CIRCULATION CODE 3. OPEN. May be circulated to general mailing =
lists, outside organizations, and quoted from freely in reports citing =
"Middle East Concern" as the source of the =
information.

Egyptian Christians =
request our prayers as Egypt prepares to commence Parliamentary =
elections on 28th November (the elections are in stages and are =
scheduled to conclude on 10th March 2012). Within the current context of =
protest, violence and lack of security, Christians have several specific =
concerns.

First, Christians =
are concerned that the pattern of protest and violent response is =
nurturing an environment of indifference towards violence, including =
sectarian violence.

Second, =
Christians continue to be a vulnerable group, disproportionally affected =
by the lack of security in Egypt. They fear that the current climate of =
intimidation, violence and instability could lead to fewer Christians =
voting, which would impact their representation in =
Parliament.

Third, =
Christians are concerned that some parties, if they achieve power, =
intend to restrict freedoms, including freedom of expression and the =
religious freedom of religious minority communities. Although most =
parties have pledged to fight against sectarianism and discrimination, =
Christians fear that some parties, likely to have significant =
representation, would not honour such pledges.

Egyptian Christians request our prayers =
that:
a. The elections will be =
conducted in a peaceful environment and in a fair manner, and that all =
Egyptians, including Christians, will have confidence in the =
process
b.There will be an end =
to the violence, and that independent investigations will be initiated =
into the recent violence and that suffered by predominantly Christian =
protesters in October
c. That =
all political parties will respect and uphold Egypt’s current human =
rights commitments, including the freedoms of belief and =
expression