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Copts

Copts
ⲚⲓⲢⲉⲙ̀ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ ̀ⲛ̀Ⲭⲣⲏⲥⲧⲓ̀ⲁⲛⲟⲥ
Coptic diaspora
Regions with significant populations
Egypt10 million[a]
Diaspora:1–2 million (estimates vary)[7]
United States500,000 (2018)[8]
Sudan400,000-500,000 (previously)[when?][9]
Australia75,000 (2003)[10]
Libya60,000[11]
Canada50,000 (2017)[12]
France45,000 (2017)[13]
Italy30,000[14]
United Kingdom25,000–30,000 (2006)[15]
United Arab Emirates10,000[16]
Netherlands10,000[17]
Languages
Coptic (liturgical and historical)
Religion
Coptic Orthodox Church
Coptic Catholic Church
Coptic Protestant Churches
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Copts
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Copts (Coptic: ⲚⲓⲢⲉⲙ̀ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ ̀ⲛ̀Ⲭⲣⲏⲥⲧⲓ̀ⲁⲛⲟⲥ, romanized: NiRemenkēmi enKhristianos; Arabic: أقباط, romanized: aqbaṭ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa[18] who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt since antiquity. Copts predominantly follow the Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria.[19][20] They are the largest Christian denomination in Egypt and the Middle East,[21][22][23][24] as well as in Sudan[9] and Libya.[25] Copts account for roughly 5 to 15 percent of the population of Egypt.[22][26][27]

Copts view themselves as the direct descendants of the Ancient Egyptians,[28][29][30] moreover, scientific evidence highlights a broader continuity and affinity between Copts, Muslim Egyptians, and ancient Egyptians.[31][32][33][34]

Originally referring to all Egyptians,[35] the term Copt became synonymous with native Christians in light of Egypt's Islamization and Arabization after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 639–646 AD.[36] Copts have historically spoken the Coptic language, a direct descendant of the Demotic Egyptian that was spoken in late antiquity.

Following the Arab Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century, the treatment of the Coptic Christians who didn't convert ranged from relative tolerance to open persecution.[37][38][39][40] Historically, the Copts suffered from waves of persecution giving way to relative tolerance in cycles that varied according to the local ruler and other political and economic circumstances.[36] Persecution is significantly involved in the Copts' ethnic identity due to historic and current conflicts.[41] Most Copts adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Church.[42][43][44] The smaller Coptic Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church, in communion with the Holy See of Rome; others belong to the Evangelical Church of Egypt. The Copts played a central role in the Arab Renaissance as well as the modernization of Egypt and the Arab world as a whole.[36] They also contributed to Egypt's social and political life and key debates such as pan-Arabism, good governance, educational reform, and democracy.[36] They have historically flourished in business affairs.[45]

While an integral part of broader Egyptian society and culture, Copts also preserve distinct religious traditions and some unique cultural elements. Coptic music is thought to incorporate some influences from earlier Egyptian musical traditions.[46] Copts also maintain the use of the Coptic calendar, which is based on the ancient Egyptian calendar and remains significant in their liturgical practices.

Many Copts view Arab identity as closely associated with Islam and may not fully identify with it,[47] but they also have a national identity shared with other Egyptians.[47][48] Copts and Muslim Egyptians are recognized as being physically indistinguishable.[49][50] In Egypt, Copts have a relatively high educational attainment, wealth index, and a strong representation in white-collar job types, but limited representation in military and security agencies.[51] The majority of demographic, socio-economic, and health indicators are similar among Coptic Christians and Muslims in Egypt.[51]

  1. ^ Francis X. Rocca & Dahlia Kholaif, Pope Francis Calls on Egypt’s Catholics to Embrace Forgiveness, Wall Street Journal (April 29, 2017).
  2. ^ Noha Elhennawy, Egyptian woman fights unequal Islamic inheritance laws, Associated Press (November 15, 2019).
  3. ^ "Five Things to Know About Egypt's Coptic Christians". Wall Street Journal. February 16, 2015.
  4. ^ "Egyptian Coptic protesters freed". BBC News. 22 December 2004.
  5. ^ "Egypt". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 10 April 2023.
  6. ^ "Copts in Egypt". Minority Rights Group. October 2017.
  7. ^ https://providencemag.com/2023/05/counting-coptic-christians-in-egypt-1/
  8. ^ Shira Telushkin, The Americanization of an Ancient Faith, The Atlantic (March 2018).
  9. ^ a b Sudan: Copts, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, Minority Rights Group International (June 2018)
  10. ^ In the year 2003, there was an estimated 70,000 Copts in New South Wales alone: "Coptic Orthodox Church (NSW) Property Trust Act 1990". New South Wales Consolidated Acts.
  11. ^ Kjeilen, Tore. "Coptic Church". LookLex Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  12. ^ Shenaz Kermalli, Canadian Copts Ponder Future of Their Faith, Religion News Service (April 25, 2017).
  13. ^ In the year 2017, there was an estimated 45,000 Copts in France: "Qui sont les coptes en France ?". La Croix. 16 March 2017.
  14. ^ "La Chiesa copta". March 10, 2014.
  15. ^ Copts number at least 20,000 in Britain "Middle Killeavy Parish Web Site". Archived from the original on 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2008-08-16. plus another 5,000 – 10,000 Copts who are directly under the British Orthodox Church (1999 figures)[usurped]
  16. ^ Teller, Matthew (12 July 2015). "Free to pray – but don't try to convert anyone". BBC. Retrieved 12 July 2015. Ten-thousand or more live in the UAE, and young, bearded priest Father Markos, 12 years in Dubai, told me his flock are "more than happy – they enjoy their life, they are free."
  17. ^ "'De Koptische kerk telt in Nederland ongeveer tienduizend leden, die grotendeels afkomstig zijn uit Egypte.'". 12 July 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  18. ^ Minahan 2002, p. 467
  19. ^ "Coptic Christianity", worldatlas.com, 3 April 2018
  20. ^ "Saint Mark Cathedral", alexandria.gov.eg
  21. ^ "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 15 million Christians.
  22. ^ a b "البابا تواضروس: ١٥ مليون مسيحي في مصر | المصري اليوم".
  23. ^ "Counting Coptic Christians in Egypt - Providence". 26 May 2023.
  24. ^ About 1-2 million more Coptic Christians are spread across Africa, Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States, according to the World Council of Churches.
  25. ^ Coptic Orthodox Church Listings for Libya, p. 136 Archived July 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  26. ^ "Counting Coptic Christians in Egypt - Providence". 26 May 2023.
  27. ^ https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2011/02/16/how-many-christians-are-there-in-egypt/
  28. ^ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Copt
  29. ^ https://copticchurch.org/about/thecopts/
  30. ^ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1750635219866137
  31. ^ Taha, Tarek; Elzalabany, Sagy; Fawzi, Sahar; Hisham, Ahmed; Amer, Khaled; Shaker, Olfat (1 August 2020). "Allele frequency comparative study between the two main Egyptian ethnic groups". Forensic Science International. 313: 110348. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2020.110348. ISSN 0379-0738. PMID 32521421. S2CID 219586129. Archived from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  32. ^ Hollfelder, Nina; Schlebusch, Carina M.; Günther, Torsten; Babiker, Hiba; Hassan, Hisham Y.; Jakobsson, Mattias (2017-08-24). "Northeast African genomic variation shaped by the continuity of indigenous groups and Eurasian migrations". PLOS Genetics. 13 (8): e1006976. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1006976. ISSN 1553-7404. PMC 5587336. PMID 28837655. This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.
  33. ^ Oras, Ester; Anderson, Jaanika; Tõrv, Mari; Vahur, Signe; Rammo, Riina; Remmer, Sünne; Mölder, Maarja; Malve, Martin; Saag, Lehti; Saage, Ragnar; Teearu-Ojakäär, Anu; Peets, Pilleriin; Tambets, Kristiina; Metspalu, Mait; Lees, David C. (2020). "Multidisciplinary investigation of two Egyptian child mummies curated at the University of Tartu Art Museum, Estonia (Late/Graeco-Roman Periods)". PLOS ONE. 15 (1): e0227446. Bibcode:2020PLoSO..1527446O. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0227446. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 6964855. PMID 31945091.
  34. ^ Morez, A. (2023-02-01). Reconstructing past human genetic variation with ancient DNA: case studies from ancient Egypt and medieval Europe (doctoral thesis). Liverpool John Moores University.
  35. ^ Doorn-Harder, Nelly van (3 October 2017). Copts in Context: Negotiating Identity, Tradition, and Modernity. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781611177855.
  36. ^ a b c d Raheb, Mitri; Lamport, Mark A. (2020-12-15). The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Christianity in the Middle East. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-5381-2418-5.
  37. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Egypt : Copts of Egypt". Refworld. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  38. ^ Etheredge, Laura S. (2011). Middle East, Region in Transition: Egypt. Britannica Educational Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 9789774160936.
  39. ^ Lyster, William (2013). The Cave Church of Paul the Hermit at the Monastery of St. Pau. Yale University Press. ISBN 9789774160936. Al Hakim Bi-Amr Allah (r. 996–1021), however, who became the greatest persecutor of Copts.... within the church that also appears to coincide with a period of forced rapid conversion to Islam
  40. ^ N. Swanson, Mark (2010). The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt (641-1517). American Univ in Cairo Press. p. 54. ISBN 9789774160936.
  41. ^ Deighton, H. S. (1 October 1946). "The Arab Middle East and the Modern World". International Affairs. 22 (4): 519. doi:10.2307/3018194. JSTOR 3018194.
  42. ^ "Egypt from "U.S. Department of State/Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs"". United States Department of State. September 30, 2008.
  43. ^ "Egypt from "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"". Foreign and Commonwealth Office -UK Ministry of Foreign Affairs. August 15, 2008. Archived from the original on December 12, 2012.
  44. ^ Bailey, Betty Jane; Bailey, J. Martin (2003). Who Are the Christians in the Middle East?. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-8028-1020-5.
  45. ^ Samuel Tadros, Motherland Lost, ch 3–4.
  46. ^ Guindy, pp. 25
  47. ^ a b Tadros, Mariz (2013). Copts at the Crossroads: The Challenges of Building Inclusive Democracy in Contemporary Egypt. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-977-416-591-7.
  48. ^ Images as Messengers of Coptic Identity An Example from Contemporary Egypt. RAGNHILD BJERRE FINNE STAD
  49. ^ Gurr, Ted Robert (2000). Peoples Versus States: Minorities at Risk in the New Century. US Institute of Peace Press. ISBN 978-1-929223-02-2.
  50. ^ Banjo, Omotayo O.; Williams, Kesha Morant (2017-11-30). Contemporary Christian Culture: Messages, Missions, and Dilemmas. Lexington Books. ISBN 978-1-4985-5390-2.
  51. ^ a b Mohamoud YA, Cuadros DF, Abu-Raddad LJ. Characterizing the Copts in Egypt: Demographic, socioeconomic and health indicators, QScience Connect 2013:22 doi:10.5339/connect.2013.22


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