Muslim government leaders play their hand

Egypt (MNN) ― Egypt is on a difficult path to change. 

Parliament spent its first week trying to settle in with challenges and riots taking place just outside the main chambers. The Muslim Brotherhood is expected to reveal the names of a coalition government as soon as it's asked to form a new leadership.

That move alone is causing some Christians concern. While in Egypt, we spoke with a community development ministry leader who was involved with a meeting last week with the Ministers of the new government.

For security reasons, we'll call him "Khalid." What he witnessed changed his optimistic view of what the new Egypt will look like for Christians. He says, "The Minister himself is a very Muslim guy with a thick beard and a stamp on his face, and two or three men with the same beard, and four or five veiled ladies. He was holding in his hands a necklace counting the names of God while he is leading the conversation between us."

Not only that, but "the General Assembly of the Parliament [wears] full beards. The president of the Parliament stopped one of the audiences because this guy tried to read the Quran in the Parliament." Khalid went on to say that "there is a verse in the Quran that says, 'If someone reads the Quran, leave him until he finishes the verse.' So he has to leave him...and another guy asked for (Muslim) prayer for the whole [assembly]."   

Never before has a Muslim call to prayer been answered inside the Parliament building during a session. "For the first time in Egypt, we see this. Because of this, we know that lots of suffering will come from this--especially because the leadership says [they will begin using Sharia] to rule the country."

When asked when Sharia was likely to be implemented, Khalid wryly noted, "Now, there are lots of poor people [who steal to eat]. They can't cut the hands off of millions of people, so they said that when we [recover more economically], they will [implement Sharia]."

For community development groups that are noted for their open Gospel content, what will the future hold? It could become very difficult for their teams. With the government narrowing focus on Non-Government Organizations, it's possible they're already under scrutiny. However, that won't stop them. Khalid says, "The Bible said the Spirit inside us will lead us to pray. I think we will ask the Lord to give us wisdom and to give us [strength] and to help us."