I’m GUILTY

I don’t know how to start a post about the miserable situation Egyptian Christians face in Egypt.
I decided to start with my own experience- couple situations from many.
I’m a lucky person as I always learn from experiences I’m in it but luck and only luck, some of those experiences happened to me because and just because my name- full name- work as well as name for Christian Egyptian-my class mate who is Christian shares with me my all name.

I still remember first time I hear there are some people not Muslims, it was surprise I knew about it when I was 11 years old, yes 11 years old for real, I born in an Arab country in a city non Muslims can’t live in it and then back to Egypt and start going to school and for ironic luck because of my name they put me in Christian class!

I don’t go to church I go to mosque, that was my answer for first bible class, that was when the teacher wanted to know who is catholic , orthodox and protestant ,the surprise wasn’t so much for the teacher as the one he got from TONY my friend in that class in public school in Alexandria Egypt, tony said I’m a JEW! The teacher said are you kidding me? TONY answered no for real , the teacher left the class for while and when he back he decided to ask me and tony to leave the class in bible classes! That how I become friend with TONY.

It needs a whole post or more to talk about the world I seen through TONY.

I spent 2 years in that class with Christians knew about their believes, about their holydays and had friendship with some, and be hated from all other students in school as they do!

When I apply to my id it took too long time and every time I went to receive it. It wasn’t done yet so I asked my uncle who is police officer in another city to find if he has friends in my area to help me get it fast, he had a friend, police officer who happen to be Christian , when he ask for my ID it come to his office in few minutes with religion CHRISTIAN!
He knew I’m not and ask to fix it and told me that why it took long time then, they ignore you.

Years go fast , I grew , finished college and start my first job far away from my city, from very north of Egypt to last alive point in south of Egypt, in my first day they make me share room with one of few Christians working there while the owner of that hotel is Christian!

After weeks I figured out why everyone is so not normal with me, because they thought I’m Christian, it was funny and sad situation that when one guy see me coming out of the mosque in Friday prayer and congratulate me for converting to Islam!

I wonder then why the Christian guy who I share room with and he was my boos too never told anyone that is I’m not Christian as he knew from first day he said WANT YOU TO SHARE SOME FUN!

Couple years more and I went to work in hotel own by Egyptian government, I have been hired while the HR was in vacation, when he came back to work he ask me to see him in his office and then he start process to fire me because I’m not doing my job well after 2 weeks of hiring, when he ask me to give him my id to write down information he see that I’m a Muslim, he smiled and said oh I thought you are Christian sorry, we just have a policy not to hire Christians, now go back to work!

In the day of my interview in American embassy in Cairo, the information desk asked me my name before answer my question about where should I go, after knew my name he ignored me totally , when I repeat it he said go with YOUR people.

In America first and only time I hear a very rude and racial clear words toward me when I met that Egyptian guy at work and because he looked to my name tag asked me which church I go to, I answered I go to mosque he said : YOU BECOME SO MANY HERE IN AMERICA WE LEFT EGYPT FOR YOU AND YOU FOLLOW US TO HERE.

Do you remember when they fire you from college theater team Irene? Do you remember when we had our team and had our first play on Y theater, George do you remember teasing me in Ramadan, yousef I still hungry for your mom cake, morgues thanks for the rug you gave me for prayer from you balcony that Friday.

For all of you I apologize I’m coward, I didn’t do anything real for you, you get killed in Egypt streets, I feel your blood on my hand.