Intertwining Narratives: The Copts and their Muslim Relations
Abstract
Coptic-Muslim relations are often portrayed in black-and-white binaries. The Copts
are the oppressed minority, whereas the Muslims are the aggressive majority; the Copts
are practitioners of a subservient faith, while the Muslims are followers of a superior
doctrine; the Copts are loyal to the cross rather than the nation-state, and only
the Muslims are fit to rule in a country where Islam is the official religion. These
highly problematic discourses are traced and critiqued throughout three major narratives:
polemics in popular culture, the British policy of “define and conquer,” and the efforts
of iCopts to engage and empower their coreligionists from abroad. Only by intertwining
these narratives and unveiling the polemical pitfalls that line Coptic-Muslim discourse
is a greater understanding of the Copts and their relations with Muslims possible.
Description
Winner of the 2010 Robert F. Durden Honors Thesis Prize
Type
Honors thesisDepartment
Asian and Middle Eastern StudiesPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2839Citation
Simon, Andrew (2010). Intertwining Narratives: The Copts and their Muslim Relations. Honors thesis, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/2839.Collections
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