Christians navigating through Middle East turbulences. The case of the Copts in Egypt

The aim of the chapter is to offer a dynamic account of the Christian presence within the Middle East, of its contribution to and position in the contemporary history of the region. In this regard, the historical vicissitudes of the Coptic community will be helpful to focus on the challenges, issues and ambitions that have influenced Christians’ history in the region from the beginning of the contemporary state- and nation-building process in the contemporary Middle East until today. In the first part, the chapter will focus on the multivocal dimension of the Christian presence in the Middle East, a feature that needs to be taken into account to fully understand its position and condition within the different states in the region. In the second part, the chapter will analyse the dynamics of sectarian violence against and persecution of Christians in Middle East. In particular it will focus on contemporary Egypt from the 1950s until the 2011 uprisings, taking the specific case of the Egyptian Christian Copts as a case study. In recent years religious fervour has invaded all groups and associations in Egypt, inflaming communal feelings while weakening national bonds and the idea of a “national unity”.