Christianity in Islamic Countries

Christianity has a long history in Turkey. The country wass the birth place of many Christian Apostles and Saints, including the Apostle Paul of Tarsus, St. Nicholas of Myra, and many others.

Two out of the five centers (Patriarchates) of the ancient Pentarchy are in Turkey: Constantinople (Istanbul) and Antioch (Antakya).
Antioch was also the place where followers of Jesus were called "Christians" for the first time in history. It is the site of one of the world's earliest and oldest surviving churches, established by Saint Peter himself.

Turkey is also home to the Seven Churches of Asia, where the Revelations to John were sent. Apostle John took Virgin Mary to Ephesus in western Turkey, where she spent the last days of her life in a small house, which still survives today and has been recognized as a holy site for pilgrimage by the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The cave of the Seven Sleepers is also located in Ephesus.

All of the first seven Ecumenical Councils recognized by both the Western and Eastern churches were held in what is now Turkey. Of these, the Nicene Creed, declared with the First Council of Nicaea (%u0130znik) in 325 CE, is of utmost importance and establishes the essential definitions of present-day Christianity.

EGYPT
Christianity is practiced by between 10% and 20% of Egypt's population. The vast majority of Christians in Egypt belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

Over 95% of Egypt's Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. The most accurate estimates (not including some politically deflated figures) put the Coptic Orthodox at about 11.4 million in Egypt.

These Christians are all headed by the Pope and Patriarch of All Africa on the Holy See of Saint Mark, currently Pope Shenouda III.

Other Christian groups in Egypt include:
Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria 11,400,000
Coptic Evangelical Church 275,000-300,000
Coptic Catholic Church 243,000-275,000
Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria 210,000-250,000
Melkite Greek Catholic Church 35,000
Armenian Apostolic Church 15,000-20,000
Roman Catholic Church 15,000-18,000
Episcopal (Anglican) Church in Jerusalem & the Middle East 10,000-15,000
Maronite Church 9,000-11,000
Armenian Catholic Church 6,500
Chaldean Catholic Church 4,500
Syriac Catholic Church 1,500
Seventh-day Adventist Church 852
Syriac Orthodox Church 450-500

ETHIOPIA:
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (native Amharic:"Yäityop'ya ortodoks täwahedo bétäkrestyan") is an Oriental Orthodox church in Ethiopia which was part of the Coptic Orthodox Church until 1959, when it was granted its own Patriarch by Coptic Orthodox Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of All Africa Cyril VI.

The only pre-colonial Christian church of Sub-Saharan Africa, it's membership numbers about 40 million(45 million claimed by the Patriarch),mainly in Ethiopia, making it the largest of all Oriental Orthodox churches.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus has about 5 million members. There is some limitation of Christians in Ethiopia, which has deteriorated within the last few years.

Christianity arrived in Morocco during Roman times. Before the arrival of Islam in the 8th century, the Berber peoples embraced the Coptic so-called monophysitic doctrine.

According to tradition, the martyrdom of St Marcellus took place on 28 July 298 at Tingis (modern Tangier). After the Tetrarchy (Emperor Diocletian's reform of governmental structures in 296 CE), Mauretania Tingitana became part of the Diocese of Hispaniae (a Latin plural) within the Praetorian Prefecture of the Gauls, where it remained until its conquest by the Vandals.

Today's foreign Christian community (Roman Catholic and Protestant) consists of 5,000 practicing members, although estimates of Christians residing in the country at any particular time range up to 25,000.