Ten percent of ninety four million; that is the approximate amount of Coptic Christians who call Egypt home. Copts are the minority religious group who follow the teachings of the Coptic Orthodox Church (Boles 23). In 2011, Fernando Moleres photographed Coptic Christians on the streets of Egypt protesting the murder of Coptic Christians by the Egyptian army and Radical Muslims (Moleres). In Moleres’s picture, Coptic Christians are carrying an Egyptian flag and a lit Coptic cross while their facial expressions are filled with pain and displeasure. The Egyptian flag represents history of oppression of Coptic Christians and the social division between Christians and Muslims, the Coptic cross symbolizes forgiveness and endurance, and the facial expressions signify ongoing attacks by Radical Muslims, the general population (ordinary Muslims), and the Egyptian government.
The Egyptian flag displayed in Moleres's picture represents the history of oppression of Copts and the social division between Christians and Muslims. Tensions between Christians and Muslims began with the Arab Invasion of Egypt in 641 AD, which introduced Islam to the country. As minorities, Coptic Christians lived under the dhimmi system, in which they were protected, but were not given full rights. As a result, they were excluded from participating in politics, were required to pay high taxes (jizya tax), and faced religious persecution. Copts faced this oppression for centuries until their status began to improve during the nineteenth century under the Muhammad Ali dynasty. In 1855, the jizya tax was removed. Copts were also allowed to join the army. In 1856, a decree was passed declaring everyone was equal no matter which religion they practice. And in 1866, Coptic Christians began serving on political councils (Boles 24).
This did not last long. During the twentieth-century, Copts began to re-experience hostility from Muslims. The British (who colonized Egypt) introduced a system that banned Copts from holding government positions. In response, Copts protested, demanding equal religious, social, and educational opportunities. But “the British occupation and the Muslim majority described the Coptic demands as ‘fabricated grievances’ and rejected them all” (Boles 24). Thus, by the 1930s, Muslim impact increased. Islam was used as a propaganda to gain and keep power and to socially degrade Coptic Christians. In 1961, Gamal Abdel Nasser (the second president of Egypt) introduced a nationalization policy that caused over 75% of Copts to lose their jobs and property. Things even worsened when Anwar as-Sadat took office as the third president of Egypt. In 1971, he passed a constitution that stated, “Islam is the religion of the state, Arabic its official language, and the principles of the Islamic Shari'a a principal source of legislation” (Boles 25). This lead to a series of attacks on Coptic Christians that still continues to this day.
These attacks are signified by the displeasure and pain in the facial expressions of the Coptic protesters in Moleres’s photo. Copts face these attacks from Radical Muslims. On November 6, 1972, an Orthodox church near Cairo was burned. When Christians held mass at the burnt church on November 12, anti-Coptic riots began. Furthermore, from 1981 to 2001, there were more than thirty massacres of Copts that killed more than two hundred people, including a January 2000 attack that killed twenty-one Coptic men, women, and children, and wounded many others (Boles 26). Attacks by Radical Muslims intensified during the 2010s. On January 1, 2011, a bomb was detonated in front of a Coptic Orthodox Church in Alexandria, killing twenty-one people and injuring over seventy. On February 15, 2015, ISIS released a video of the beheading of twenty-one Coptic Christians (Malsin). On April 9, 2017, the bombing of two Coptic churches killed forty-seven and wounded over one hundred people (Michaelson). The most recent attack happened on October 12, 2017. A Coptic Christian priest was chased and stabbed to death in broad daylight. Since December 2016, over one hundred Coptic Christians have been murdered by Radical Muslims (Zaki).
In addition to Radical Muslims, Coptic Christians are also attacked by the general population (ordinary Muslims). In October 2011, a 17-year-old Christian student was told by his teacher to remove the cross that was around his neck. He refused. The teacher and his Muslim classmates beat him to death. “In the new Egypt, you can exist as a Copt, but you are not allowed to be proud of that fact. You will be allowed to survive, but you must show your submission to the religion of the majority and recognize your inferior status” (Tadros 25). Moreover, if there is a new church being built, or if there is a rumor of a relationship between a Christian man and a Muslim woman, or if a Christian shows lack of respect for Islam, it usually leads to Muslim mobs attacking Christian homes, burnings, and violence. “It is not that their neighbors want them dead; they just want the Christians to live, permanently, as second-class citizens” (Tadros 25).
Not only are Coptic Christians attacked by Radical Muslims and ordinary Muslims, but also by their own government. The government does not attempt to protect Christians. The Egyptian government’s reaction to attacks only encourages future violence. The police never arrive on time to prevent the attack and the suspects are usually not charged. In September 2011, after an attack on a church, no perpetrator was arrested, and “the local governor actually encouraged the attackers: He declared on TV that the Christians were to blame for a building violation and that ‘our boys’ had corrected the wrongdoing” (Tadros 25). In addition, the Egyptian Supreme Court interferes with the church’s faith by “ruling that the Coptic Church must violate its own teachings” (“Coptic Christians” 76). On May 29, 2010, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court ruled that two Coptic men can divorce and remarry in the Orthodox Church. However, the Coptic Church does not allow divorce, except for adultery and other rare situations. The Coptic Church argued the ruling violated religious rights. Yet, Judge Mohammed Husseini declared that under the law, “a Christian can remarry and the constitution guarantees his rights to have a [new] family” (“Coptic Christians” 76).
Lastly, in Moleres’s picture, Coptic Christians are carrying a lit Coptic cross. The cross symbolizes endurance. Even though Copts are persecuted daily, they remain steadfast in their faith. They do not convert to Islam; they continue to practice their religion despite the fact that they can be killed for it. As Lactantius says, “Religion is to be defended—not by putting to death—but by dying. Not by cruelty, but by patient endurance. Not by guilt, but by good faith” (Youssef). Coptic Christians believe they are defending their religion by being resilient and having good faith. Moreover, the Coptic cross symbolizes forgiveness. Coptic Christians forgive their attackers. They do not try to get revenge; they do not attempt to harm anyone in return. They do not even violently protest. That is so because as it is stated in Matthew 5:44, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Youssef).
As religious minorities in Egypt, Coptic Christians endure oppression and persecution. Fernando Moleres’s picture represents this. The Coptic cross symbolizes endurance and forgiveness. The Egyptian flag signifies a history of oppression and social division, while the agony and disapproval shown on the faces of the Coptic protesters represent ongoing attacks. Moleres’s picture is significant because it demonstrates that oppression and persecution frequently occurs even though it is not mentioned most of the time. Bringing awareness to these social issues can spark conversations and actions that will better society.