Jordan Lenaghan

🚨BREAKING: Egyptian Coptic Christian monk says he was threatened and humiliated at Ben-Gurion Airport by Israeli authorities. On Wednesday, November 4, 2026, a monk from the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem (identity withheld for his protection) was travelling back to Israel for a special session on Christian persecution at the Israeli Knesset (Parliament), chaired by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon. Israeli security personnel stopped him for questioning. Here is his full account of the humiliation he endured: “Regarding what happens to me at the airport, this is an experience that keeps repeating itself, and the way I am treated is deeply humiliating. During the security screening, when I explained to the soldier that we are not dangerous people, that we represent a church, that we have diplomatic status, and asked him why I was being treated this way, he responded aggressively and said: ‘If you want trouble, I can make trouble for you.’ This is not an isolated incident. These things happen again and again, in an extremely humiliating manner. The greatest problem is that we have never experienced such treatment before. We have never encountered anything like this in our own country, Egypt. There, we are welcomed warmly, procedures are expedited, and every effort is made to make things easier for us, while respecting the dignity of a clergyman and his religious standing. Even fees for passing through checkpoints are often waived out of respect for the clergy. Here, by contrast, we are forced to undergo inspections everywhere. Sometimes we are treated with contempt, and sometimes we are spoken to in an insulting manner. There are also instances of mockery, laughter directed at our appearance or religious clothing, disrespect toward the cross, vulgar remarks, and veiled insults. We are not accustomed to being treated as though we were terrorists or violent extremists. If I were a violent person, someone who posed a danger to society or held terrorist ideologies, I would not be surprised by such treatment. But I have done none of these things. Why, then, am I treated like a terrorist simply because of my appearance, my clothing, or the religious symbols I carry? There is a profound contradiction between my education, my abilities, my ideas, and the way security personnel treat me. Unfortunately, the law does not punish such behavior. It does not necessarily address mockery, ridicule, or someone laughing at another person’s appearance or religious symbols. The problem is not the security checks themselves. The problem is the repeated humiliation, the judgment based on outward appearance, and being treated as a threat without any justification.” This letter was addressed to Yisca Harani, Director of the Religious Freedom Data Center, an Israeli watchdog organization that documents anti-Christian attacks. [Letter translated from Hebrew to English]