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Copts

Copts
ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ
Coptic diaspora
Regions with significant populations
Egypt10 million (2019)[a]
Sudan400,000-500,000 (previously); a smaller number (as of 2018)[7]
Libya60,000[8]
Diaspora:1–2 million (estimates vary)
United States500,000 (2018)[9]
Canada50,000 (2017)[10]
Australia75,000 (2003)[11]
France45,000 (2017)[12]
Italy30,000[13]
United Kingdom25,000–30,000 (2006)[14]
United Arab Emirates10,000[15]
Netherlands10,000[16]
Languages
Coptic (liturgical and ancestral)
Religion
Coptic Orthodox Church
Coptic Catholic Church
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Copts (Coptic: ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ, romanized: niremənkhēmi; Arabic: الْقِبْط, romanized: al-qibṭ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to Northeast Africa[17] who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan,[18] and predominantly follow the Orthodox Church in Alexandria.[19][20] They are the largest Christian denomination in Egypt and the Middle East,[21] as well as in Sudan[7] and Libya.[22] Copts account for roughly 5–15 percent of the population of Egypt;[23][24] Copts in Sudan account for 1 percent of the Sudanese population, and Copts in Libya similarly account for 1 percent of the Libyan population.[8]

Originally referring to all Egyptians,[25] 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.[26] Copts have historically spoken the Coptic language, a direct descendant of the Demotic Egyptian that was spoken in late antiquity.

Following the Muslim conquest, the treatment of the Coptic Christians who refused to convert ranged from relative tolerance to open persecution.[27][28][29][30] 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".[26] Persecution is significantly involved in the Copts' ethnic identity due to historic and current conflicts.[31] Most Copts adhere to the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Church.[32][33][34] 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;[26] they also contributed to the "social and political life and key debates such as pan-Arabism, good governance, educational reform, and democracy",[26] and they have historically flourished in business affairs.[35]

While Coptic Christians speak the same dialects and are culturally similar to other Egyptians, they strongly oppose Arab identity and associate it with Islam and Islamism.[36][37] In Egypt, Copts have a relatively higher educational attainment, a relatively higher wealth index, and a stronger representation in white-collar job types, but limited representation in military and security agencies. The majority of demographic, socio-economic, and health indicators are similar among Christians and Muslims.[38]

  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. ^ a b Sudan: Copts, World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, Minority Rights Group International (June 2018)
  8. ^ a b Kjeilen, Tore. "Coptic Church". LookLex Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  9. ^ Shira Telushkin, The Americanization of an Ancient Faith, The Atlantic (March 2018).
  10. ^ Shenaz Kermalli, Canadian Copts Ponder Future of Their Faith, Religion News Service (April 25, 2017).
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ In the year 2017, there was an estimated 45,000 Copts in France: "Qui sont les coptes en France ?". La Croix. 16 March 2017.
  13. ^ "La Chiesa copta". March 10, 2014.
  14. ^ 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)
  15. ^ 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."
  16. ^ "'De Koptische kerk telt in Nederland ongeveer tienduizend leden, die grotendeels afkomstig zijn uit Egypte.'". 12 July 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  17. ^ Minahan 2002, p. 467
  18. ^ History of Christianity:Sudan, Coptic Christianity reached Sudan as early as the 2nd century, and there is even a tradition that St Matthew the Apostle came to the region even earlier.
  19. ^ "Coptic Christianity", worldatlas.com
  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 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.
  22. ^ Coptic Orthodox Church Listings for Libya, p. 136 Archived July 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  23. ^ "Egypt's Sisi meets world Evangelical churches delegation in Cairo – Politics – Egypt". Ahram Online. Retrieved 2019-10-30.
  24. ^ Hackett, Conrad (2011-02-16). "How many Christians are there in Egypt?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  25. ^ Doorn-Harder, Nelly van (3 October 2017). Copts in Context: Negotiating Identity, Tradition, and Modernity. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781611177855.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Egypt : Copts of Egypt". Refworld. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  28. ^ Etheredge, Laura S. (2011). Middle East, Region in Transition: Egypt. Britannica Educational Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 9789774160936.
  29. ^ 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
  30. ^ N. Swanson, Mark (2010). The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt (641-1517). American Univ in Cairo Press. p. 54. ISBN 9789774160936.
  31. ^ Deighton, H. S. "The Arab Middle East and the Modern World", International Affairs, vol. xxii, no. 4 (October 1946)
  32. ^ "Egypt from "U.S. Department of State/Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs"". United States Department of State. September 30, 2008.
  33. ^ "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.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ Samuel Tadros, Motherland Lost, ch 3–4.
  36. ^ "Britannica: Egyptian Christians - Copt", britannica.com, retrieved 30 July 2023
  37. ^ Dobon, Begoña; Hassan, Hisham Y.; Laayouni, Hafid; Luisi, Pierre; Ricaño-Ponce, Isis; Zhernakova, Alexandra; Wijmenga, Cisca; Tahir, Hanan; Comas, David; Netea, Mihai G.; Bertranpetit, Jaume (2015). "The genetics of East African populations: A Nilo-Saharan component in the African genetic landscape". Scientific Reports. 5: 9996. Bibcode:2015NatSR...5E9996D. doi:10.1038/srep09996. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 4446898. PMID 26017457.
  38. ^ 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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