The gateway from Asia to Europe, Uzbekistan is Central Asia’s most populous country. The lucrative drug trade flows through this gateway, yet the country remains impoverished. Reforms in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry that have been gaining momentum since 2016 appear to have essentially eradicated the controversial child and slave labor linked to the annual cotton harvesting. The reforms have also improved relationships with other nations in the region and brought a bit more openness to the nation. Although it is a secular state promoting Islam, the government opposes Islamization. With an “iron fist,” Uzbek leaders control Islamic factions. With that same “iron fist,” Uzbek authorities target Christian Believers and limit freedom for church gatherings.

Egypt stays in 35^th position in the World Watch report 2023 by Open Doors for Christian persecution with a slight increase in overall opposition to Christians. The current president of Egypt is Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Mostafa Kamal Madbouly is the Prime Minister of Egypt, serving since 2018. Although Egypt’s government speaks positively about Egypt’s Christian community, the lack of serious law enforcement and the unwillingness of local authorities to protect Christians leave them vulnerable to all kinds of attacks. Due to the dictatorial nature of the regime, neither Church leaders nor other Christians are in a position to speak out against these practices. Christians of all backgrounds face difficulties in finding new places for communal worship. The difficulties come both from state restrictions, as well as from hostility and face mob violence. Christians from a Muslim background often have great difficulty in living their faith since they face enormous pressure from their families to return to Islam. The state also makes it impossible for them to get any official recognition of their conversion.