Comprising about 10% of Egypt’s current population, Copts are the largest Christian community in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Among the earliest of all Christians, the Copts inhabited Egypt for many centuries before the Islamic conquest in the 7th century. Over subsequent centuries, they have faced various forms of persecution. In recent decades, a phenomenon has emerged in which Coptic women disappear without a trace. The Egyptian government contends there is no large-scale problem, but instead a few isolated incidents related to family disputes when a Christian girl runs off to be with a Muslim man.