SUMMARY
The conflict between Copts (Egypt) and Muslims (Egypt) in Egypt is part of a larger context of religious tensions that have been present in the Egyptian society for a long period of time. The tensions have on previous occasions led to violence; it has however not passed the threshold of inclusion in UCDP data. During 2011 the Egyptian society underwent dramatic changes, the long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak was ousted due to large scale popular uprisings demanding his resignation.
The departure of Mubarak from the political scene in Egypt brought to the fore simmering tensions between Copts (Egypt) and Muslims (Egypt). The status quo was disrupted as the Arab Spring rolled over Egypt.
As Egyptians took to the streets in late January, to voice their discontent with Mubarak and his rule, there was no differentiation or segregation based on religion. There was a widely reported sense of unity during the demonstrations against Mubarak and subsequent clashes with riot police. There were even instances where the Coptic portion of the demonstrators would form a line of defense for their Muslim co-demonstrators as they performed their religious rituals. The same was true as the Copts performed their religious ceremonies. These signs of normalizing relations came only months after a Coptic church in Alexandria was attacked by a suicide bomber killing over 20 Copts attending the new year’s mass. The general sentiment during the protests was that the rift between the different religions would in fact decrease, this however proved to be a temporary state of affairs.
After Mubarak’s fall and the subsequent rise to power of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), under the leadership of Field Marshall Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the religious tensions once again rose. In the uncertain situation after Mubarak there was ample opportunity for different groups competing for influence. The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the few active groups during the Mubarak era, quickly mobilized, and via their political branch the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) were front runners in the elections for the lower house of parliament that were held late 2011 and early 2012. This perceived Islamisation of Egyptian politics prompted calls for religious unity to remain as clear and coherent as it had been during the protests against Mubarak. These calls were however in vain. As the security situation deteriorated during the months following the downfall of Mubarak sectarian tensions rose once again.
The clashes between Copts (Egypt) and Muslims (Egypt) that started in March were ignited by an arson attack on a church in the village of Sol in southern Egypt. The church burning led to demonstrations in Cairo by Copts demanding protection, and the persecution of the arsonists. Clashes erupted during these demonstrations which left over ten people dead. SCAF was quick to condemn the violence and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice. The situation then calmed down, temporarily, as the general frustration with the lack of democratic progress delivered by SCAF grew, so did the simmering tensions between Copts and Muslims. The underlying strains once again reached a tipping point when a rumor that two Christian women were held hostages by their congregation because of their desire to convert to Islam. This prompted rescue attempts by outraged Muslims trying to liberate the captured women. The rumor, which has not been verified, led to clashes in which over ten people died, these clashes also took place in Cairo.
The violence that was perpetrated in this non-state conflict was in the form of clashes with reported deaths on both sides. The scenes on the streets of Cairo were chaotic as the groups clashed. There was also significant violence conducted by the armed forces against both the Copts (Egypt) and the Muslims (Egypt), the most notable such incident being the intervention of the armed forces in a peaceful march for religious unity when several people died as they were crushed by armored vehicles that relentlessly ran over demonstrators. This deadly response by the armed forces led to speculation if the armed forces were in fact trying to escalate the sectarian tensions in order to ensure their legitimacy as military rulers. These rumors were quickly and sternly denied by SCAF who were eager to put the perpetrators before a military court. Following the two episodes of violence the conflict has not flared again. It is however by no means solved, and the previous clashes, based on hearsay and minor incidents testify to the extreme volatility of the relationship. How these actors will adapt to the new political landscape in Egypt is hard to predict, the situation is extremely unclear and during the formation of the political system, the religious issue will certainly be given much attention.
The non-state conflict between Copts (Egypt) and Muslims (Egypt) in Egypt is first included in UCDP data in 2011. In early May that year clashes between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.
