After the attack that killed 21 people Friday, December 31 at the church of Saints in Alexandria, a feeling of revolt animates the community of Copts in Egypt. Demonstrating in the streets after the attack, some accuse the Egyptian government of being lax threats they are subject. Jean-Noel Ferrie, PhD in political science and director of research at CNRS, discusses the situation of Copts in Egypt and the political context of the attack.Specialist in the Muslim world, Jean-Noel Ferrie is the author including Egypt between democracy and Islamism. The system Mubarak at the time of succession, with other editions in 2008, CERI. Note that this reaction is part of the Coptic only: it is not, for example, shared by the establishment and Coptic Pope Shenouda III, including the [Primate of the Orthodox Coptic Church] who had a rather moderate reaction - a consistently Legitimist supporting President Hosni Mubarak.
There is in the Coptic minority syndrome. Part feels unloved, and reacts particularly strong when there is an incident, and especially when, like this, tragic. But it would be a mistake to say that the Egyptian authorities neglect the threat to the Copts and the terrorist threat in general: the government is very attentive to the contrary, the fight against terrorism and what can happen to the Copts, because c is unity - and image - of Egypt is threatened.
For Egypt, which depends heavily on tourism, terrorism is an extreme concern. However, it is also true that the authorities are keen not to encourage minority Coptic claims, and each time that this community is hit, the government is immediately in front of national unity rather than the situation of the community.
Some Copts tend to speak of persecution. But there is no such threats on the Copts in Egypt from other Egyptians, and Muslims in Egypt are unanimous in condemning this attack. Do not think of a Coptic minority with a majority Muslim hostility: this is not a persecuted community. It is, however, the object of differential treatment: the Copts do not have access to certain positions in senior ranks and we will never see, for example, a Coptic head of a sovereign ministry.
In addition, there are snags to religious freedom, with many tensions over conversions. If the conversion of the Copts to Islam is theoretically possible, unlike reverse conversion, in practice they upset the authorities when they are publicized. It is certain that the Egyptian government supports the re-Islamization of Egypt, ever since the death of Sadat [President of Egypt from 1970 until his assassination in 1981].
The Mubarak government is in this lineage. He maintains a strong presence of the reference to Islam and Sharia in society, in public places including, but not politicized and peaceful. If it is very runny with this form of fundamentalism, however he wants to avoid at all costs a rise of fundamentalism, politically and certainly the one who supports terrorism.
Basically, the government promotes bigotry. If it is therefore partly responsible for the Islamisation of society, it would be dishonest to accuse him of being lax vis-à-vis Islamic terrorism, including to the Copts. If we put these attacks in relation to a political movement, but rather on the side of Iraq and Al Qaeda need to turn: what happened in Egypt this disturbing similarities with attacks against Christians in Iraq and those who acted in Alexandria it is very likely inspired.
Interview by Marion Solletty
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