Copts and the Security State

Copts and the Security State PDF Author: Laure Guirguis
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 1503600807
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Copts and the Security State combines political, anthropological, and social history to analyze the practices of the Egyptian state and the political acts of the Egyptian Coptic minority. Laure Guirguis considers how the state, through its subjugation of Coptic citizens, reproduces a political order based on religious identity and difference. The leadership of the Coptic Church, in turn, has taken more political stances, thus foreclosing opportunities for secularization or common ground. In each instance, the underlying logics of authoritarianism and sectarianism articulate a fear of the Other, and, as Guirguis argues, are ultimately put to use to justify the expanding Egyptian security state. In outlining the development of the security state, Guirguis focuses on state discourses and practices, with particular emphasis on the period of Hosni Mubarak's rule, and shows the transformation of the Orthodox Coptic Church under the leadership of Pope Chenouda III. She also considers what could be done to counter the growing tensions and violence in Egypt. The 2011 Egyptian uprising constitutes the most radical recent attempt to subvert the predominant order. Still, the revolutionary discourses and practices have not yet brought forward a new system to counter the sectarian rhetoric, and the ongoing counter-revolution continues to repress political dissent.

Copts and the Security State

Copts and the Security State PDF Author: Laure Guirguis
Publisher: Stanford University Press
ISBN: 1503600807
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

Get Book Here

Book Description
Copts and the Security State combines political, anthropological, and social history to analyze the practices of the Egyptian state and the political acts of the Egyptian Coptic minority. Laure Guirguis considers how the state, through its subjugation of Coptic citizens, reproduces a political order based on religious identity and difference. The leadership of the Coptic Church, in turn, has taken more political stances, thus foreclosing opportunities for secularization or common ground. In each instance, the underlying logics of authoritarianism and sectarianism articulate a fear of the Other, and, as Guirguis argues, are ultimately put to use to justify the expanding Egyptian security state. In outlining the development of the security state, Guirguis focuses on state discourses and practices, with particular emphasis on the period of Hosni Mubarak's rule, and shows the transformation of the Orthodox Coptic Church under the leadership of Pope Chenouda III. She also considers what could be done to counter the growing tensions and violence in Egypt. The 2011 Egyptian uprising constitutes the most radical recent attempt to subvert the predominant order. Still, the revolutionary discourses and practices have not yet brought forward a new system to counter the sectarian rhetoric, and the ongoing counter-revolution continues to repress political dissent.

A Short History of the Copts and of Their Church

A Short History of the Copts and of Their Church PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Copts
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description


The Copts of Egypt

The Copts of Egypt PDF Author: Vivian Ibrahim
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857718932
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
The Copts of Egypt, who consist of 10-15 per cent of the population, have traditionally been viewed as a 'beleaguered and persecuted minority'. Using newly discovered Coptic archival sources Vivian Ibrahim presents a fresh and vivid alternative reading of the community during the twentieth century. Avoiding the established portrayal of a monolithic entity headed by the Coptic Pope, Ibrahim examines the multifaceted dimensions of the Coptic community, assessing Coptic-State relations on one hand and Coptic intra-communal dimensions on the other. Examining the impact of the British Occupation of Egypt on the making of new national identities, she explores the emergence of a new politically active Coptic class; highlighting popular Coptic grassroots mobilisation during the 1919 revolution through the case-study of the Coptic priest Qommus Sergius. She discusses the centrality of the Copt and Wafdist, Makram Ebeid, on constitutional politics, and his role as a whistleblower during the 'Black Book Affair'. Breaking with the portrayal of a defenceless community, Ibrahim also reveals a strong Coptic response to the emergence and threats of Political Islam through the press. She presents and analyses for the first time, the unique satirical 'Ode to the Fezzed Shaykh', aimed at Muslim Brotherhood leader Hassan al-Banna. In 'The Copts of Egypt', Ibrahim also reveals fierce factionalism within the Coptic community in its struggle for modernisation. Examining mass corruption in monasteries and in the run-up to papal election campaigns, she analyses the ways in which the Church used the Egyptian State to bolster its claim to political as well as religious representation over the community. Through the establishment of benevolent and philanthropic societies, Ibrahim argues that Coptic youths were amongst the first to negotiate a role for themselves in post-revolutionary Egypt. Adopting President Nasser's revolutionary rhetoric of tathir, or cleansing, Ibrahim examines how a group of Coptic youths abducted their Pope and forced through their own agenda of religious and political reform. This book will be essential reading for scholars of the Coptic community and Middle East Studies.

The Copts of Egypt

The Copts of Egypt PDF Author: Saad Eddin Ibrahim
Publisher: Minority Rights Group
ISBN: 1897693265
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 17

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Book Description
This report, which has been written by Saad Eddin Ibrahim, Director of the Ibn Khaldoun Center for Development Studies in Cairo, carefully examines the historical role played by the Copts and the tensions to which they are vulnerable. The report aims to promote constructive responses. The recommendations reflect this approach and stress the importance of freedom of worship; equal access to employment opportunities; an education which recognizes the Coptic contribution to Egyptian history; the importance of preventing stereotypical and defamatory remarks about Copts in the Egyptian media, and the need to end discrimination against women. Please note that the terminology in the fields of minority rights and indigenous peoples’ rights has changed over time. MRG strives to reflect these changes as well as respect the right to self-identification on the part of minorities and indigenous peoples. At the same time, after over 50 years’ work, we know that our archive is of considerable interest to activists and researchers. Therefore, we make available as much of our back catalogue as possible, while being aware that the language used may not reflect current thinking on these issues.

The Copts of Egypt

The Copts of Egypt PDF Author: Vivian Ibrahim
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857736329
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
The Coptic Christians of Egypt have traditionally been portrayed as a 'beleaguered minority', persecuted in a Muslim majority state and by the threat of political Islam. Vivian Ibrahim offers a vivid portrayal of the community and an alternative interpretation of Coptic agency in the twentieth century, through newly dicovered sources. Dismissing the monolithic portrayal of this community, she analyses how Copts negotiated a role for themselves during the colonial and Nasserist periods, and their multifaceted response to the emergence of the Muslim Brotherhood. She examines reform within the Church itself, and how it led to power struggles that redefined the role of the Pope and Church in Nasser's Egypt. The findings of this book hold great relevance for understanding identity politics and the place of the Coptic community in the fast-changing political landscape of today's Egypt.

Coptic Christians and Muslims in Egypt

Coptic Christians and Muslims in Egypt PDF Author: Fikry Andrawes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789774168703
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300

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Book Description
For the most part of their shared history, Copts and Muslims in Egypt have experienced bouts of sectarian tension alternating with peaceful coexistence. Copts and Muslims in Egypt tells the story of Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt from the coming of Islam to the aftermath of the January 2011 revolution. It begins by describing how the Church of Alexandria came into existence, and created a monastic tradition that would influence the whole of Christendom, before exploring the theological controversies that plagued the Eastern Roman world before the advent of Islam. After bouts of persecution by the Roman emperors, the Copts were strongly opposed by the Melkite Church, but, with the Arab invasion of Egypt in the seventh century, they achieved a measure of independence and individuality that they retained over the centuries. The Copts were also subjected to periods of persecution--by rulers from the Umayyad, Abbasid, and Fatimid dynasties, and under the Mamluks--but by and large, a relatively satisfactory form of cohabitation was established. The authors argue that, even if they were occasionally attacked and persecuted, the Copts generally shared the fortunes of their Muslim neighbors, and that religious difference in Egypt was frequently exploited by rulers, both internal and external, for political gain. Copts and Muslims in Egypt provides an engaging and highly readable account of communal relations through key points in Egyptian history.

The Copts in Egyptian Politics (RLE Egypt

The Copts in Egyptian Politics (RLE Egypt PDF Author: B.L. Carter
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135086745
Category : Reference
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
This book explores the political relationship between the Muslim majority and Coptic minority in Egypt between 1918 and 1952. Many Egyptians hoped to see the collaboration of the 1919 revolution spur the creation of both a new collective Egyptian identity and a state without religious bias. Traditional ways of governing, however, were not so easily cast aside. Some Egyptians held tenaciously to the traditional arrangements which had both guaranteed Muslim primacy and served relatively well to protect the Copts and afford them some autonomy. Differences within the Coptic community over the wisdom of trusting the genuineness and durability of Muslim support for equality were accentuated by a protracted struggle between reforming laymen and conservative clergy for control of the community. The unwillingness of all parties to compromise hampered the ability of the community both to determine and to defend its interests. The Copts met with modest success in their attempt to become full Egyptian citizens. Their influence in the Wafd, the pre-eminent political party, was very strong prior to and in the early years of the constitutional monarchy, and their formal representation was generally adequate and, in some parliaments, better than adequate. However, this very success produced a backlash which caused many Copts to believe, by the 1940s, that the experiment had failed: political activity has become fraught with risk for them. At the close of the monarchy, equality and shared power seemed motions as distant as in the disheartening years before the 1919 revolution.

The Copts and the West, 1439-1822

The Copts and the West, 1439-1822 PDF Author: Alastair Hamilton
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199288771
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 355

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Book Description
This first full study of the subject discusses how 17C Catholic missionaries tried to force the Copts (Egyptian members of the Church of Alexandria) into union with the Church of Rome, and the slow accumulation of knowledge of Coptic beliefs, undertaken by Catholics and Protestants. Includes a survey of the study of the Coptic language in the West.

Among the Copts

Among the Copts PDF Author: John H. Watson
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
ISBN: 1837642435
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
This work explores all the important themes of the Copts from the earliest moments of Christian history to the present day, achieving a balance between a critical re-examination of Coptic history and research. It contains small biographies to show the Coptic experience as it is lived.

Christianity in the Land of the Pharaohs

Christianity in the Land of the Pharaohs PDF Author: Jill Kamil
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136797874
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 338

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Book Description
An engaging survey of Coptic Christianity in Egypt since Pharaonic times, through its development under Rome, Byzantium, Islam and beyond. Ideal reading for students of Egyptian history and Christianity.