According to Islamic law, Muslim man can marry a Christian woman without her having to convert to Islam, but her conversion is still desired, as it reinforces the growth of the Islamic community at the expense of the non-Muslim community, which is a core Islamic imperative (cf. Qur’an 8:39).
“Pressured Conversions Bring Shame and Stigma to Christian Families,” International Christian Concern, August 28, 2023:
08/28/2023 Egypt (International Christian Concern) – As a religious minority in Egypt, Christians face various pressures to convert to Islam. Women, and particularly Christian widows, face uniquely harsh pressures, as ICC documented earlier this month.
When even one family member decides to convert to Islam from Christianity, that decision brings a communal shame to the whole Christian family with a strong stigma attached to that family, even in their own Christian community, family, and church.
Egyptian Christians face daily challenges in their communities from the pressures of the majority society around them.