Whereas St. Mark brought Christianity to Egypt, where the Coptic Christians have been one of the indigenous people of Egypt for over 2,000 years; Whereas there are over 10,000,000 Copts in Egypt, making Copts the largest Christian and largest non-Muslim community in the Middle East; Whereas Copts and other Christians have been targets of societal aggression resulting in loss of life, property, and destruction of churches; Whereas approximately 15 percent of Copts have emigrated from Egypt over the past few decades to escape discrimination; Whereas in January 2015, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was the first Egyptian President to make an appearance at a Coptic Christian Christmas liturgy; Whereas in August 2016, Egypt passed a new law with respect to church construction that has not lifted significant burdens on the ability to build a church; Whereas Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released a video calling Copts their favorite prey and warning of increased attacks; Whereas violence against Coptic Christians, particularly in local villages is rarely punished, making Copts more susceptible to attacks; Whereas Coptic Christians face severe discrimination in both public and private employment, including senior levels in the intelligence, defense, foreign affairs, and security departments; Whereas systemic bigotry and longstanding sectarian divisions have reinforced the Coptic Christians’ status as second class citizens; Whereas discriminatory social constructs have fostered an environment in which Coptic Christians are particularly vulnerable; Whereas Egyptian Government officials frequently participate in informal reconciliation sessions to address incidents of sectarian violence or tension, saying that such sessions prevented further violence; Whereas according to human rights groups, however, the sessions have regularly led to outcomes unfavorable to religious minorities and precluded recourse to the judicial system by such minorities