There is a great tendency to generalize about either Muslims or Coptic Christians in Egypt. That is doing injustice to the great variety of opinions that exist. I have asked researcher Jayson Casper to narrow the focus on generalizations to Coptic activists since the Egyptian Revolution. His text shows not only that Coptic Christians should not be presented as a unified block, but also that among different Coptic activists there are great differences in opinion. We not only need to be aware of the differences but also that there is a great fluidity in opinions.

Jayson describes different Coptic activist groups; much of which is based on interviews he has conducted for Arab-West Report.  His text was written in the last months of 2012, but for various reasons this could only be edited now and placed in AWR. While at points positions may have changed, this report still remains a major overview of Coptic activists in Egypt following the Revolution.

Jayson’s text makes clear that Church leaders no longer have the influence they had over their community as in the past. Particularly among young activists, there is more independent thinking.

Some activists appear to be well informed, but many others appear to act on the basis of emotions following reporting in media and on the internet, in combination with either personal experiences or hearsay. Uncovering the truth is a challenge in Egypt. This causes mistrust in statements of authorities, both state and Church, and fuels such activism.  

Jayson’s overview of Coptic activists is an excellent overview of developments taking place in the Coptic community in Egypt that does not claim to be the final word about these activists.

Cornelis Hulsman,