(LifeSiteNews) — An Egyptian convert from Islam to Christianity has been charged with joining a terrorist organization, stirring unrest, and spreading false news after he requested a new ID to reflect his Christian religion.

Saeid Mansour Abdulraziq converted to the Russian Orthodox Church in 2016, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide. He suffered rejection from his family and animosity from others, including the police in Egypt, for sharing his faith publicly. Muslims, who make up about 90 percent of the North African nation, generally believe central Christian beliefs, such as the belief in a Trinitarian God, are blasphemous.

Abdulraziq then moved to Russia, where he applied for asylum and publicly criticized Islam. This led to backlash from Russian Muslim communities, and Abdulraziq was then arrested there in 2019 and imprisoned for a year. While reports have not specified the charges on which he was imprisoned, Russia’s Criminal Code penalizes actions that “insult the religious feelings of believers” (Article 148), widely considered a form of blasphemy law.

Upon Abdulraziq’s release from jail, his asylum status in Russia was revoked, and he was deported to Egypt in 2024. During a brief detention upon arrival, Egyptian authorities warned him not to proselytize or speak publicly about Islam or Christianity.

Despite reported efforts by Muslim groups to pressure the Egyptian government to arrest Abdulraziq, he walked free until he tried to change his religious status on his official identification.

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Egypt’s constitution ostensibly enshrines religious freedom for the Abrahamic religions, stating that “the freedom of practicing religious rituals and establishing worship places for the followers of divine [Abrahamic] religions is a right regulated by law.” 

However anti-blasphemy laws of the officially Muslim nation effectively curb public criticism of Islam. According to Egypt’s penal code, “disdaining and disrespecting” any of the “heavenly religions” (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) is punishable by six months’ to five years’ imprisonment or fines of at least 500 EGP ($16). 

In addition, Egypt “generally does not recognize conversions from Islam to any other religion, except in the case of individuals who were not born Muslim,” according to the U.S. State Department’s 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom.

Egypt has previously renewed the detention of a Yemeni refugee on charges of “joining a terrorist group and contempt for Islam,” following his conversion from Islam to Christianity.

International Christian Concern’s (ICC) 2025 Global Persecution Index points out that “Christians in Egypt have long experienced resistance from the local Muslim-majority community.”

“This can take many forms, including resistance to an individual’s religious conversion and widespread protests over improvements to local churches,” the report added.