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Honestly, it sounds like the kid is exaggerating things, but you cannot help to love those Coptic Christians (who allegedly fast “200 days per year”).
The story from Boston.com goes on telling that "Jonathan McCullum was in excellent health at 155 pounds when he left last summer to spend the school year as an exchange student in Egypt. But when he returned home to Maine just four months later, the 5-foot-9 teenager weighed a mere 97 pounds and was so weak that he struggled to carry his baggage or climb a flight of stairs. Doctors said he was at risk of a heart attack. McCullum says he was denied sufficient food while staying with a family of Coptic Christians, who fast for more than 200 days a year, a regimen unmatched by other Christians."
Based on various sources including Boston.com and Canterbury Tales Blog.
The Coptic.net has the following information about Coptic Christians
The Coptic Church is based on the teachings of Saint Mark who brought Christianity to Egypt during the reign of the Roman emperor Nero in the first century, a dozen of years after the Lord's ascension. He was one of the four evangelists and the one who wrote the oldest canonical gospel. Christianity spread throughout Egypt within half a century of Saint Mark's arrival in Alexandria as is clear from the New Testament writings found in Bahnasa, in Middle Egypt, which date around the year 200 A.D., and a fragment of the Gospel of Saint John, written using the Coptic language, which was found in Upper Egypt and can be dated to the first half of the second century. The Coptic Church, which is now more than nineteen centuries old, was the subject of many prophecies in the Old Testament. Isaiah the prophet, in Chapter 19, Verse 19 says "In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border."
The Copts have seasons of fasting matched by no other Christian community.
Out of the 365 days of the year, Copts fast for over 210 days. During fasting, no animal products (meat, poultry, fish, milk, eggs, butter, etc.) are allowed. Moreover, no food or drink whatsoever may be taken between sunrise and sunset. These strict fasting rules -- which have resulted in a very exquisite Coptic cuisine over the centuries -- are usually relaxed by priests on an individual basis to accommodate for illness or weakness. Lent, known as "the Great Fast", is largely observed by all Copts. It starts with a pre-Lent fast of one week, followed by a 40-day fast commemorating Christ's fasting on the mountain, followed by the Holy week, the most sacred week (called Pascha) of the Coptic Calendar, which climaxes with the Crucifix on Good Friday and ends with the joyous Easter. Other fasting seasons of the Coptic Church include, the Advent (Fast of the Nativity), the Fast of the Apostles, the Fast of the Virgin Saint Mary, and the Fast of Nineveh.
Posted February 28th, 2008 by Armen Hareyan
HAVE YOU SEEN THE PHOTOS? ARE YOU BLIND? The kid lost so much weight he had to be hospitalized. He was at risk of a heart attack, you could see every one of his ribs, and his legs were skinnier than toothpicks..... and you say he was exaggerating? Have you people lost ALL COMMON SENSE?
You did a great job writing this story and telling the true facts, of Copts!
The boy clearly could have told his parents but WANTED to stay and complete the year.
You can go out and get Mcdonalds and Pizzahut for about $2 American Dolars.
I don't think he was saying the truth....or has mental issues.
I hope he has fun as he states he is going to south Africa next!
this boy needs nourishment
I saw this boy's photos on the Web -- it was clear he was starved. Bones and all, quite a shockingly different photo than months earlier. The Coptic family might be observant, but something else was going on. I wouldn't put them in the same category as perhaps typical fasters or Coptics. In the press, the father of the Coptic family made statements about the boy costing them a lot of money and that they didn't think their daughter (who was in the U.S. in the exchange program) was costing her family as much as the boy (which sounds delusional). And when they heard that the boy's family was upset, they said that the family just wanted their money back. Sounds like a single-track mind, right ... $$$? I'm sure Coptics are generous, but this particular family wasn't. I find it odd that they participated in the program at all. Very strange indeed.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/nation/stories/DN-starve_28nat.ART.State.Edition1.469db58.html
Excerpted from Dallas News (it's all over the Web, though):
Jonathan's host family has a daughter who was in the U.S. on an AFS exchange, plus two younger boys. Jonathan said the parents gave him the smallest portions, hid treats in their bedroom and complained that his upkeep cost more than they spent on their daughter when she was home.
The host father, Shaker Hanna, rejected Jonathan's story as "a lie," suggesting that he made it up because his parents were hoping to recover some of the money they paid for his stay as compensation.
"The boy we hosted ... was eating for an hour and a half at every meal," Mr. Hanna said. "The amount of food he ate at each meal was equal to six people."
Jonathan said he never got breakfast and his first food of the day usually was a small piece of bread with cucumbers and cheese that he would take to school for lunch. There was a late-afternoon dinner consisting of beans, vegetables and sometimes fish, and a snack of bread later in the evening.
Still, Jonathan did not complain to his parents. His father suspects he may have fallen victim to Stockholm syndrome, in which people start to feel a sense of loyalty to those who victimize them.
Oh, and this from the same article ...
Shortly before Christmas, Jonathan's parents got e-mails from their son and one of his teachers about seeking a new host family. They also saw a picture of him on Facebook indicating he had lost a lot of weight.
In early January, the teacher sent another e-mail saying Jonathan was "in bad shape" and "really, really NEEDS to go home."
Give me a break. I've lived in Egypt for the past two years and know many Coptic Christians there. Yes, fasting is a part of their religious practice (as it is in most other denominations), but the bit about "200 days a year" is utter malarkey. Trust me. I know lots of "healthy" Copts in Egypt. They're not hurting for nutrition. And besides, most Coptic fasting involves avoid certain foods (i.e., meat), not total abstinence. My suspicion is that this McCullum kid is a sniveling brat who doesn't recognize food if it doesn't come wrapped in Golden Arches. (They have McDonalds in Alexandria, too, by the way). McCullum, grow up. Learn how to make do even when life is not handed to you on a silver platter.
You are an idiot! Sniveling? Do you not believe what your eyes see. He clearly WAS starving! That family is criminal. Why did they even host if they can not share properly. What if your kid or you yourself looked liked that after a visit with a host family. These people in that host family remind me of so many selfish people in that region who just take take take, but can not give. Measuring every little bit. And yet stupid comments are being made that he is exaggerating. What does he have to do to prove to the nay sayers that he is telling the truth...dissapear??Americans keep your kids HOME!
You are an idiot! Sniveling? Do you not believe what your eyes see. He clearly WAS starving! That family is criminal. Why did they even host if they can not share properly. What if your kid or you yourself looked liked that after a visit with a host family. These people in that host family remind me of so many selfish people in that region who just take take take, but can not give. Measuring every little bit. And yet stupid comments are being made that he is exaggerating. What does he have to do to prove to the nay sayers that he is telling the truth...dissapear??Americans keep your kids HOME!
I was an AFS exchange student and I can safely say that AFS has a very sophisticated support system. The simplest thing that this kid could have done is tell someone about it, and AFS would have acted.
Plus seriously, he was hosted in Alexandria, the second largest city in Egypt. The easiest thing he could have done is go out there and buy some food. I can't believe that a straight A student with parents as lawyers doesn't have the inelligence and money to go out and by a bigmac or something. What an idiot. I think they just want money out of it.
I really hope that AFS does not get too much bad publicity. I was an AFS student and it really changed my life upside down. Such a priceless experience.
What kind of nonsense is this. A 17 years old can't ask his parents for money if he is hungry? Fava beans sandwich in Egypt on stands is as little as $.25 and he chose to steal from grocery store?. How much grams of protein there is in Lentils, Fava beans, black lentils?
You people need to think first before you wirte such nonsense. How many times did the mother ask her son for a picture during the year he stayed? obviously non since she didn't know about his weight loss. How many times did Daddy ask his son how much money he has left or if he needs money? Obviously NON.
Did they try to video conference with their son for free? NO
Why he didnt ask his friends to contact his parents so they send him money to eat.
This boy is sick.
Ok, I was an AFS volunteer in Egypt When i Lived their and AFS laws doesn’t force their students to stay in a specific family and they allow you to change your family if you don’t like your family or if you where badly treated and this is not done by AFS Egypt only but this is an International AFS Law, which my brother changed his family during his year program in the USA. and McCullum could have asked AFS Egypt to change his family because they don’t offer him food, which i think they would do in the same day if they had evidence and buying food in Alexandria is the easiest thing you can do and you can also buy all kind of food their. what i think is that McCullum is not saying the truth, also Egyptians are very kind people and most of the people visited can feel this and that means if your family don’t offer you food you can eat at your friends home. and the funny thing is that no one starves in Alexandria or all Egypt even poor people. and i think if i were hosted in poor African Countries by a poor family which doesn’t offer me food i can still eat and not starve.
McCullum: you should say the truth.
I know many Copts and as someone mentioned fasting does not generally mean completely abstaining from food. Also mentioned is the fact that Egyptians are very generous; if the boy was not getting enough at his host family's he could have certainly gotten cheap street food, been fed by friends, complained to AFS or his parents etc. I find it very hard to believe that his Egyptian school and friends did not notice a 50 lb. weight loss.
On the whole, this is ridiculous: if the boy does not possess sufficient maturity to take that much responsibility for himself, he shouldn't be going abroad.
Regarding McCullum's Egyptian school and friends - according to the Fox article, they DID notice the weight loss. "Friends and teachers at his English-speaking school in Egypt urged him to change his host family, but he stayed put after being told the other home was in a dangerous neighborhood of Alexandria."
Regarding the comments from several people that McCullum could have gotten street food or Big Macs or whatever. You have to remember that during an exchange (especially in the first few months) the student doesn't necessarily know what is normal and what isn't, and perhaps accepted that this behavior was the norm in Egypt. If you have that mindset, it would be disrespectful to go out and buy street food, and EXTREMELY disrespectful to go out and buy a Big Mac.
As I tweeted earlier (when I initially read the story), the big issue here is a lack of host families, not only in Egypt, but also in the United States. It appears that in Alexandra, AFS Egypt only had one alternate host family that was available.
I think this is just a cry for attention...if the boy was hungry he should have went out and bought food. I am a Coptic Christian, and fasting is a common practice that involves following a vegan diet (with occasional fasts that allow fish) -- NOT that "no food or drink whatsoever may be taken between sunrise and sunset"--I think the author is confused with a Muslim fast for Ramadan.
I have friends who are Coptic Christians. I've never known them to go for 24 hours without food, during their various types of fasts. There is the sunrise to sundown fasts and the fasts where veggies, beans, pasta, etc. are allowed. My family has stayed with them during their fasts and the food was always tasty and plentiful. They are a very generous and gracious host.
I'm wondering if the Egyptian host family was not accustomed to the appetite of a typical American boy? They also sound as if they were either not able to support the boy during his stay or were too concerned about their pocketbook.
The boy was old enough and smart enough to act on his own behalf, I am troubled by the fact that he did not.
There seems to be a lot more information we need to make a well informed decision. That said, had someone sent my child home emaciated, I would be livid. How would they feel if their daughter had been mistreated in America? What if the Americans made her eat the whole year because it is not their custom to fast? I bet they would be furious about that.
I also agree that the boy
I also agree that the boy may be exaggerating. Being an American in Egypt and trying to leave like the local people do, may be hard. The boy perhaps is not used to fasting. The family seems has not done wrong things. Fasting is a religious obligation and there is nothing wrong in doing what your belief tells you to do.
The family has hosted the boy, and I know that even the fasting food in the Middle East is very good. Of course it is not like humberger and junk fast food.
We don't know the full details, but pehaps the boy could tell few positive things about the family that has hosted him.