The Copts, from Nasser to Mubarak

Giuseppe Scattolin has been a Combonian priest since 1968, and a missionary in the Lebanon, in Sudan and in Egypt where he has lived since 1980. He teaches Islamic mystical theology at the PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arab and Islamic Studies) in Rome and has published many books on Islam and spirituality: “We need a new dialogue between Muslims and Christians, based on the a convergence of our shared values and in the name of humankind’s common good. I believe that 14 centuries of conflicts and invective between these two religions are more than enough. We must be capable of turning over a new leaf – he says, talking to Resetdoc from Cairo – It is only together that we will really be able to protect the young from the dangers of extremism, which is where they take refuge when reacting to globalisation”.

Who are the Egyptian Copts and what is their origin?

The Copts are contemporary Egypt’s most ancient people, they are the descendents of the ancient Egyptians, and the Coptic language is a very old one. Their history is not known to most Muslims. Today they represent less than 10% of the entire population, 6 or 7 million people at most.

To what extent to Egyptian Copts feel they are integrally part of their country?

Egypt has a long history, and ever since the arrival of the Muslims, the Christian Copts have, in some way, felt like foreigners in their own land because of the application of the theory of the Dimmi in compliance with Islamic Shari’a; these are the specific rules applied to non-Muslim inhabitants in an Islamic country. Today, 14 centuries after the arrival of Islam, the Christian community still feels isolated and unacknowledged and this greatly influences relations between Christians and Muslims in Egypt.

Has there been any improvement in modern times in Egypt with regard to the consideration in which this Christian minority is held?

It is interesting to observe that during the period around Nasser’s revolution, the Egyptian Copts felt more involved in their country’s destiny thanks to the Arab nationalist movement which was inspired by the Arab culture, albeit with an absolutely secular approach. In the same sense, Saddam Hussein’s Baath party initially adopted a secular approach also recognising the role played by Arab Christian communities, which also happened in the period during which Anwar Sadat governed Egypt.

And then?

With the failure of a this type of secular Arab nationalism, and the advent of the so-called Sahwa Islamiyya (Islamic reawakening), thanks to the Movement of the Muslim Brothers led by Hassan al-Banna, nationalists too were obliged to address the problem posed by extremist groups. They attempted at times to confront them on their own grounds and hence also involved Islamic religious elements in their speeches and programmes, as Saddam too did during the last period of his government. This resulted in citizens once again suffering discrimination based on their religion.

Who do you believe is responsible for this different treatment?

I believe greatly in the cultural factor. The real problem nowadays is modernity. In Europe modernity represented a fundamental revolution as far as human rights, personal freedom and the development of civilised society were concerned. Today the Islamic world is forced to confront modernity and this is a challenge shared by many other cultures, such as for example the Chinese. The Islamic world must undertake a profound cultural analysis of its own identity by returning to the real Ijtihad, rediscovering mysticism and a spiritual understanding of its own sources, and not only in a judicial context. The real problem is posed by an inward-looking mentality used as a defence against globalisation.

What role does the Coptic community play within this process?

The Copt world too has assumed a defensive position and there is a significant risk nowadays that tradition is incapable of addressing contemporary challenges and of passing down its two thousand year old history to new generations. This, in spite of the great efforts made in recent years by the Copt Church to remain closer to its communities in Egypt and all over the world. This is why I propose a new dialogue between Christians and Muslims, based on a convergence of our shared values and for humanity’s common good. I believe that 14 centuries of conflicts and invective between these two religions are more than enough. We must be capable of turning over a new leaf.

This is an important challenge, but it does not seem to be a simple one. What would this dialogue start with?

A dialogue with origins in a shared spirituality, so as to process a series of ideas. addressed above all at defending human beings and the basic values shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims. It is necessary to understand that only together we will be really capable of protecting our young from the dangers of extremism, in which they take refuge when reacting to globalisation. This is a challenge that concerns all Egyptians, Muslims and Christians alike.

What is your current opinion regarding this dialogue between spiritualities?

The PISAI has a small centre for study and meditation in Cairo, where we have many Muslim friends. The truth is that I find little support from both the Christian and the Muslim communities. I draw hope only from the presence of many young Egyptian Muslims who wish to establish a dialogue based on a profounder knowledge of the religion of others as well as researching Christianity, just as in the past and the present I have studied the Islamic religion. One can only establish a dialogue if it is based on the desire to get to know one another in depth. The spiritual path is the best one.

Translated by Francesca Simmons