Christianity in Egypt

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Christianity is the second largest religion in Egypt.[note 1][1] The vast majority of Egyptian Christians are Copts. As of 2019, Copts in Egypt make up approximately 10 percent of the nation's population, with an estimated population of 9.5 million or 10 million. In 2018, approximately 90% of Egyptian Christians were Coptic Orthodox.

The history of Egyptian

early center of Christianity
.

Demographics

The vast majority of Egyptian Christians are

Pope Tawadros II.[9]

Other than the Coptic Orthodox Church, two other Oriental Orthodox churches have members in Egypt: the Armenian Apostolic and Syriac Orthodox churches.[2]

A minority — approximately 2.5% — of Egyptian Christians belong to the

Syriac Catholics, Armenian Catholics, and Chaldean Catholics.[2] Most Latin Church Catholics in Egypt are expatriates.[2]

The

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and all Africa is the presence of Eastern Orthodoxy in Egypt.[2] Its membership has steadily declined, and was approximately 110,000 in 1980.[13]

There are a small number of

Seventh-Day Adventist, and Churches of Christ, among others.[2] Between 1,000 and 1,500 Jehovah's Witnesses live in Egypt.[14] The Adventist Atlas estimated 852 members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Egypt as of 2008.[15]

Scattered among the various churches are a number of converts from Islam to Christianity. A 2015 study estimated that there were 14,000 such believers in Egypt.[16]

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    icon Christianity portal

    Socio-economic

    In Egypt, Copts have relatively higher

    university degree in institutions of higher education.[19]

    Copts tend to belong to the educated

    pharmacists of Egypt were Christians.[22]

    A number of Coptic

    Coptic Christianity encouraged the accumulation of human capital.[30]

    History

    Further information: Roman Egypt and Coptic history
    Diocese of Egypt
    (c. 400 AD)

    Early history

    Egyptian Christians believe that the Patriarchate of Alexandria was founded by Mark the Evangelist around AD 33, and Christianity entered Egypt because of The Apostle Mark.

    By AD 300 Alexandria was one of the great Christian centres. The Christian apologists Clement of Alexandria and Origen both lived part or all of their lives in that city, where they wrote, taught and debated.[citation needed] Anthony the Great, one of the most revered early Christian saints, also hailed from Egypt.

    With the

    Philae in Upper Egypt proves[why?] worship of Isis
    persisted at its temples into the 5th century.

    Alexandria became the centre of the first great schism in the

    Athanasius, who became Archbishop of Alexandria in 326 after the First Council of Nicaea rejected Arius's views. The Arian controversy caused years of riots and rebellions throughout most of the 4th century. In the course of one of these, the great temple of Serapis, the stronghold of paganism, was destroyed. Athanasius was alternately expelled from Alexandria and reinstated as its Archbishop between five and seven times. Another religious development in Egypt was the monasticism of the Desert Fathers, who renounced the material world in order to live a life of poverty in devotion to God.[citation needed
    ]

    The

    Creed of Constantinople from 381, and Constantinople was the city of emperors. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, however, did not agree with the council's decision, and the two were split into two patriarchates, which remain distinct.[31]

    In the 6th century, Gregory of Tours in France wrote that contemporary travelers claimed Egypt was 'filled with monasteries'. [32]

    Under Muslim rule

    Egypt as well as some other Asian and African Byzantine territories were conquered by Muslims in the 7th century. Under Muslim rule, the Copts were cut off from the mainstream of Christianity and were compelled to adhere to the

    Isma'il Pasha, in power 1863–79, further promoted the Copts. He appointed them judges to Egyptian courts and awarded them political rights and representation in government. They flourished in business affairs.[33]

    The first Anglican presence in Egypt was established in 1819 by missionaries from the Church Mission Society, who endeavored to distribute copies of the Gospels in Arabic.[34] The first Anglican church in Egypt, called St. Mark's was consecrated on December 17, 1839, in Alexandria, followed by All Saint's Church, in Cairo, consecrated on January 23, 1876.

    The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt, Synod of the Nile was founded by American missionaries from the United Presbyterian Church of North America, ministering among members of the Coptic Orthodox Church in 1854, the church would later become autonomous in 1926.[35][36] By 1998, the Synod had more than 300 churches, a seminary and a "large system of church related secondary schools."[37]

    Some Copts participated in the Egyptian national movement for independence and occupied many influential positions. Two significant cultural achievements include the founding of the Coptic Museum in 1910 and the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies in 1954. Some prominent Coptic thinkers from this period are Salama Moussa, Louis Awad and Secretary-General of the Wafd Party Makram Ebeid.

    President Nasser welcomes a delegation of Coptic bishops (1965)

    In 1952,

    pan-Arab nationalism and socialism. The Copts were severely affected by Nasser's nationalization policies, though they represented about 10–20% of the population.[38] In addition, Nasser's pan-Arab policies undermined the Copts' strong attachment to and sense of identity about their Egyptian pre-Arab, and certainly non-Arab identity which resulted in permits to construct churches to be delayed along with Christian religious courts to be closed.[38]

    By January 1976, the Diocese of Egypt had become part of the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, and in May 2020, the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria became the 41st Province of the Anglican Communion.[34]

    On February 18, 2013, the leaders of the five largest denominations in Egypt — the

    Anglican Church — formed the first Council of Churches in Egypt. In attendance were the patriarchs of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Tawadros II, the Greek Orthodox Church, Theodore II of Alexandria, and the Coptic Catholic Church, Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak.[citation needed
    ]

    Pharaonism

    Main article: Pharaonism

    Many Coptic intellectuals hold to "Pharaonism," which states that Coptic culture is largely derived from pre-Christian, Pharaonic culture, and is not indebted to Greece. It gives the Copts a claim to a deep heritage in Egyptian history and culture. Pharaonism was widely held by Coptic scholars in the early 20th century. Most scholars today see Pharaonism as a late development shaped primarily by western Orientalism, and doubt its validity.[39][40]

    Persecution and discrimination

    Main articles:
    Freedom of religion in Egypt

    First centuries

    In 1003, the Coptic Orthodox Church faced persecution during the rule of the sixth Fatimid caliph, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, Al-Hakim destroyed as many as 3,000 churches during his reign, as well as outlawing the use of wine, which was necessary for the religious practices of both the Christians and Jews under his rule.[41] In 1005, Al-Hakim ordered that Christians and Jews alike be made to follow the "law of differentiation" called ghiyār, and wear a black belt, mintaq or zunnar, and a black turban, 'imāmah.[42] In 1009, al-Hakim ordered and carried out the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, a prominent cite for the Christian faith.

    Present day

    Religious freedom in Egypt is hampered to varying degrees by discriminatory and restrictive government policies. Coptic Christians, being the largest religious minority in Egypt, were also negatively affected. While freedom of religion is guaranteed by the Egyptian constitution, according to Human Rights Watch, "Egyptians are able to convert to Islam generally without difficulty, but Muslims who convert to Christianity face difficulties in getting new identity papers and some have been arrested for allegedly forging such documents."[43] The Coptic community, however, takes pains to prevent conversions from Christianity to Islam due to the ease with which Christians can often become Muslim.[44] Public officials, being conservative themselves, intensify the complexity of the legal procedures required to recognize the religion change as required by law. Security agencies will sometimes claim that such conversions from Islam to Christianity (or occasionally vice versa) may stir social unrest, and thereby justify themselves in wrongfully detaining the subjects, insisting that they are simply taking steps to prevent likely social troubles from happening.[45] In 2007, a Cairo administrative court denied 45 citizens the right to obtain identity papers documenting their reversion to Christianity after converting to Islam.[46] However, in February 2008 the Supreme Administrative Court overturned the decision, allowing 12 citizens who had reverted to Christianity to re-list their religion on identity cards,[47][48] but they will specify that they had adopted Islam for a brief period of time.[49]

    Until recently, Christians were required to obtain presidential approval for even minor repairs in churches. Although the law was eased in 2005 by handing down the authority of approval to the governors, and then in August 2017, the Parliament of Egypt removed the legal restrictions that limited the construction of new churches.[50][51]

    In 2006, one person attacked three churches in

    Marsa Matrouh, a Bedouin mob of 3,000 Muslims tried to attack the city's Coptic population, with 400 Copts having to barricade themselves in their church while the mob destroyed 18 homes, 23 shops, and 16 cars.[54][citation needed
    ]

    Fox News reported that Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have expressed concern about alleged "human trafficking" of Coptic women and girls as victims of abductions, forced conversion to Islam, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage to Muslim men.[56]

    Boutros Boutros-Ghali is a Copt who served as Egypt's foreign minister under President Anwar Sadat. In addition, Naguib Sawiris, a Coptic businessman, was ranked in 2024 by Forbes as the 7th richest man in Africa with a net worth of 3.8B$.[57] However, many Copts continue to complain of being minimally represented in law enforcement, state security, and public office, and of being discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their religion.[58][59]

    In 2002, under the

    Mubarak government, Coptic Christmas (January 7) was recognized as an official holiday.[60]

    In August 2013, following the 3 July 2013 Coup and clashes between the military and Morsi supporters, there were widespread attacks on Coptic churches and institutions in Egypt by Sunni Muslims.[61] [62] According to at least one Egyptian scholar, Samuel Tadros; the attacks are the worst violence against the Coptic Church since the 14th century.[63]

    USA Today reported that "forty churches have been looted and torched, while 23 others have been attacked and heavily damaged". The Facebook page of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party was "rife with false accusations meant to foment hatred against Copts", according to journalist Kirsten Powers. The Party's page claimed that the Coptic Church had declared "war against Islam and Muslims" and that "The Pope of the Church is involved in the removal of the first elected Islamist president. The Pope of the Church alleges Islamic Sharia is backwards, stubborn, and reactionary."[63][64][65] On August 15, nine Egyptian human rights groups under the umbrella group "Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights", released a statement saying,

    In December … Brotherhood leaders began fomenting anti-Christian sectarian incitement. The anti-Coptic incitement and threats continued unabated up to the demonstrations of June 30 and, with the removal of President Morsi … morphed into sectarian violence, which was sanctioned by … the continued anti-Coptic rhetoric heard from the group's leaders on the stage … throughout the sit-in.[63][66]

    On February 25, 2016, an Egyptian court convicted four Coptic Christian teenagers for contempt of Islam, after they appeared in a video mocking Muslim prayers.[67]

    Egypt is ranked by Open Doors as the 38th most dangerous country to be a Christian[68]

    See also

    Notes

    1. ^ Figures vary, but censuses and other survey based third party analyses estimates the Christian population of Egypt at approximately 5%. Eight consecutive census results from 1927 (8.3% Christian) to 1996 (5.7% Christian) shows a declining trend in Christian population.[10] However censuses may have been under-counting Christians.[10]
      • The nation-wide Demographic and Health Survey (2008) conducted with the support of US AID showed about 5% of the respondents were Christian.[10]
      • QScience Connect in 2013 using 2008 data estimated that 5.1% of Egyptians between the ages of 15 and 59 were Copts.[69]
      • The Pew Foundation estimated 5.1% for Christians in 2010.[70]
      • Other estimates are not based on surveys, but there is an observed trend among generally reliable sources to safely approximate the Christian population at 10%. Encyclopædia Britannica says that Copts constitute up to 10% of the population of Egypt.[71]
      • In 2017, CNN estimated the Coptic Christian population between 6 and 11 million.[8] Al-Ahram newspaper, one of the government owned newspapers in Egypt, reported the percentage between 10% and 15% (2017).[72]
      • In 2018, government agencies including the
        US department of state estimated the Egyptian Christian population at 9 to 10% (close to 10 million).[3]
      • In 2019, the National Geographic Society and the Century Foundation estimated that Christians made up 10% of the Egyptian population.[73][74]

    References

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    3. ^ a b c "US Dept of State 2018 report on Egypt". United States Department of State. The U.S. government estimates the population at 99.4 million (July 2018 estimate). Most experts and media sources state that approximately 90 percent of the population is officially designated as Sunni Muslims and approximately 10 percent is recognized as Christian (estimates range from 5 to 15 percent). Approximately 90 percent of Christians belong to the Coptic Orthodox Church, according to Christian leaders.
    4. ^ a b c Michael Wahid Hanna, Excluded and Unequal: Copts on the Margins of the Egyptian Security State Archived 2020-05-31 at the Wayback Machine, The Century Foundation (May 9, 2019).
    5. ^ Francis X. Rocca & Dahlia Kholaif, Pope Francis Calls on Egypt's Catholics to Embrace Forgiveness Archived 2021-09-26 at the Wayback Machine, Wall Street Journal (April 29, 2017).
    6. ^ Noha Elhennawy, Egyptian woman fights unequal Islamic inheritance laws Archived 2021-08-28 at the Wayback Machine, Associated Press (November 15, 2019).
    7. ^ a b "Five Things to Know About Egypt's Coptic Christians". Wall Street Journal. February 16, 2015.
    8. ^ a b "Who are Egypt's Coptic Christians?". CNN. 10 April 2017. The largest Christian community in the Middle East, Coptic Christians make up the majority of Egypt's roughly 9 million Christians. About 1 million more Coptic Christians are spread across Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to the World Council of Churches.
    9. ^ Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Archived 2021-08-18 at the Wayback Machine. Encyclopedia Britannica, January 3, 2020.
    10. ^ a b c d e Suh, Michael (15 February 2011). "How many Christians are there in Egypt?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
    11. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-13. Retrieved 2008-04-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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    13. ^ Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. Encyclopedia Britannica, December 11, 2013.
    14. ^ Egypt: Jehovah's Witnesses Archived 2021-05-05 at the Wayback Machine, Minority Rights Group International (last accessed October 2017).
    15. ^ "Adventist Atlas". adventistatlas.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2008-03-19.
    16. ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane Alexander (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. 11: 14. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
    17. doi:10.5339/connect.2013.22
    18. ^ "Accursed, Superior Men: Ethno-Religious Minorities and Politics in the Medieval Mediterranean". Cambridge University Press. 3 October 2014. In the mid-nineteenth century, Lane reported that many Copts were accountants, who served primarily in government bureaus. As late as 1961, Coptic Christians owned 51 percent of Egyptian banks.
    19. ^ "Religion and Education Around the World" (PDF). Pew Research Center. 19 December 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-12-22. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
    20. ISBN 9781137566133
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    21. ISBN 9781134666843
      . The Copts, who were 7 percent of the population in the nineteenth century, still played the major role in managing Egypt's state finances. They held 20 percent of total state capital, 45 percent of government employment ...
    22. JSTOR 4282879
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    23. ^ "Naguib Sawiris: 'If God wanted women to be veiled, he would have created them with a veil'". Arabian Business. 11 November 2019.
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    25. ^ "The richest men in Africa – 2009". Archived from the original on 21 September 2017.
    26. ^ "#60 Naguib Sawiris - Forbes.com". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
    27. ^ "#68 Nassef Sawiris - Forbes.com". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
    28. ^ "#96 Onsi Sawiris - Forbes.com". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
    29. ^ "#396 Samih Sawiris - Forbes.com". www.forbes.com. Retrieved 2019-02-06.
    30. ^ "Accursed, Superior Men: Ethno-Religious Minorities and Politics in the Medieval Mediterranean". Cambridge University Press. 3 October 2014.
    31. ^ "A History of the Eastern Orthodox Church". Greek Orthodox Church of St Anna. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
    32. ^ Gregory of Tours. A History of the Franks. Pantianos Classics, 1916
    33. ^ Todros, ch 3–4.
    34. ^ a b "The Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria". Anglican Communion. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
    35. ^ "Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt Synod of the Nile". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
    36. ^ "History of The Outreach Foundation in Egypt: Introducing a 2000-Year-Old Church". The Outreach Foundation. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
    37. ^ "History of The Outreach Foundation in Egypt: Introducing a 2000-Year-Old Church". The Outreach Foundation. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
    38. ^
      ISBN 978-0-7864-1375-1
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    39. doi:10.1163/187124109x407934
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    41. ^ "Coptic Orthodox Church". World Council of Churches. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
    42. ^ "al-Hakim: Religious Policies | The Baheyeldin Dynasty". baheyeldin.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
    43. ^ Human Rights Watch. World report 2007: Egypt Archived September 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
    44. ^ "Egypt: National Unity and the Coptic issue. (Arab Strategic Report 2004–2005)". Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
    45. ^ Egypt: Egypt Arrests 22 Muslim converts to Christianity Archived 2017-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. November 03, 2003
    46. ^ Shahine, Gihan. "Fraud, not Freedom". Archived October 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Ahram Weekly, 3 – May 9, 2007
    47. ^ Audi, Nadim (February 11, 2008). "Egyptian Court Allows Return to Christianity". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
    48. ^ Associated Press. Egypt court upholds right of converted Muslims to return to Christianity Archived November 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. 2008-02-09.
    49. ^ AFP. Egypt allows converts to revert to Christianity on ID Archived April 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. February, 2008.
    50. ^ WorldWide Religious News. Church Building Regulations Eased Archived March 18, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. December 13, 2005.
    51. ^ Compass Direct News. Church Building Regulations Eased. December 13, 2005.
    52. ^ Miles, Hugh (April 15, 2006). "Coptic Christians attacked in churches". London: The Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-10-07.
    53. ^ BBC. Egypt church attacks spark anger Archived 2019-08-15 at the Wayback Machine, April 15, 2006.
    54. ^ a b c Zaki, Moheb (May 18, 2010). "Egypt's Persecuted Christians". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
    55. ^ "2010 Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom" (PDF). www.uscirf.gov. May 2010.
    56. ^ Abrams, Joseph (April 21, 2010). "House Members Press White House to Confront Egypt on Forced Marriages". foxnews.com. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
    57. ^ "Naguib Sawiris". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
    58. ^ Freedom House. Egypt's Endangered Christians. Archived January 7, 2003, at archive.today
    59. ^ Human Rights Watch. Egypt: Overview of human rights issues in Egypt Archived 2008-11-14 at the Wayback Machine. 2005
    60. ^ ArabicNews.com. Copts welcome Presidential announcement on Eastern Christmas Holiday Archived September 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. December 20, 2002.
    61. ^ Chulov, Martin (Aug 15, 2013). "Egypt's Coptic Christians report fresh attacks on churches: Christian leaders blame Muslim Brotherhood supporters for arson and other attacks, including shooting death of teenage girl". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
    62. ^ Khairat, Mohamed (Aug 16, 2013). "Coptic churches burn amid violence in Egypt: Coptic Christians call for greater protection as wave of violence sweeps across Egypt". Egyptian Streets. Retrieved 2013-08-16.
    63. ^ a b c Powers, Kirsten. "The Muslim Brotherhood's War on Coptic Christians". Aug 22, 2013. Daily Beast. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
    64. ^ "FJP Helwan Facebook page on church attacks". August 16, 2013. —mbinenglish. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
    65. ^ "Coptic churches burn amid violence in Egypt | Egyptian Streets". egyptianstreets.com. Retrieved 2018-03-17.
    66. ^ "Joint Press Release: Non-peaceful assembly does not justify collective punishment – Rights groups condemn lethal violence against those in sit-in and terrorist acts of the Muslim Brotherhood". 15 August 2013. Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
    67. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original
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    70. ^ "Religions in Egypt | PEW-GRF". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
    71. ^ "Copt | Definition, Religion, History, & Facts". Encyclopedia Britannica. Copts constitute up to 10 percent of the population of Egypt.
    72. ^ "Egypt's Sisi meets world Evangelical churches delegation in Cairo". english.ahram.org.eg. Al-Ahram. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
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    74. ^ "Excluded and Unequal". The Century Foundation. 9 May 2019. Copts are generally understood to make up approximately 10 percent of Egypt's population.

    Sources

    External links
    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christianity_in_Egypt&oldid=1205387556#History"