Islamist groups differ on visions about citizenship, equality and the concept of a modern state from outright rejection to conditional acceptance.

Some of the Islamist leaders, under political pressures, have developed certain orientations toward Copts. Famous preachers and salafī politicians who used to insinuate to their followers not to initiate non-Muslims with the greeting in Islam – al-Salām ‘Alaykum wa-Rahmatu Allāh wa-Barakātuh (or Peace and Blessings of Allāh be Upon You) – are now seeking meetings with Coptic leaders and even appear in photo opportunities with them.

It seems that some in the Islamist camp have recognized the profound challenges facing them – either rely on traditional interpretations of religious texts, which will spell out a religious state, or devise political theories of Islamist ideology and consequently recall all the successful experiments in the history of the Egyptian nation to build on. [Hannā Girgis, al-Ahrām, July 22, p. 13] Read original text in Arabic