Indisputably, there is today a Coptic nation. But it is not a nation that seeks to achieve independence and statehood. That nation is neither racial nor, after the loss of the Coptic language, is it based on a distinct language or on purely religious lines. Instead, it is a nation that is founded on the unique history of a church. It is a nation, as S.S. Hassan described it, whose topography is invisible. The nature of the dangers facing that nation have varied throughout its history from assimilation in an imagined liberal Egypt, to the erosion of Coptic uniqueness, the threat of Protestant missionaries and of modernity and its discontents.
Today, this nation faces a more serious threat. It can fight back against persecution, although overwhelming odds lined up against it assure its defeat. It can accept dhimmitude and live as second-class citizens, or it can withdraw inside the walls of its ancient church finding comfort within those walls.
The prospects for Copts in Egypt are, to say the least, bleak. Unlike the Jewish emigrants escaping Egypt in the 1940s and 50s, for Copts driven out of their ancestral homeland there is no Israel to escape to. Nor does their overall percentage in Egypt allow them to play a key role in shaping its future. The only option in front of them is to pack their bags and leave, putting an end to two thousand years of Christianity in Egypt.
This is a very imporant and ominous article, an excerpt from a book with the telling title [b]Homeland Lost[/b]. The author notes that there are already over 500 Coptic churches scattered around the world serving the rapidly growing number of Coptic emigrants. He predicts, and it’s a safe prediction, that it’s only a matter of time until there are more Coptic Christians outside of Egypt than within it. He rightly notes that the massive exodus of Copts that is now underway poses the direst and most severe of challenges to Coptic Christianity. But it may also prove to be what enables the Coptic Church to survive, albeit in exile. However, as he notes, a huge problem is that it’s mostly the wealthiest and best educated Copts who are able to escape the increasingly desperate situation in Egypt. Thus the flight of countless Copts is weakening the Coptic position in Egypt in more ways than one. It not only leaves the Christian community reduced in numbers, but even worse, it is losing many of its most prosperous members and its natural leaders.
The holy bones of St. Mark the Evangelist and St. Athanasius are preserved at the great Coptic Cathedral in Alexandria, where they have been treasured as relics for centuries. But will there be any Christians left in Egypt to keep the ancient tradition of the Coptic Church alive there after more than two millenia?? Time will tell.
In 2011, some 100,000 Christians fled Egypt, after the promise of the Arab Spring quickly faded and hopes for the future turned sour. That’s a huge and unprecedented number. We can expect the exodus to continue and increase, as the situation worsens there. Humanly speaking, there is no real hope. After a glorious two thousand year history, Coptic Christianity may be almost exterminated in Egypt in the 21st century. It’s very sad indeed.
And then there is the tiny Anglican community in Egypt, led by the noble and fearless ++Mouneer Anis. They are even more vulnerable than the Copts. Lord, have mercy.
For those concerned about the plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in Egypt, whether Coptic Orthodox, Anglican, or whatever, a good place to begin is to become familiar with the recent history of Egypt and the trials and tribulations that Christians have endured over the last few decades. This article is a splendid introduction to that sad story that is nonetheless bracing, because it tells of the remarkable courage and perseverance of Christians under extremely difficult conditions.
David Handy+