Egypt Faces Landmark Constitutional Vote on Saturday

Controversy over Saturday’s referendum on proposed constitutional amendments is intensifying in Egypt.

Rex Rogers with SAT-7 explains, “This is the hard part, after the revolution, when you have to put back together the pieces in order to form some kind of government that meets the needs of the people. In terms of SAT-7, we’ve been encouraging people to pray for new leaders to emerge with the right kind of heart.”

Rogers goes on to add that “there are those who are suggesting they should wait until after a presidential election and form a constitutional committee–revise from the ground up. Then, of course, there are those who wish to move on and accomplish things incrementally.”

Those supporting the uprising and presidential ouster are urging a “no” vote, indicating the reforms don’t go far enough, while the Muslim Brotherhood and the National Democratic Party want the amendments to pass as they are. 

The main issue is the timing of the reconstruction. Changes up for grabs in Saturday’s vote involve presidential term limits, shoring up election supervision, as well as easing some of the restrictions for the candidates. The issues can be divisive, and with the country already charged from the public revolt, Rogers says,  “We’re continuing to pray that nothing results in sectarian violence and that people can find their way forward to a free and open society.”

SAT-7, a Christian satellite television service to the Middle East and North Africa, does not take positions in these kinds of issues. However, their teams take special care to encourage a public forum.

Rogers says kids are particularly sensitive to some of the issues in and around their country. On a recent SAT-7 Kids program, in which the host “Dr. Know” responds to live callers, “This little 8-year-old boy from Egypt prayed for the people of Libya,” says Rogers. “He prayed rapidly, articulately, and then what blew me away was a great knowledge of theology.”

What struck Rogers most is that “Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to Me, and don’t hinder  them.’ They can teach us their heart for God and their heart for others. That’s the kind of thing that SAT-7 is doing on all of its channels: they continue to pray, to express love, and to continue toward reconciliation.”

Regardless of the outcome, Rogers asks us to “pray that Christian people, in particular, on the ground would have opportunity to be open with witness. Pray that the Egyptian people would see their way to respect each other in terms of freedom of worship.”