Divide et impera: the political application of sectarianism in the Egyptian context. From the Sadat years to the reign of Mubarak (1970-2011).

The sectarian tensions, which characterised the Sadat (1970- 1981) and Mubarak (1981-2011) regimes, were the product of a divis- ive rhetoric widespread within the framework of continuous reproduc- tions of their authoritarian survival and of their quest for power. The result was an increasing amount of violence which hit all the Egyptian minorities, in particular the Christian Copts. Considering the last decades, this paper will analyse the dynam- ics of sectarian violence in contemporary Egypt from the seventies un- til the 2011 revolution, taking the specific case of the Egyptian Chris- tian Copts as a case study. The research will concentrate on the rela- tionship between the State and minority communities and in particular on the close and often controversial alliance between the Coptic Church and the regime. Moreover, this article will try to show how the Egyptian style top-down sectarianism would eventually backfire, con- trary to the expectations of using it as a strategy of authoritarian sur- vival.