The Economist: Egypt's Copts

The Economist reflects on the recent death of Coptic Pope Shenouda III who had led Egypt's Coptic community since 1971.As Egyptians are exhausted by revolution and riots, the Copts now fear for the survival of their community which is some 8 million strong,roughly ten per cent of Egypt's population of 80 million.They fear the rise of political islam and the Salafist al- Nour party and the loss of their religious at this time makes them fear for their future all the more.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran  the leading official in the Vatican responsible for relations between the Catholic Church and the Muslim world pointed to increasing violence against Christians in Iraq where half  the Christian population has fled and Nigeria where christians have been killed and injured by Boko Haram.He says that Chrisitians in the Middle East are made to feel second class citizens and there is a feeling that they are second class citizen's. He condemns a "clash of ignorance" about each other's religion. He warns Christians against emigrating because "first of all they are leaving the earth where they were born because  Christians have always been in the Middle East".

The Copts are very much part of Egyptian society but they are often descriminated against and their vulnerability makes them compromise with the regime. When the regime changes as it did in Egypt and may be doing in Syria Christian communities are thus even more vulnerable.

The Economist points to represssion of a Coptic demonstration last October which killed 25 people in Cairo and the forced exodus of villagers  from their homes in the Upper Nile Delta where  have Copts suffered severe discrimination for years. Whilst some Salafists from the al Nour Party refused to observe a minute's silence in Egypt's parliament for the death of Pope Shenouda some hope that they will be better placed to achieve significant alliances with liberals and other parties.Naguib Sawaris the leading Coptic businessman has formed a political party.

The more moderate members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Freedom  and Justice Party (FJP) have reached out to the Coptic community.However the decision by the FJP and other islamic parties to reserve the majority of seats on the committee drafting the constitution to their own elected MP. This has caused the Copts and the secular parties to wonder if their interests will be excluded from the new consitution which they hope will represent the interests of all Egyptians.

As in Tunisia on Sunday where thousands of Salafists attacked a group of theatre artists also holding a demonstration, they fear that a new islamic order may extinguish the very liberties they thought their revolutions would preserve.They can but hope that moderate islamic parties will ensure that all sections of the community can live together peacefully enjoying the fundamental rights and liberties of a free and democratic society.