User:Rugbybooster/Christianity in Egypt

Draft Christianity in Egypt Copied from Christianity in Egypt

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History

Egyptian Christians believe that the Patriarchate of Alexandria was founded by Mark the Evangelist around AD 33, and Christianity entered Egypt because of The Apostle Mark.

By AD 300 Alexandria was one of the great Christian centres. The Christian apologists Clement of Alexandria and Origen both lived part or all of their lives in that city, where they wrote, taught and debated.^{[citation needed]} Anthony the Great, one of the most revered early Christian saints, also hailed from Egypt.

With the Edict of Milan in 313, Constantine I ended the persecution of Christians. Over the course of the 4th century, paganism was suppressed and lost its following, as the poet Palladas bitterly noted. Graffiti at Philae in Upper Egypt proves^[why?] worship of Isis persisted at its temples into the 5th century.

Alexandria became the centre of the first great schism in the Christian world, between the Arians, named for the Alexandrian priest Arius, and their opponents^[who?], represented by Athanasius, who became Archbishop of Alexandria in 326 after the First Council of Nicaea rejected Arius's views. The Arian controversy caused years of riots and rebellions throughout most of the 4th century. In the course of one of these, the great temple of Serapis, the stronghold of paganism, was destroyed. Athanasius was alternately expelled from Alexandria and reinstated as its Archbishop between five and seven times. Another religious development in Egypt was the monasticism of the Desert Fathers, who renounced the material world in order to live a life of poverty in devotion to God.^{[citation needed]}

The Church in Egypt (Patriarchate of Alexandria) split in to the Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria and the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria following the fourth ecumenical council, the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria accepted the council's decision, and were referred to as melkites meaning the King's men because the Council affirmed the earlier Creed of Constantinople from 381, and Constantinople was the city of emperors. The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, however, did not agree with the council's decision, and the two were split into two patriarchates, which remain distinct.^[1]

In 1819, the first Anglican presence in Egypt was established by missionaries from the Church Mission Society, who endeavored to distribute copies of the Gospels in Arabic.^[2] The first Anglican church in Egypt, called St. Mark's was consecrated on December 17, 1839 in Alexandria, followed by All Saint's Church, in Cairo, consecrated on January 23, 1876.

Under Muslim rule, the Copts were cut off from the mainstream of Christianity and were compelled to adhere to the Pact of Umar covenant. They were assigned to Dhimmi status. Their position improved dramatically under the rule of Muhammad Ali in the early 19th century. He abolished the Jizya (a tax on non-Muslims) and allowed Copts to enroll in the army. Pope Cyril IV, 1854–61, reformed the church and encouraged broader Coptic participation in Egyptian affairs. Khedive Isma'il Pasha, in power 1863–79, further promoted the Copts. He appointed them judges to Egyptian courts and awarded them political rights and representation in government. They flourished in business affairs.^[3]

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Egypt, Synod of the Nile was founded by American missionaries from the United Presbyterian Church of North America, ministering among members of the Coptic Orthodox Church in 1854, the church would later become autonomous in 1926.^[4][5] By 1998, the Synod had more than 300 churches, a seminary and a "large system of church related secondary schools."^[6]

Some Copts participated in the Egyptian national movement for independence and occupied many influential positions. Two significant cultural achievements include the founding of the Coptic Museum in 1910 and the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies in 1954. Some prominent Coptic thinkers from this period are Salama Moussa, Louis Awad and Secretary-General of the Wafd Party Makram Ebeid.^[7]

In 1952, Gamal Abdel Nasser led some army officers in a coup d'état against King Farouk, which overthrew the Kingdom of Egypt and established a republic. Nasser's mainstream policy was pan-Arab nationalism and socialism. The Copts were severely affected by Nasser's nationalization policies, though they represented about 10–20% of the population.^[7] In addition, Nasser's pan-Arab policies undermined the Copts' strong attachment to and sense of identity about their Egyptian pre-Arab, and certainly non-Arab identity which resulted in permits to construct churches to be delayed along with Christian religious courts to be closed.

By January of 1976, the Diocese of Egypt had become part of the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East, and in May of 2020, the Episcopal / Anglican Province of Alexandria became the 41st Province of the Anglican Communion.^[2]

On February 18th of 2013, the leaders of the 5 largest denominations in Egypt, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Church and the Anglican Church, formed the first Council of Churches in Egypt.^[8] In attendance were the patriarchs of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Tawadros II, the Greek Orthodox Church, Theodore II of Alexandria, and the Coptic Catholic Church, Ibrahim Isaac Sidrak.^[9]

Persecution and Discrimination

In 1003, the Coptic Orthodox Church faced persecution during the rule of the sixth Fatimid caliph, Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, when the caliph ordered a newly built church to be destroyed and replaced by a mosque.^[10][11] Al-Hakim destroyed as many as 3,000 churches during his reign, as well as outlawing the use of wine, which was necessary for the religious practices of both the Christians and Jews under his rule.^[12][13] In 1005, Al-Hakim ordered that Christians and Jews alike be made to follow the "law of differentiation" called ghiyār, and wear a black belt, mintaq or zunnar, and a black turban, 'imāmah.^[14][15] Christians were also required to wear an iron cross to further differentiate themselves from their fellow Muslim and Jewish Egyptians, these requirements would remain until 1014.^[16] In 1009, al-Hakim ordered and carried out the destruction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, a prominent cite for the Christian faith.^[17]

Religious freedom in Egypt is hampered to varying degrees by discriminatory and restrictive government policies. Coptic Christians, being the largest religious minority in Egypt, are also negatively affected. Copts have faced increasing marginalization after the 1952 coup d'état led by the Free Officers Movement, a group of army officers led by Mohammed Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser. Until recently, Christians were required to obtain presidential approval for even minor repairs in churches. Although the law was eased in 2005 by handing down the authority of approval to the governors, Copts continue to face many obstacles and restrictions in building new churches. These restrictions do not apply for building mosques, although in August 2017, the Parliament of Egypt removed the legal restrictions that limited the construction of new churches.^[18][19][20]

In 2006, one person attacked three churches in Alexandria, killing one person and injuring 5–16.^[21] The attacker was not linked to any organisation and described as "psychologically disturbed" by the Ministry of Interior.^[22] In May 2010, The Wall Street Journal reported increasing waves of mob attacks by Muslims against ethnic Copts.^[20] Despite frantic calls for help, the police typically arrived after the violence was over.^[20] The police also coerced the Copts to accept "reconciliation" with their attackers to avoid prosecuting them, with no Muslims convicted for any of the attacks.^[23] In Marsa Matrouh, a Bedouin mob of 3,000 Muslims tried to attack the city's Coptic population, with 400 Copts having to barricade themselves in their church while the mob destroyed 18 homes, 23 shops, and 16 cars.

During the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, there was a reported increase in violence against Egyptian Christians after President Hosni Mubarak resigned, resulting in the torching of three churches, and leaving an estimated 24 dead, and 200 injured.^[24]

Members of U.S. Congress have expressed concern about "human trafficking" of Coptic women and girls who are victims of abductions, forced conversion to Islam, sexual exploitation, and forced marriage to Muslim men.^[25]

References