The prayer that transformed the life of an Egyptian Christian

“Jesus is the One who saved my house and gave me new life.”

This was the loudest declaration Alia* shouted after a powerful moment of prayer in the ministry.

Alia is a 48-year-old married Egyptian woman and the mother of five children: two adult daughters in their twenties, a son, and two teenage girls.

Living in a village in Upper Egypt, she faces immense challenges. Her husband suffers from multiple disabilities, leaving Alia as the primary provider and caregiver for the entire family.
 

Harsh realities

Christians in these villages suffer from severe persecution, and particularly in the rural areas where they are a minority. One of the most painful decisions Alia had to make was marrying off her daughter to a Muslim man simply because she felt her daughter “needed to be settled”. Though it is heartbreaking, Alia faced pressures from life circumstances, and she felt she had no other choice. This also reflects the harsh realities Christian women endure in Egypt.

One day, carrying the pain in her heart, her eyes full of tears, Alia walked in a prayer meeting at a nearby church. 

That moment became the turning point in her life.

Alia poured out her heart before Jesus, asking him to take control of her home and future. A ministry leader prayed with her, and afterward, the team visited her family, prayed with them, and invited Alia to join a discipleship group.
 

The beginning of new life

Through the small support group, Alia began to learn how to raise her teenage daughters with love, patience, and godly wisdom, something she had never experienced before. She realised that parenting was not only about providing financially, but about building connection and trust.

Slowly, Alia began spending time with her children, listening to their hearts, and praying with them.

With the support of the ministry leaders, support groups and prayers, Alia found the strength to protect her second daughter from a fraudulent marriage. A Muslim man persistently tried to convince her daughter to marry and convert, but Alia’s faith stood firm.

  By God’s grace, her daughter was spared from this trap. Today, she faithfully attends youth meetings, and the entire family has become active in church life. Even Alia’s ill husband now joins them in worship.

“Jesus is the One who saved my house and gave me new life,” Alia exclaims with joy.
 

Forced marriage

In places like Egypt, where female Christians are seen and treated as second-class citizens, they suffer for their faith and gender, such as forced marriage, sexual and physical violence. Based on years of data from our Open Doors research unit, forced marriage is one of the most prevalent persecution tactics women endure for their faith.

Forced marriage is a specific form of exploitation, intimidation and control used throughout the world. Young female Christian converts from a Muslim background can be forced into marriage to prevent them from pursuing their faith. Often, families force women to marry much older men with the hope that her husband will force her to return to Islam.

While not a possibility for many, women who resist being pressured into marriage risk significant conflict and even house arrest. And women who are forced into marriages encounter a set of unique and long-term challenges to their faith, alongside the human rights violations associated with all forced marriages. This includes having to follow Jesus in secret, being unable to meet with other believers, or raise their children as Christians.

We continue to lift up women around the world who face hardship for their faith in Christ. May God comfort them and feel His love as they continue to follow God. May they see that God is at work even in the most difficult situation.

*Name changed for security reasons