of anything resembling Coptic culture or history.
Samuel TadrosMay 19, 2020
During the coronavirus pandemic, Middle Eastern Christians like MP Neemat Frem and Dr. Issam Raad are living up to the best of their community’s tradition as healers of the sick.
Peter BurnsApril 14, 2020
Even as we remember that Jesus rose from the dead in Jerusalem, Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere experience some of the highest levels of persecution in the world.
Thomas Farr & Toufic BaakliniApril 12, 2020
For those worried about the Coptic Church’s future, the question is not that of a Christmas date or necessary adjustments for pastoral needs, but rather whether years from now we may look back at this decision as the first step in a painful schism that separates the Church in Egypt from its churches in the West, a separation of the daughter from the mother.
Samuel TadrosFebruary 5, 2020