US State Department report critical of Egypt’s treatment of religious minorities makes the rounds again

US State Department report critical of Egypt’s treatment of religious minorities makes the rounds again: The US State Department leveled criticism at the way Coptic Christians were being treated in Egypt in its International Religious Freedom Report for 2016 (pdf). The report, out since late summer, has been making the rounds on social and religious-interest media in the past couple of days since US Vice President Mike Pence said he would be in Egypt this December, in part to push for more protection for the Middle East’s Christian communities. The report not only points to the attacks Christians have faced in Egypt at the hands of Daesh, but also notes violence against them from the wider community, including an attack on the families of two Coptic priests in Minya. It also notes that the government still refuses to recognize religions including Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons and the Baha’is, despite the Egyptian constitution guaranteeing the freedom to exercise any religion.