Christianity in Egypt

Christianity existed in Egypt as early as the first century.

The Christian churches of Egypt are one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. Today, only a part of a minority of the Egyptian population Christian churches, the vast majority of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.

History

Christianity was in what is now Egypt before the Islamization of the 7th century the dominant religion. Mark the Evangelist is said to have evangelized within the population of Egypt around the year 50. The majority of Egyptian Christians, however, carried the decrees of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 not, it eventually led to the formation of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

However, particularly the Greek Orthodox upper class in Egypt followed the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon. After the Islamic conquest of the number of Coptic Christians, by far the largest Christian church in Egypt is still declined, but rapidly.

The Christians were given the status of dhimmis, were imposed by the tax Benachteilungen them and they were excluded from many occupations.

Current situation

While the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood enjoy a good reputation within the Muslim section of society, Christians are additionally confronted on the part of the Muslim population and the Schariatgerichte with prejudice and discrimination within the workplace, as well as the Muslim Brotherhood to be well received within a large part of the Christian communities. Church building is restricted, and Muslim clerics repeatedly call the murder of converts to Christianity. Often it comes to violent incidents between Christians and Muslims, calling for the death toll on both sides and is also where Coptic heritage destroyed.

At the time of Nasser's Egypt was not defined as a religious, but as Arab- socialist nation-state. Especially since the 1980s and the 1990s, however, where many Egyptians emigrated as job seekers in the oil-rich Saudi Arabia and Islamic wahhabitisches ideas brought to Egypt, Egyptian Christians are marginalized in society. Thus, in the media, where all non-Muslims as " kuffar " ( infidels ) are referred to. In politics are important strategic key positions reserved exclusively for Muslims. In the education system discriminates against Christian Egyptians are partly already in childhood. In the police academy or in the prosecutor it is, you can not take on more than 1% Copts.

Since pigs shall not be kept by Muslims (because they are considered unclean ), they are bred in Egypt predominantly Christian. In the spring of 2009 in many parts of the world broke the swine, the animal breeders the economic existence of were invited to be slaughtered their pigs, although the disease had not yet been detected in Egypt, the disease is not usually transmitted to humans and this measure Christians at risk.

Population percentage of Christians

Estimates of the proportion of the population of Christians in Egypt vary greatly between 6 per cent ( State Statistics and Information of most international sources ) and 15 per cent. Even Christian sources are based on a maximum of 12 percent Christians, to the Coptic Church fluctuate between 8.57 percent (7 million) and up to 20 percent.

About a quarter of all Copts living in Egypt's capital Cairo (or two to three million in the Shubra district ). Above Average numerous Copts are also in the middle Nile province al - Asiut, al - Mina and Qena, but can not be extrapolated to the whole country, the apparent in Cairo average.

Critical reportedly only two of the six million Copts would actively committed to the Christian faith.

Confessions

Among the Christian groups are the Coptic Orthodox, Roman Catholics (less than 1 % of the population ), Protestant (100 000), the Syrian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh- day Adventists.

Churches with patriarchy Alexandria

Coptic Orthodox Church

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is headed by the Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the chair of St. Mark, currently Pope Tawadros II. It currently has:

Radio reports

• Ulrich Pick: Persecuted Christians - no longer a home in the East, Germany Funk - "Background" from the March 3, 2014