Egypt

Christian ministry leader "Mama Maggie" Gobran has been nominated for the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize by several members of the United States Congress for her selfless work offering aid and assistance to the impoverished people of Cairo's garbage slums.

Congressmen Frank Wolf, Bill Huizenga, Joseph Pitts, Robert Aderholt, and John Carter all signed a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee Council urging council members to consider "Mama Maggie" for the prestigious award. The deadline for nominations closed on Wednesday of last week.

"Ms. Gobran is a woman of the utmost integrity and her tireless work has served thousands of Egyptians, including countless children. She has given a voice to the poor," the letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee read. more >>

Egypt's military-led government says it will refer 43 people, including 19 U.S. citizens, to a criminal court over foreign financing of non-governmental organizations as it appears to be tightening the noose around the country's pro-democracy civil society.

The 43 suspects include 19 Americans, five Serbs, two Germans and three non-Egyptian Arab nationals, all of whom have been banned from leaving the country, Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reported Sunday. The court is yet to decide a date for the trial.

Among the Americans charged is Sam LaHood, the head of the Egypt office of the Washington-based International Republican Institute and son of U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. more >>

Three Americans are hiding in the U.S. Embassy in Cairo fearing that Egyptian authorities are looking to put them under arrest.

The U.S. citizens, one of whom is International Republican Institute Egypt Country Director Sam LaHood, have said they were "afraid of their lives" and have been prevented from flying out of Egypt, a CNN report revealed.

Egyptian security forces are reportedly looking for them after raiding the offices of several non-governmental organizations last month looking at groups that may have received illegal foreign funding and may have been operating without government licenses. more >>

The World Evangelical Alliance will hold an Egypt Summit in Washington, D.C., Feb. 7-8, at the request of Christian leaders in Egypt, the organization has announced.

The WEA is the largest global evangelical body with a network of churches in 129 nations and an alliance of 100 international organizations representing over 600 million Christians worldwide. The summit, to be held one year after the Arab Spring wave reached Cairo and resulted in the toppling of despotic president Hosni Mubarak, is a response to concerns expressed by the international Christian community who have been watching events unfold in Egypt since January 2011.

Christian observers have expressed concern about Muslim political parties sweeping an overwhelming majority in the Egyptian parliament, following the uprising that toppled Mubarak, which was also followed by acts of violence against local Coptic Christians, one of the oldest religious minorities in the country. The continuing unrest in the country has also been troubling observers. more >>

Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, called Wednesday for national unity and an end to persecution in Egypt on the first anniversary of the revolution that brought more democracy to the nation but also increased violence against Christians.

Wednesday marked one year since Egyptians rose up Jan. 25, 2011, in revolution. Over 800 deaths later, Egypt has a new, democratically-elected, an mostly Islamic government and is starting to make its way towards putting the country's economy back on track.

The bishop offered prayers for the victims who died during pro-democracy protests in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt, evoking also Coptic Christians who died in separate incidents after the toppling of Egypt's president of nearly 30 years, Hosni Mubarak. Next to some follow-up protests against military rule, the country saw a different kind of fresh violence in the aftermath of the revolution - violence against the Coptic community, one of Egypt's oldest religious groups. more >>

Egypt's newly-elected lower house of parliament convened for the first time ever on Monday, but already immediately caused controversy as several members attempted to amend their oaths as they were sworn in to office.

The meeting is the first between Egypt's newly elected lawmakers since former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year.

The inaugural session commenced fittingly with a moment of silence in memory of the hundreds of people killed in anti-government protests over the past year. However, the landmark meeting then saw members take it in turns to be sworn in to office, and pledging themselves to the constitution and the Egyptian rule of law. more >>