Photo: Majed El-Shafi
Majed El-Shafi is a human rights activist and Christian clergyman who was born into a Muslim family in Egypt but was forced to flee due to persecution for his faith. His journey is a story of struggle, resilience and commitment to the ideals of freedom. The Jerusalem Post writes about it.
Growing up in a wealthy family, Shafi has been interested in issues of justice and religious freedom since childhood. At 18, he converted to Christianity, which made him a target of the Egyptian authorities. He founded an underground Christian human rights organisation that quickly gained over 26,000 members. He was arrested in 1998 and imprisoned in the notorious Abu Zabal prison, where he was subjected to inhuman torture.
“The torture became more severe every day, and the doctor was only making sure I didn’t lose consciousness,” Shafi recalls. He was beaten with pipes, burned with cigarettes and even set upon by dogs, who refused to attack him.
After several months in hospital and almost a year under house arrest, Shafi was sentenced to death. He managed to escape to Sinai, from where he crossed the border into Israel on a jet ski. It was there that he found his first refuge. “I knew it was the only democratic country in the region,” he says.
After receiving help from international organisations, Shafi settled in Canada, where he founded One Free World International, an organisation that now works in 20 countries to protect the rights of religious minorities, fight anti-Semitism and help persecuted communities.
After the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October 2023, he returned to Israel to create a documentary about the tragedy. “Just as Israel helped me, I now stand by its side,” the human rights activist said.
Majed El Shafi calls on the world not to be indifferent: “The genocide of Christians in Islamic countries, mass repression, and the rise of anti-Semitism cannot be ignored. We have no right to remain silent.” His story is a reminder that the struggle for freedom continues every day.
