The author said that he met Dr.
‘Alī al-Dīn Hilāl in February 2006, and asked him to explain the content of
some
Coptic periodicals that he received; something that requires an extensive study of the intellectual
and political
trends that dominate Copts, who represent roughly 90% of Egyptian Christians.
The
author explained that
these trends are more or less consistent with the Egyptian overall political
thinking, but the strongest are those
adopted by the church, as other trends are not strong enough to
influence the majority of Copts. Most Coptic trends
employ a nationalist approach to express their
problems, only a select few prefer to “internationalize” Coptic
problems, and they are acting in response
to the rising Islamic groups, particularly the Muslim
Brotherhood.
The author categorized Coptic
political trends into two major categories; the religious and the
civil. The Coptic religious trend has
been rising side by side with the Islamic religious trend since 1967, and
both have been sharing the same
stance regarding the Palestinian issue and the foreign interference in Egyptian
national affairs. This
religious trend is represented by the church, which constitutes the link between Copts and
the government.
Other religious trends include conservativeness, interaction with the government, and opposition.
On the
other hand, the civil tendency, or secularism, is represented by the majority of Copts. Laymen play an
important role in Egyptian political life, whether in the National Democratic Party, al-Wafd Party, leftist
parties, or opposition movements such as ‘Kifāyah’ [enough] established by Jamāl
As‘ad and George Ishāq.
The author added that Copts are also engaged in many
public
and cultural activities, such as offering classes to eliminate illiteracy, sewing classes, computer
and language
courses, and sports activities. In addition, there are numerous Coptic publishers who
translate and publish
Christian literature and newspapers. The only Coptic newspaper currently available is
Watanī, whose
editor-in-chief is Yūsuf Sidhum. There are also several Coptic
magazines, such as al-Karāza
Magazine and al-Tarīq Magazine.
The author remarked that in the field of
information technology, the most prominent Copt is
Bishop Armyā, Secretary to Pope Shenouda, who is
extremely interested in IT and computers and
depends on them for his work. Armyā supervises the
Abbasīya Cathedral’s Center
for Documentation and Information, in addition to the websites and
the Yahoo Groups created by churches to
exchange information and Coptic films.
The author adds that
Copts are also active in the
media domain, as there is a multitude of Coptic satellite channels, radio stations,
and Internet radio
services. In the area of development, many Christian societies are devoted to helping annihilate
illiteracy, spreading the family planning culture, and offering several health and educational
services.
The author said that he attempted to explain his study as clearly as possible
according to
the information he had managed to gather, and said he would be happy to hear any
feedback.
