Muslims and Coptic Christians of Egypt: An Uneasy Peace

By Fred Strickert

“When you conquer Egypt, be kind to the Copts for they are your protégés and kith and kin.” So the Prophet Muhammad enjoined his Arab troops setting out for northern Africa.

The Prophet spoke from experience. One of his wives, the only one to bear a child, was in fact Coptic. Thus began one of the longest-standing stories of inter-religious co-existence in the Middle East between Christians and Muslims in Egypt.

Yet, as is often the case within families, it has not been a story free from tension, accusations, and even violence. One might even argue that the opposite is true.

In 1910 a Muslim hero assassinated Boutrus Ghali, a Copt who had served as prime minister, bringing about charges and counter-charges and numerous questions concerning the nature of minority status for the Copts. In the last decades of the 20th century, with the six million Coptic Christians comprising 10 percent of the population of Egypt, it seems that one violent incident after another has grabbed media attention.

Some of the first headlines of the third Christian millennium spoke of 26 dead in the Nile Valley town of al-Kosheh 275 miles south of Cairo—the result of Muslim-Christian violence. As the smoke clears and facts are revealed, the voice of tragedy speaks once again. “I am so sad about the people who were killed, the Christians, because they are like my brothers,” Muslim shopkeeper Abdul Nasser Abdul Rady told AP reporter Donna Bryson.

The Jan. 2 Riots

The wire services agree that the latest incident began as a common business dispute before escalating into a vicious confrontation along religious lines. When shopkeeper Rashad Fahim Mansour, a Christian, refused to allow street vendor Fayez Awad, a Muslim, to purchase textiles on credit, it was taken as a personal insult. Awad returned two days later, on Dec. 31, with several of his brothers. Mansour refused to apologize, and a fight broke out. Beginning with sticks and then guns, the damage extended to neighboring shops and kiosks.

Eventually Mansour escaped to seek help from police. Here the details are less certain. Some reported that the police were less than responsive. Others charged that several Christian passersby were wounded by police gunfire.

While the police attempted to quell the riot, most of the Christian community sought safety within their own homes as incidents of vandalism continued to be directed toward both stores and houses. The Cairo Times reported that messages rousing feelings of hatred issued from microphones at several mosques, and that a car drove through the town spreading rumors by megaphone that the water supply had been poisoned.

There were no deaths reported, however, until Sunday, Jan. 2, when the riot erupted with full force following Christian worship services. Setting fire to homes and firing at pedestrians from rooftops, the instigators created a scene of carnage that left 20 dead and another 33 hospitalized. The rioting spread to the neighboring villages of Dar al-Salaam and Awlad Toq. Some of the victims reportedly were afraid to seek medical assistance in a nearby hospital. As a result, the death toll climbed to 26, all but one a Christian.

Roots in a 1998 Incident

Clearly, this incident did not occur in a vacuum. Reporters in al-Kosheh were easily able to elicit comments from residents which pointed to long-standing tensions within this community of 25,000 where, ironically, Christians are the majority and hold prosperous and respected positions.

Some also recited a litany of previous incidents elsewhere in Egypt: the death in 1995 of seven Christians in the Delta village of Dimyana following a similar business dispute; the burning of 90 Christian homes in another Delta village, Kafr Damyan, in 1996 over the building of a new church; the death of 10 Christians in 1997 in the southern village of Abu Qurqas at the hands of the radical al-Gama’a al- Islamiya (the same group which attempted to overthrow President Mubarak in 1992).

Most significant, however, was a July 1998 incident in which several al-Kosheh Christians were murdered in connection with a gambling altercation. Again there were charges against the Muslim community, yet police suspected that the murderer came from within the Christian community itself. As a result over a thousand Christians were brought in for questioning, and there were charges of police brutality and torture.

Acting as the spokesperson for the Christian community, Bishop Wissa attracted world attention speaking to the media and seeking aid from human rights organizations. Attention reached the ears of the U.S. Congress, and reportedly first lady Hillary Clinton addressed the issue in a conversation with President Mubarak.

After the 1998 rioting the Copts of al-Kosheh began receiving political favors and recognition unparalleled in recent years. John Daniszewski of the Los Angeles Times noted that some felt the Copts were getting “uppity,” so that it was time to “knock them down hard.” Thus the current incident, although extreme, was something of a swing of the pendulum.

The Question of Religious Persecution

The strongest protests issued from the International Coptic Federation (see <http://www.copts.com>) with headquarters in Washington, DC. Describing the Jan. 2 incident in terms of a “massacre” and “ethnic cleansing,” the federation charged that a full-scale religious persecution was underway and appealed to the United Nations for intervention.

In a similar vein, the matter quickly entered American politics via the Freedom from Religious Persecution Act, which calls for U.S. economic sanctions against governments where religious persecution is taking place. Egypt, as the second-largest recipient of American foreign aid, has been singled out by some critics as such a country, along with Sudan, China and Pakistan.

Others are more reluctant to describe the situation of the Copts in terms of religious persecution. Just last November, the AP wire service quoted the Archbishop of Canterbury as reporting, following a visit to Egypt, “I haven’t encountered any hostilities toward Christians in Egypt.” In response to charges of persecution, he noted that “the further away you are from a situation, the greater the possibility of distortion.”

There has been some question concerning the accuracy of the archbishop’s statements. However, in many ways it reflects the view expressed at the Lambeth Conference on Christian-Muslim encounter in July 1998. Bishop Ghais Malik emphasized how “through the centuries Christians and Muslims have lived together, during times of joy and times of trouble.”

Concerning the issue of persecution, Bishop Malik emphasized that “we have to differentiate between ‘persecution’ and ‘difficulties and problems.’” He drew a distinction between the word persecution “used when the government targets a minority group and wishes to dissolve that group,” and the concept of troubles and difficulties which “are started by blinkered individuals or fanatic Islamists with closed minds.”

The latter, said Bishop Malik, “I personally do not call persecution.” He drew attention to events of the past few years when “churches were burnt down, Christians were killed, and Christian shops were raided and burgled.” By contrast, the bishop said, “this was not a direct attack against the Christians for their own sake, but an attempt by the terrorists to shake the stability of the country, hoping thereby to bring down the government and rule themselves.”

In a recent article in Christianity Today (“Egypt's Christians Seek Answers after Deadly Riots,” Feb. 7, 2000), Kees Hulsman questions, however, whether the Egyptian government has done enough to quell extremists’ actions against the Copts. While noting that the official government position is one of tolerance, there is still a poisoned atmosphere among local inhabitants.

A favored role within education, difficulties in obtaining building permits, laws which forbid conversion, all are said to convey a subtle message which creates hostile feelings for the Christian community. “How else can one explain that the fight between a Christian and a Muslim results in such an outburst of communal violence?” asked Bishop Marcos, who represented Coptic Pope Shenouda III in investigating the Jan. 2 incident. According to Hulsman, the government itself must be held responsible not only for allowing inter-religious tensions to boil below the surface, but then for the failure of government police to control the situation, as in the case of the Jan. 2 riot.

The Egyptian Government Responds

The Christianity Today article suggests that information gathered by humans rights organizations and international pressure already have served to improve the situation for Coptic Christians. Immediately following the incident, President Hosni Mubarak dispatched local Development Minister Mustafa Abdel-Qader to heal the rift between the Muslim and Christian communities of al-Kosheh and to assuage the concerns of the latter. On behalf of the president, the minister conveyed condolences to the bereaved families. Also he announced that a security plan has been drawn up to prevent similar incidents in the future. Likewise several Muslim businessmen offered to repair destroyed property.

Within days of the riot, local police began arresting those responsible for the violence, including four men who were identified as killers of eight of the victims. Likewise, an intensive investigation sought out persons responsible for spreading rumors and encouraging rioting. By the end of January, President Mubarak issued a statement blaming subversive foreign elements for instigating the fighting between Muslims and Christians in an attempt to destabilize Egypt and vowing to continue the investigation.

As for the status of Coptic Christians, Mubarak reaffirmed the government’s official position, “All are Egyptians in the land of Egypt regardless of religion.” “This time,” the CT article quotes Bishop Marcos, “President Mubarak is listening with two ears.”

Dr. Fred Strickert is professor of religion at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.

SIDEBAR

Pope John Paul II Completes Egypt Visit

A highlight of his Jubilee year pilgrimage to the Middle East was a Feb. 24 mass celebrated by John Paul II before 20,000 in Cairo’s indoor stadium—a mass characterized by calls for peace, religious tolerance, and understanding.

“We do not know each other sufficiently; let us therefore find ways to meet,” reporters quoted the aged pontiff, whose message was repeated throughout the trip. Likewise he did not mince words for extremists who have recently misused religion against Coptic Christians, “To do harm, to promote violence and conflict in the name of religion is a terrible contradiction and a great offense against God.”

It was more than just words. In attendance at the Mass were many Muslims and Coptic Christians, as well as members of Egypt’s Catholic community. Among the Muslims was President Hosni Mubarak, who greeted the pontiff and emphasized the need for Christians and Muslims to unite together in submission to God.

Interfaith gatherings brought leaders of various denominations together including a prayer service in Cairo's two-month-old New Cathedral of Our Lady of Egypt, where Pope Shenouda III of the Coptic church reciprocated John Paul’s message with his own hopeful appeals for unity.

No less significant was a visit to leading Muslim cleric Sheikh Mohammed Sayed Tantawi of al-Azhar University, where the same issues were discussed. A Vatican news release quoted Tantawi, “The pope is an intelligent and wise man who defends peace, love and moral values.” The success of the encounter was emphasized by the announcement that Tantawi will make an official visit to the Vatican this fall. Al-Azhar University has been engaged in inter-faith dialogue with the Vatican for nearly a quarter-century.

The Coptic Catholic Church had its beginning in the 18th century, when a Coptic archbishop broke away from the ancient Egyptian church to declare unity with Rome. Today there are approximately 200,000 Catholics in Egypt. Its influence may be greater than those numbers, since it also operates 168 well-respected elementary and secondary schools where 250,000 Muslims and Christians study alongside each other. Among their numbers have been children of many leading government officials including former President Anwar Sadat and current President Hosni Mubarak.

While Pope John Paul II also took the opportunity to visit Mt. Sinai, and to use his visit to Egypt to address issues that have shaken the Coptic community in recent months, local Catholics emphasized the unity of all Egyptians.

“It is very important to announce to the world that we are a peaceful country,” announced Egyptian Catholic Bishop Youhanna Kolta, according to the Associated Press. He said Muslim-Christian tension is exaggerated, explaining, “We live together, attend school together and work together. Our futures are together.”

—F.S.

SIDEBAR 2

The Coptic Church

The name Copt is derived from the Greek word “Aigyptos.” The Coptic language is the ancient language of the Pharaohs, previously written in Hieroglypics, but by the second century written down in Greek characters.

The Coptic Church sees its roots in the first century. Priding itself as the place of refuge for the Holy family in the Matthean infancy story, the church itself recognizes Mark the Evangelist as its founder during the reign of Nero prior to 68 C.E.

The desert setting made Egypt the place of origin of the monasticism beginning with St. Anthony and continuing with such well-known figures as Pachomus and Makarios. However, it was the city life of Alexandria that served as home to one of the leading Catechetical schools of all Christendom. Founded by Pantaneus in the late second century, it attracted scholars such as Clement and Origen.

It is said that the question-and-answer method of commentary began there. Likewise a special wood carving technique, a precursor of Braille, was developed for blind scholars to read and write. It is the survival of some of the earliest New Testament manuscripts, in both Greek and Coptic, that reveals the extent of the early Christian movement.

Theologians from Alexandria played a leading role in the great ecumenical councils, with Bishop Cyril presiding at Ephesus in 430 C.E. However, the Council of Chalcedon in 451 C.E. accused the Coptic Church of adopting the position of the heretical Eutyches, splitting it from the Greek Orthodox (and later Western) tradition, which adopted the view of the two natures of Christ.

With the Arab conquest of Egypt, the Coptic Church continued to flourish for centuries and it continued to have majority status until the 12th century. The Copts state that their lot improved once again in the early 19th century under the rule of Muhammad Ali, who promoted tolerance. In 1855 C.E. even the Gezya tax, a sign of inferiority, was lifted. Christians and Muslims together shared in the Egyptian revolution of 1919, ensuring their role together in modern society.

Today Pope Shenouda III, the 117th successor of St. Mark, leads the Coptic Church. While government figures suggest that Coptic Christians make up 10 percent of Egyptian society, or about six million members, the church itself claims membership closer to 10 million, including over a million emigrant Copts.

The Coptic Church has taken a leading role in the ecumenical movement and sees itself as one of the founders of the World Council of Churches in 1948. Today it also plays a role in the African Council of Churches and the Middle East Council of Churches.

—F.S.