The future of the Copts in Egypt

Submitted by dhimmi no more (United States), Feb 1, 2011 at 06:47

Erich wrote

Is it not true, that when Muslims struggle politically with Muslims, it is the non-Muslims in their midst, the so called "protected peoples" who suffer most? At this time of political change in Egypt, we need to keep our eye on what is happening to the Copts. We need to calculate the impact of having eleven or twelve million Coptic refugees from Egypt seeking new places live over the next decade. It would be fine if events turned out more fortunate than that. On the other hand, public rhetoric against the Copts has been getting more intense. Gratuitous crimes against them have long been tolerated. It is not only Mubarek that might make them pay the price for some new political order. A Muslim scholar told an American scholar that "all Copts are rich." The American asked, "Really, how did they become rich?" The jealous Egyptian said darkly, "They do all the ironing in Egypt." What will Egypt look like when everyone has a wrinkled shirt?

Very true and there is even more. This past August Selim el-Awwa who is an ikhwani (memeber of the Muslim brotherhood) Shiekh claimed that "The Cotpic Church is a sate within a state and that the Coptic priests are hiding arms in their churches" And when he was asked: "why would they do that?" His answer was: "so they can have a Coptic state" and when was asked "where is your evidence?" The answer was: "ah I cannot provide you with any as it is all secrets!" Now go figure.

Oh there is more in the upper class areas of Cairo the garbage is collected by el-zabbaleen or those that collect the garbage and all of them are Copts so what I have been told that one big time ikhwani is very upset that if the Copts pack and go "then who will be collecting el-zibala (the garbage)? we cannot let them go" Again Islamists live in some fantasy land.

More? well as you might know Copts have to be self employed as they are not hired in the public sector jobs which means that you will find many pharmacists that are Copts and what I understand is that one of the wives of an ikwani was very upset as her pharmacist who is a Copt was leaving for Australia and "how would I get my nerve pills!?" And I'm not kidding you

More? and this one I heard from a Muslim couple who were visiting here in the US: they went to pick up some medications at a Walgreen pharmacy and the pharmacist happen to be an American Copt and they told me "see the Coptic Church finds jobs for them even here in the US!" In the Egyptian mind the Coptic church is a state within a state. Just amazing

What is my educated guess about the future of the Copts and the Coptic Church in Egypt? I think that the Chruch had survided 1400 years of islamic nonsense but I do see more Copts leaving Egypt and what a loss to humanity and it was just amazing the first time I heard Coptic hymns in a Church in old Cairo and I was hearing the sounds and the language of the Pharaohs preserved by these great people (for the readers: The Egyptian/Coptic language we have now and preserved in Coptic liturgy is about 80% the old language and 20% loan words from Greek) but why would Muslims care?

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