Coptic Christianity in Modern Egypt: The Politics of Religious Renewal and Church-State Relations

Abstract

The contemporary situation of the Coptic Church has been characterised as Exode, exil intérieur et renouveau - Exodus, interior exile and renewal (Balta 1997, O'Mahony 1994). This evaluation recognizes that the community has undergone an unprecedented religious renewal and revival which has had important political implications within the context of modern Egyptian culture and society. In fact the Coptic Christian renewal has many facets in common, has marched at the same pace and echoed the revival which has taken place within the Egyptian Muslim community. Both the Christian and Muslim revivals had their immediate origins in the inter-war period, gathered pace after the end of World War Two, responded to the political crisis of 1967 with a deepening of religious and communal loyalty which lead to intensive conflicts between the two communities throughout the last three decades of the 20th century. More recently we have seen religious renewal maturing and broadening within society, thus placing revival at the centre of the Egyptian polis. This tectonic shift has profound implications not only for Christian-Muslim relations, but also for how religion and politics will engage with each other in the public sphere.