Hill advocates for Coptic Christians

U.S. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., and U.S. Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., introduced a bipartisan resolution Monday urging Egypt’s leaders “to enact serious and legitimate reforms in the public sector, athletics, and society to ensure Coptic Christians are given the same rights and opportunities as all other Egyptian citizens.”

Officials in Cairo are also urged “to take additional steps to end the culture of impunity for attacks on Christians, to continue to undertake the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of individuals who carry out attacks on Copts and other Christians in Egypt, and to hold accountable Government officials who fail to enforce the law.”

The measure has 12 additional co-sponsors, ranging from U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, on the right to U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn. on the left.

According to tradition, St. Mark founded the Church of Alexandria nearly 2,000 years ago.

Today, Christians are a minority in the predominantly Muslim nation.

“Despite President [Abdel Fattah] el-Sisi’s steps in recent years to promote religious tolerance at the top levels of the Egyptian government, Coptic Christians continue to face persecution and discrimination from their fellow Egyptians throughout Egypt,” the lawmaker from Little Rock said in a written statement.

Coptic Christians should be “given the same rights and opportunities as all other Egyptians,” he said.