A Birthday and a Threat

I want to begin by wishing my friends in Israel a very happy 63rd Independence Day celebration. On the Jewish calendar, the day for celebration was yesterday; on our calendar, it is this coming Saturday, May 14. It was on that date in 1948 that David Ben Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel, officially declared that Israel was a free and independent nation and the Israeli flag - the Star of David - flew over Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. You will then remember that five Arab nations - Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia - declared war against the newly created nation. But, through a series of miracles, the nation of Israel survived and has now grown to one of the most powerful nations on the earth. So, happy 63rd Birthday, Israel. May God bless you with many more.

It has been a while since we have touched base with what is happening in Egypt since the overthrowing of President Mubarak last January. Our media has been quick to assert that the forces of democracy have been victorious and a new Egypt will arise out of the failed and corrupt policies of its now deposed president. But, is that the real story? Let's take a look inside Egypt.

First, the persecution of the Coptic Christians in Egypt has escalated tremendously since the demise of Mubarak. Churches have been burned; Egyptian Christians have been murdered or severely beaten. The Coptic Christians, who comprise 10% of the Egyptian population have now become the main target of those who want Egypt to become an Islamic state rather than continue as a secular state. Democracy - certainly not according to Western definitions.

Second, the Pew Research Center conducted a recent poll among a thousand Egyptians in April. These were face-to-face interviews. 89% of those interviewed said that the new Egyptian government "should follow the values and principles of Islam." 62% want laws to enforce Shariah Law. 84% favored the death penalty for people who abdicate their Muslim faith; 82% support the stoning of adulterers; and 77% believe that thieves should be punished by having their hands cut off. Democracy - not sure I would want to live there.

Third, again the Pew Research Center poll discovered that nearly 8 in 10 Egyptians still hate the United States. 54% of those polled said that the new Egyptian government should nullify the treaty of 1979 that Egypt made with Israel; only 36% spoke in favor of retaining the treaty. Democracy - doesn't sound that way to me.

Here is the problem Western leaders and media personnel have with the Middle East. We have this idea that those who oppose a government that has been in power for decades are fighting for democracy. Nothing could be further from the truth. They simply want to replace one autocratic leader with one of their choosing. In the case of Egypt, the new leadership will be strongly influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood, who, in spite of the acclaim given to it by our White House and State Department, is committed to the destruction of Israel. The new Egyptian government will be strongly anti-American and anti-Israel. People will lose even those freedoms that they now enjoy. You might remember that back in January I related what would happen with these rushes toward democracy. The evidence gathered by the Pew Research Center poll bears out the validity of that argument.

How we need to remember in prayer the persecuted Church in Egypt. We need to pray for God's strength to be supplied to them. And then we need to pray that the eyes of our leaders might be opened to truly see what is happening in the nations of the Middle East today. It is not democracy they are seeking but the destruction of Israel.