The Egyptian Situation

THERE IS NO NEED to "report" the bombing at the Church of the Saints in Alexandria, Egypt, the latest in a series of terrorist attacks against Coptic Christians inside Egypt. Clearly, the issue has garnered attention outside Egypt.


President Obama has issued a statement, condemning the attacks. Pope Benedict XVI has also weighed in. The Christian Science Monitor is calling for prosecutions. Fox News and MSNBC have also addressed the issue.

Speaking to Al Ahram, His Holiness Pope Shenouda III said, "The slogans used by some [Coptic protesters] have transgressed all values and modes of behavior... and some have tried to resort to violence, but violence is absolutely not a method of ours." He added

We can not prevent people from expressing their sorrow, yet I ask them to express their feelings without violence. I am glad that many Muslims joined [in the protests] which shows that all are against terrorism and sectarian violence. The attack brought us together and we have to unite against the enemy that aims to weaken our bonds.

He also expressed views regarding the government's role: "I believe that the state has a duty to solve Copts' problems," adding, "We all believe in the rule of law and the importance of law and order. A state would collapse if the law was not implemented, but we want equality. Additionally,

Citizenship is a great principle, but many don’t understand it, for it means equality.We must be alert to all kinds of discrepancies taking place in the our society. We should face problems and work on solving them because if we just ignore them, it will get worse.

The National Democratic Party's Policies Committee Chairman (and presumptive future Egyptian president), Gamal Mubarak called the attack "heinous" and asserted that everyone behind the terrorist attack will sooner or later be brought to justice.


Many here in the U.S. have suggested exerting pressure by whatever dignified means available. Among the options suggested was a letter campaign, directed to U.S. congresspersons. While I think this is helpful and necessary, President Obama and the U.S. Congress are preoccupied with resolving other important issues, such as those concerning healthcare and the economy, as well as the growing concern over Iran, North Korea, and domestic security. The concerns of their American constituents and (realistically) their own political well-being will dominate their efforts.

In the end, Egypt's destiny will, for better or worse, be decided by and among Egyptians. Encouragingly, many in the mainstream Egyptian media have begun to express the an appropriate level outrage. Among them are Amr Adeeb and, his wife and colleague, Lamis Elhadidy:





With a burdened heart, I ask you to join me in praying and advocating for Egypt, my people.

More Pain

I WILL BE the first to admit that many of the Coptic protests in the West against persecution in Egypt have been gaudy and downright embarrassing. But no one - no one - can deny that there is a serious, serious issue in that country. For the first time, the situation is making me physically sick and psychologically depressed.

The latest episode occurred this past Christmas when six Coptic Christians were murdered by a Muslim gunman as they filed out of a midnight mass in the southern town of Nag Hamadi.

The situation has become so bad that even, in Europe, His Holiness Pope Benedict felt compelled to address the issue.

I genuinely believe that President Hosni Mobarek is personally saddened by these events, especially in view of his long-time friendship with His Holiness Pope Shenouda III. However, it remains to be seen how serious he is about a crackdown on the mess in Upper Egypt. Egyptian police say they have arrested three suspects. It is my view that what is done with these three men and about this attack will speak volumes about how serious Egypt is about being viewed as a just, respectable nation on the world stage. For a country held in high regard - at least relative to other Mideast nations - such a state of affairs is unacceptable.

The Wall Street Journal recently put this event in context of a wider global issue.

In contrast,The New York Times appears to minimize the issue, framing it as a simple case of a shooting that just happened to take place at a church. Really.

See also the report and perspective at Christnology.

Book Review: The Copts and the West, 1439-1822*

Author: Alistair Hamilton
Publisher: Oxford University Press (2006)
360 pages


PROFESSOR ALISTAIR HAMILTON has succeeding in producing a work that is both a readable narrative and a monumental work of historical scholarship. For this reason, the book will be of value not only to scholars of church history, but to non-scholars, such as everyday workers in the ecumenical movement as well as to Copts seeking a deeper understanding of their heritage. The work uncovers the timeless issues facing Coptic participation in the ecumenical movement. At base, Professor Hamilton has shown that, far from being considered serious parties to the ecumenical table, the Copts have largely functioned as a kind of battleground between Protestants and Rome.

The work comprises four parts. The first part is a survey of Coptic Church history from late antiquity to the Islamic Period. Here, the author highlights some of the important intellectual achievements of Copts under Arab domination and emphasizes the importance of these achievements for western students of the Eastern Churches. This section also includes an intriguing discussion of the tension between the Coptic upper class and the Coptic priesthood, a tension whose intensity has waxed and waned up to the present time.

Part Two focuses primarily on the Roman Catholic missions to Egypt during the period. This part highlights the Roman Church’s efforts to exploit the sacramental commonalities between the two communities in order to strengthen ecumenical bond. In this part, the author suggests that loyalty to Dioscorus and anti-Calcedonianism was so deeply-embedded in Coptic consciousness, that these sentiments, in combination with Rome’s insistence on Alexandria’s total submission, were sufficient to frustrate union with Rome. Importantly, the author also highlights the linguistic shortcomings of the Jesuit missionaries - who apparently couldn’t speak Arabic at all – and shows that the failure of ecumenical dialogue between Alexandria and Rome in that period probably was doomed from its inception, not because of a substantial disagreement about dogma, but because of the sheer failure to communicate.

While the authored touches on the tension between the Pope’s emphasis on submission to Rome and Coptic patriarch’s hesitation to sign on to this, his study of the interactions among all the players in between was far more interesting. Hamilton analyzes the relationship between emissaries from Rome - with their primary preoccupation with Egyptian submission to Rome and secondary concern for theological agreement - and the Coptic monks, some of whom, it must be admitted, may not have adequately distinguished the Chalcedonian position from Nestorianism. From the time of Anthony’s influence on Athanasius to the present day, monks have held a strong influence on Coptic patriarchs. Hamilton skillfully demonstrates how this strong influence, coupled with the monks’ often extreme theological positions, make for a complex dynamic. Finally, this part also includes intriguing vignettes on bright and colorful personalities, such as, for example, Raphael Tuki.

Part Three follows with a study of the efforts of Roman Catholics and Protestants to understand the Copts. Additionally, Hamilton lays out a very helpful background regarding how the two occidental bodies rivaled one another for influence over the Copts. He explains the dynamic between them, separate and apart from his discussion of their respective relationships with the Copts. This provides an excellent context for understanding their interactions and motivations with respect to the Copts. The author shows how the respective agendas of these two groups colored their differing conclusions regarding the Egyptian Christians. He also shows that, while Roman Catholics emphasized the Coptic recognition of the sacraments, the Protestants were more interested in the Copts as a significant body of Christians not in submission to Rome. As with Part Two, this part’s narrative feel is enhanced by biographical close-ups of intriguing figures, such as Johann Michael Wansleben, author of the important Histoire de l'Église d'Alexandrie.

Part Four is, for the most part, a highly technical study of the efforts of Western scholars to identify and understand the three major Coptic dialects. It begins, however, with an excellent, in-depth analysis of the work and methodology of Athanasius Kircher, generally considered the greatest Coptic scholar of the seventeenth century. The author’s meticulous analysis, however, utterly demystifies Kircher. Hamilton notes his “notorious carelessness” and “lofty indifference” to criticism and to his own mistakes. Generally, this section will be of primary interest to Coptolgists and linguists, and the general reader may, frankly, skip to Hamilton’s helpful epilogue.

In the end, the book is highly unique as a study of the Copts, being as it is, primarily a study of western missionary efforts to Egypt, and, secondarily, a study of the Copts themselves. Those looking for a more direct study of the Copts during this period will, of necessity, need to look further. A Copt reading this frank history of western perceptions and misperceptions about the Copts may become, as the present reviewer did, increasingly annoyed. At first one finds himself amused, but, as a pattern emerges, the amusement fades, giving way to unrelieved exasperation and dismay as he realizes that arrogance and ignorance have consistently characterized western approaches to the Egyptian Church. Copts seeking to learn more about this period of their history will appreciate Hamilton’s study because it manages to be extremely understanding of the Coptic position vis-à-vis the West without slipping into over-indulgent, politically-correct fawning.
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*This review originally appeared in the April 2009 issue of the journal Touchstone and is republished hereon with permission.

U.S. Government Commission Taking Note of Coptic Situation

On June 26, 2009, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom ("the Commission") issued a report in which it expressed concern over growing, unchecked violence against Copts in Egypt.

Felice D. Gaer, chair of the Commission, stated, regarding the recent events in the Beni Suef region,

This latest incident is another example of the upsurge of violence against Coptic Christians we have seen in the past few years. The Commission has long expressed concern that the Egyptian government does not do enough to protect Christians and their property in Egypt, nor does the government adequately bring perpetrators of such violence to justice.

On July 1, the Commission issued an update, stating,

With every violent attack on Copts, the same scenario of events takes place. The State Security forces the Coptic victims to an unofficial 'reconciliation meeting', in which they are forced to give up their rights, and the perpetrators go unpunished. Such a 'reconciliation meeting' for the villagers of Ezbet Boushra-East is scheduled for 6/30/09; the outcome of this meeting is already known by the Copts.

Many thanks to Mr. Victor Beshir for directing me to the June 26 report.

You may read the June 26 report here.

Theotokos Fast Begins Today!

Today marks to beginning of the fast of the Theotokos Mary. It is a time for us to reflect on her virtues, especially in the post-modern era, where we are pushed to value everything she is not. St. John of Damascus writes,

O Virgin, full of God's grace, O holy temple of God, which the Solomon who created the world has erected and in which He has dwelt! Not with gold, nor with inanimate stones are you adorned. In stead of gold the Spirit shines in you; in place of precious stones, you have Christ within you, the Pearl of great price.*

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*St. Demetrius, Metropolitan of Rostov, "Homily On The Nativity Of The Most Pure Theotokos"

New York Times Reports on Situation in Egypt

In an article entitled, “As Tensions Rise for Egypt’s Christians, Officials Call Clashes Secular”, New York Times correspondent Michael Slackman highlights the difference between the marginalized position of the Copts and the official position of a government insistent on painting a picture of isolated incidents in an otherwise unified country.

You can read the article here.

Pope Shenouda Rejects Report by Fact-Finding Committee on Abu-Fana Monastery Incidents

In a recent interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm (The Daily Egyptian), H.H. Pope Shenouda III unequivicollay rejected a report by the fact-finding committee on the Abu-Fana Monastery incidents in Menya, refusing to accept that it was merely a dispute over land.

While continuing to express his desire that Egypt resolve Egypt's problems, he had some strong words. Copts, he said, "will not be calm until the perpetrators are arrested and punished. The punishment should be appropriate to the crime they committed and the fire they fueled between Muslims and Christians."

He looks to the “homeland”, not outside intervenors and demonstrators, to act against those criminals and how the state will do justice to the victims.

Noting that the incident was part of a recent pattern, he pointed out that that there have been attacks against divers other monasteries and churches in Egypt during the past few years: “The reconciliation meetings they [hold] each time are unfair for Copts and have no effective results...The matter has no longer been acceptable either for Muslims or Christians who are concerned with the rule of law and preserving the state’s prestige.”

Further, he noted that failures of justice, “encourage the criminals to commit more crimes against Copts because they simply are sure that no one will bring them to account and that they will not pay the price for their crimes.”

With regard to meetings between the monasteries and Bedouins, he asked rhetorically, "What does this mean that the criminals sit with the victims? How will the criminals mend fences with victims who were brutally attacked and whose monasteries were robbed and sacred places were profaned in such an insulting way?"

He expressed his confidence that the government would punish the criminals and so deter others and his appreciation for President Hosni Mubarak and his non-discriminatory approach. Mubarak has intervened more than once to solve problems facing Copts.

You may find the article here.

NB: I'll note that I regret, to some extent, that many of my recent blog posts have about sectarian strife in Egypt, rather than on the usual topics. The fact, though, that I find myself posting almost unwillingly on these issues, is an indication of their importance.

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Photo credit: Michael Sleman

Feast of Saint Shenouda the Archmandrite

Today is the feast day of one of the great lights in the constellation of Coptic Saints, Saint Shenouda the Archmandrite.

At the time of his departure in 466, he was the father of 2,200 monks and 1,800 nuns. Besides being a man of deep learning and spirituality, he was known to be strict with his disciples. To be sure, this strictness flowed from a loving and concerned heart, as evidenced by his care for the peasants in the area surrounding the monastery.

Hany N. Takla writes,

Any cursory study of the living conditions of the peasants in Upper Egypt at his time, reveals a sub-human living conditions. This was exemplified in their illiteracy and slavery to the Greek landlords and to the land they cultivated. Such slavery was a life sentence, from which only death could free them. Even after Christianity spread among the them, their spirits were always dampened by the pagan landlords, who became more and more ferocious, especially after their slaves rejected their religion and adopted another (i.e. Christianity). The lack of leaders to defend them from such grave injustices, did not help either. This set the stage for the emergence of St. Shenouda as a leader of the oppressed populace.

To be a true leader, one would need to be strong, charismatic, caring, of good morals, and fearless. Such qualities fitted our Saint perfectly. So he took charge of the peasants with the ultimate goal of elevating them from being mere slaves to self-esteemed Christians, or at least to insure that they would get a fair treatment fromtheir landlords. He opened his church to them, preaching them incessantly on religious and moral issues. He also defended and protected them from their oppressors whenever they asked him for such protection. He simply did not spare an effort in coming to their aid. Though his methods might seemed violent by today's standards, they were the only possible and effective means of his time.*

In light of the difficulties presently facing the Christians of Upper Egypt, his life and work are particularly pertinent.

I recommend taking the time to read and absorb the modern translation of his vita, originally penned in Coptic by his disciple Besa.

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*Takla, Hany N., "St. Shenouda the Archmandrite", http://www.stshenouda.com/

Washington Post on the Situation of the Copts in Egypt

The Washington Post published an article today on the situation of the Copts in Egypt. The article highlighted some good points, but I regret the author's suggestion that the church-centered social programs encouraged by H.H. Pope Shenouda III are in some significant way the cause of tension in Egypt. I think the author confuses the remedy with the problem. In any case, H.H., much to the dismay of his western critics, has always encouraged Egyptian unity and for Egypt to solve Egypts problems.

You can find the article here.