The role of the Copts in the national movement in Egypt until the 1919 revolution

Dossier / Travail de Séminaire , 2006 , 33 Pages , Note: 1,3

Orientalisme / Sinologie - Sciences de l'Islam

During the 1919 revolution, under the slogan „Egypt for Egyptians“, the Copts fought hand in hand with their Muslim brothers for national independence of Egypt from Britain. The banner of the revolution was a cross within a crescent, the ancient incompatibility of Christianity and Islam seemed to be abolished.
Only one decade earlier this unity seemed impossible, after the assassination of the Copt Prime Minister Butrus Ghali, the mob in the streets of Cairo had been praising the murder with slogans, such as:” Wasrani (the name of the killer), Wasrani, who killed the nasrani (Christian)”. And the Coptic newspaper Al-Watan had stated in 1908 that “The Copts are the true Egyptians and the Islamic conquest of Egypt was oppressive”.
The role of the Copts in the national movement is as complex and ambiguous as the national movement itself. We have to weight and consider various factors together in order to understand the different roles of the Copts in the movement during this period. We also have to differentiate between Coptic Clerks, fellahin and urban Copts as well as between the Muslim mob and the Muslim leaders of the national movement, latter often influenced by ideas of western enlightenment.
This paper will examine the factors that determined the role of the Coptic minority in the Muslim-dominated national movement between its emergence in 1879 and the 1919 revolution from different perspectives. This includes a discussion of the role of the British policy, the question of social integration and juridical equality/ exclusion as a distinguished religious community from the (Muslim) majority, the degree of Islamisation or secularisation of the national movement and the role of sectarian strife between Muslims and Copts, mainly incited by the British policy of “divide and rule”. Further influences discussed in this paper are the fear of the Copts to be persecuted or isolated if they don’t participate in the movement and the chances of the movement to succeed.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• The Main Influences on the Formation of Coptic Identity Prior to 1879
• The Reign of Khedive Ismail and the Early National Movement
  • Retrospect: Historical Experiences of the Copts with European Occupation and Egyptian Independence
  • The Ambiguous Program of Mohammed Abdu: Including and Excluding Copts
  • The Role of the Copts in the Urabi Mutiny and the Massacres of Alexandria
  • The British Invasion - The Uninvited "Saviours"
  • The 2nd National Congress - Coptic Pleads for Pronationalism Instead of Islamism
• The Copts during the British Occupation until WWI
  • Coptic Opportunism and the Islamisation of the National Movement
  • Mustafa Kamil: His Attempts to Include Copts in the National Party and the Reasons why he could not Succeed
  • The Copts in Egyptian Politics: The Emergence of New Nationalist Parties
  • Rising Tensions and Isolation: a Press War, the Assassination of Butrus Ghali and the Coptic Congress in Asyut
• The First World War: Societal Changes and Conjoint Suffering from the British
• The New Unity: Copts and Muslims Fight Alongside for an "Egypt for Egyptians"

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to examine the role of Copts in the Egyptian national movement from its emergence in 1879 to the 1919 revolution. The analysis focuses on the factors that influenced Coptic participation in the movement and explores the complex dynamics between Coptic and Muslim communities during this period.

• The influence of British policy on Coptic involvement in the national movement.
• The impact of social integration and legal equality/exclusion on Coptic participation.
• The role of Islamisation/secularisation in shaping the national movement and Coptic responses.
• The impact of sectarian strife between Muslims and Copts, particularly incited by British "divide and rule" policies.
• The degree of fear among Copts of persecution or isolation if they did not participate in the movement and the chances of the movement's success.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This chapter sets the historical context for the paper, highlighting the complex and evolving relationship between Copts and Muslims in the national movement, particularly in the context of the 1919 revolution. It introduces the key factors that will be examined throughout the analysis.
• The Main Influences on the Formation of Coptic Identity Prior to 1879: This chapter explores the historical influences that shaped Coptic identity prior to the national movement's emergence, focusing on experiences with foreign occupation, attempts at modernization by Egyptian rulers, and the development of a distinct Coptic community.
• The Reign of Khedive Ismail and the Early National Movement: This chapter examines the impact of Khedive Ismail's rule on the early national movement, including the Copts' participation in the Urabi Mutiny, the massacres of Alexandria, and the British occupation. It also explores the ambiguous role of Mohammed Abdu and the Copts' calls for national unity.
• The Copts during the British Occupation until WWI: This chapter analyzes Coptic participation in the national movement under British rule, focusing on Coptic opportunism, Mustafa Kamil's attempts to include Copts in the national party, the emergence of new nationalist parties, and the rising tensions and isolation experienced by the Coptic community.
• The First World War: Societal Changes and Conjoint Suffering from the British: This chapter explores how the First World War impacted societal changes and the shared suffering of Copts and Muslims under British rule, paving the way for increased unity.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This paper focuses on key themes including Coptic identity, the Egyptian national movement, British colonialism, Islamisation, secularisation, sectarian strife, social integration, legal equality, and the impact of historical experiences on Coptic participation in the national movement.

• Université: Ben Gurion University (Middle East Institute)
• Cours: Religious and Ethnic Minorities/ Communities in the Modern Middle East
• Note: 1,3
• Auteur: Dipl. Paed. Kathrin Nina Wiedl (Auteur)
• Année de publication: 2006
• Pages: 33
• N° de catalogue: V50898
• ISBN (ebook): 9783638470131
• ISBN (Livre): 9783638714181
• Langue: anglais
• mots-clé: Copts, Egypt, Religious, Ethnic, Minorities/, Communities, Modern, Middle, East