by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In an apparent effort to improve its relations with Egypt’s Christian community, the Islamic Egyptian government last month approved the legalization of 293 previously unlicensed churches and service buildings, All Arab News (AAN) reports.
Following recommendations from the Main Committee under Article 8 of Law No. 80 from 2016, the legalization approval was given during a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly on October 21.
Egypt will now have 3,453 churches and worship centers with legal status,
“Since the passing of that law, Egypt has moved to legalize churches built without prior approval, as well as authorizing the construction of new churches,” AAN said in its report. “The law was meant to address significant administrative and security hurdles in approving the construction of new churches following complaints from the Coptic Christian community.”
In a recent report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom confirmed: “Religious freedom conditions in Egypt are trending tentatively in a positive direction.”
“The country has seen a decrease in radical Islamist violence and anti-Christian mob attacks, some progress in implementing the registration process for unlicensed churches and related buildings, and the launch of a government program to address religious intolerance in rural areas,” the USCIRF noted.
Nevertheless, the USCIRF cautioned: “Systematic and ongoing religious inequalities remain affixed in the Egyptian state and society, and various forms of religious bigotry and discrimination continue to plague the country’s Coptic Christians and other religious minorities.”
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
The United States has overtaken Saudi Arabia as the world’s largest exporter of crude oil over the past nine weeks, as Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz severely disrupted Middle Eastern energy exports and forced global buyers to seek alternative supplies.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that Israel remains in constant coordination with the United States regarding Iran, emphasizing that there are “no surprises” between Jerusalem and Washington as reports swirl about a possible U.S.-Iran agreement aimed at ending the war before fully dismantling Tehran’s nuclear program.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is targeting multiple seats in Congress to take back the Democratic majority in November.
A tense calm returned Monday to a lakeside park in the U.S. state of Oklahoma after a shooting at a crowded outdoor party left nearly two dozen people injured, including several in critical condition, authorities said.
At least five people were killed and 37 others injured in renewed Russian strikes on Ukraine, officials said, as tensions escalated further with what Moscow authorities described as a Ukrainian drone attack on a residential building in the Russian capital.
Governments and activist groups pursuing legal action against major energy companies faced renewed scrutiny Wednesday after the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) dropped its most extreme forecast projecting 4 to 6 degrees Celsius (7.2 to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) of global warming by the year 2100.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Wednesday that Washington and Tehran were moving closer to an initial agreement to end the war involving Iran, the United States, and Israel, prompting a sharp rally in global financial markets and a decline in oil prices.