Jonathan McCullman says Coptic Christian Family Starved Him

A 17-year-old exchange student from Maine says his host family in Egypt starved him because they were Coptic Christians. Jonathan McCullman says he was denied sufficient food as the family fasted for religious reasons more than 200 days a year. McCullman weighed 155 pounds when he arrived in Egypt and only 97 pounds when he returned home.

“The weight loss concerned me, but I wanted to stick out the whole year,” he said.

McCullum said the family served meat when he first began staying with them but limited stopped during the fast period. He said he considered changing host families but decided against it as the family he could move to was located in a bad neighborhood in Alexandria.

Upon his return from the 4-month stay, McCullum was hospitalized for two weeks. Doctors said he was at risk for a heart attack. The teen’s parents say the AFS Intercultural Program should have warned parents if their child was placed with Coptic Christians.

The host father dismisses McCullman’s claims as a “lie” and insists special dishes were prepared for the boy. “The truth is, the boy we hosted for nearly six months was eating for an hour and a half at every meal. The amount of food he ate each meal was equal to six people,” said Shaker Hanna.

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