Egypt declares state of emergency after five days of violence

(Story image credit: Omar Robert Hamilton.)

Egypt (MNN) ― It's been two years since President Hosni Mubarak fell from power, and it seems Egyptians aren't happy with the results.

"Two years later, we see there's less religious freedom, there's less democracy, and the Muslim Brotherhood just seems to be moving toward consolidating power and taking control of the whole country," says Todd Nettleton of Voice of the Martyrs USA.

As "tahrir" means liberty, Tahrir Square seemed to be a fitting place for Egyptian protestors to gather on January 25, 2011 and demand freedom from Mubarak's iron-fisted rule. Later termed a "Day of Wrath," thousands of Egyptians took to the streets in anti-government protests.

On the Day of Wrath's two-year anniversary, "freedom fighters" arrived in Tahrir Square to once again demand liberty for the Egyptian people. Reportedly, protestors torched a Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo, and mass demonstrations broke out throughout the country.

Even more violence broke out when a court gave several Egyptians the death sentence for their involvement in deadly soccer violence last year. Five straight days of violence led the Morsi regime to declare a state of emergency.

So far, the unrest has claimed more than 50 victims.

"This affects everybody in Egypt, and that includes our Christian brothers and sisters," says Nettleton. "They face this uncertainty; they face this upheaval as well."

Ask God to protect His people in Egypt, and pray for believers to be encouraged. Since Morsi came to power this summer, violence against Christians has increased and Egyptian leaders forced a new constitution into being without any input from believers.

Nettleton says, "It would be easy to get discouraged, and so I think we can pray that they will remain encouraged, see opportunities to serve the Lord, and [have] opportunities to witness and minister, in spite of the direction that things are moving politically."

Mubarak relinquished his power on February 11, 2011. As the two-year anniversary of this date approaches, keep the Egyptian Church covered in prayer.