Islamist Attitudes Towards Coptic Egyptians in Post-revolutionary Egypt (2011–2013)

What is it about?

In the aftermath of the Arab Spring, Islamist and Salafi organizations, some of them with a violent past, entered the political game and thus tried to appear as serious and inclusive political contenders. This article studies the various attitudes of actors such as the Salafi Nur Party and al-Gamāʿa al-Islāmiyya towards Coptic Egyptians in the post-revolutionary phase (2011–2013), between an Islamist discourse and a more pragmatic, political approach. The article also shows the evolution of their attitudes from 2011 until 2013, when President Muhammad Mursi was ousted, and how these actors reacted to dynamics within the Coptic community.

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Why is it important?

This article explores how these Islamist and Salafist actors navigated between the new political realities(free elections, entering the parliament) and their ideological positions. It argues that Islamist perceptions of the Copts have changed in response to the perceived actions of the latter. This is pivotal for understanding political attitudes, which seemed at times both moderate and dogmatic, volatile and contradictory. This article therefore does not merely view ‘the Copts’ as an object or a silent and homogenous minority, but instead integrates the new form of Coptic activism which became visible and vocal after 2011. This approach helps towards a better understanding of how ‘the Copts’ appeared simultaneously in Salafi political discourses as useful political tools, infidels, enemies and equal citizens.

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