(Fox News) – Egyptian Maher El-Gowhary and his 15-year-old daughter Dina never pray twice at the same church, and they never stay longer than a month in any apartment. They are constantly under threat, and are always on the run since they converted to Christianity in a largely Muslim country, Fox News reported Tuesday.

Born Muslims, they chose to convert to the Christian Church after both claim they had religious visions. Now Maher says "Muslims try to kill us, and will kill us if they find us."

Several religious fatwas have been issued for "spilling his blood" after Maher asked an Egyptian Court to legally recognize his conversion, so he can one day be buried as a Christian and so his daughter won't be forced into a marriage by her Muslim mother.

The court ruled a legal conversion to Christianity would threaten public order. His lawyer told Fox it's a dangerous double standard because in Egypt a Christian can convert to the Muslim faith in a week, but a Muslim cannot convert to the Christian faith.

Respect of religious freedom in Egypt is declining, according to the US State Department. Christians are denied government jobs, priests are threatened and harassed and Christians are increasingly attacked in what the State Dept. describes as "a climate of impunity that encourages violence."

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been largely silent about the problem, but this week he spoke out saying Egyptians must uproot "fanaticism and sectarianism, which threatens the unit of our nation."

In recent days the El Gowhary’s met with the US Commission on International Religious Freedom in Cairo and asked for refugee status to leave Egypt.

A source at the Commission said the situation is complicated because Dina has a Muslim mother along with a variety of legal issues, but their request is being considered.