A Review Of Samuel Tadros’ Motherland Lost: The Egyptian And Coptic Quest For Modernity

Fr. Michael Sorial, D.Th. (Cand.)

University Of Winchester

Samuel Tadros, a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom, has researched the rise of Islamist movements in the Middle East and its implications on religious freedom and regional politics. In this book, Tadros undertakes a useful exploration of the identity politics for the Coptic Orthodox Christians in their motherland. Offering a chronological account throughout the two-thousand-year history of the Copts, the indigenous Christians of Egypt, the author begins by examining the early centuries of Christianity prior to the Islamic invasion of the seventh century. He then turns his attention to the tumultuous state of Egypt, from the Arab conquest – during which time various forces and players continued the age-old struggle for control of Egypt – until the start of the modern era. In the final section of the book, the author explores present-day Egypt, examines the future of the Copts in their homeland, and reflects upon the state of the Coptic Church as its epicenter shifts outside of Egypt’s borders. Although there are other books that have attempted to explore the history either of Egypt or of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Tadros offers a unique approach by investigating how the continuously changing political topography of Egypt has shaped the self-identity of the Copts.

As both a historian and researcher – and a Copt himself

– Tadros appears to effortlessly offer an analysis that is

scholastic in nature yet maintains a familiar quality. Throughout the book, Tadros thoroughly refutes the two dominating and polarizing narratives that seem to dominate contemporary identity discourse: eternal Coptic persecution versus the National Unity discourse. Motherland Lost is a concise, eloquent rumination on two thousand years of the Coptic pursuit of survival – written from a Coptic standpoint

– that avoids many of the impassioned, polemical arguments found in similar works.

The book is divided into seven chapters, an Introduction, and a Conclusion. Each of the seven chapters presents a synopsis of Coptic life under the ever-changing demography of Egypt.

In Chapter 1, Tadros follows the conventional historical narrative that traces the Coptic Church in Egypt from the time that Mark the Apostle entered Alexandria and baptized Anianus the cobbler around the middle of the first century until the Muslim invasion of Egypt by the Arabs in the year 641 AD. In a succinct analysis, Tadros addresses the rise of Christianity in Egypt, with its quick spread throughout the native population, as well as the development of the three pillars of the Coptic Church that have shaped the manner in which Copts self-identify – namely the Catechetical School of Alexandria, monasticism, and Martyrdom – which dominate the experience of ordinary Copts. Albeit the author recognizes the contribution that each aspect has on Coptic self-understanding, he offers an unequal emphasis upon imagery related to Martyrdom throughout the book.

In Chapter 2, Tadros offers an abridged survey spanning from the rise of Islam in the middle of the seventh century until the eighteenth century, as Egypt begins to experience an onslaught from Western forces. Certainly unable to do justice to the breadth and complexity of historical materials extending across a millennium, the author is effective in communicating not only the significant sociological shifts that occur during this time period, but also

how these shifts impact the self-identity of the Coptic community within a rapidly changing social and political topography. Tadros depicts the contrast as to how history would later be interpreted by the various demographic groups represented. What appears evident to Tadros is that competing narratives were in fact central to the process of self-identification of those respective groups.

In Chapter 3, Tadros picks up in the beginning of the eighteenth century and traces through the middle of the nineteenth century. As he progresses through the chronological narrative, the author begins to analyze a shorter period of time in each chapter, which allows him increased opportunity to explore the topic of modernity in greater detail. His intriguing analysis in this section depicts an Egypt that has yet to envision and conceptualize the modernizing advances of their Western neighbors. With Ottoman control beginning to erode, Napoleon led the French army to victory in Egypt. It was during this time period that the French fascination with Ancient Egyptian civilization came to captivate the world. This renewed awareness of a pharaonic heritage later shaped the narrative of Coptic self-understanding. The quest for Egyptian independence and modernity began to materialize under the leadership of Mohamed Ali – an Albanian commander – as he amassed a sizable army, industrialized the state, and sent students abroad to learn in European schools. Albeit that Copts experienced various negative consequences during the time of Ali, they appear consumed by having to respond to a new and unfamiliar assault that was originating from Catholic and Protestant missionaries.

In Chapter 4, Tadros highlights two significant events in 1854 that changed the course of Egypt in its pursuit of modernity. As Mohamed Said Pasha rose to the governorship of Egypt, his relationship with Copts takes a drastic shift from his predecessors. Said not only abolished the jizya, permitted Christians into the Army, and allowed the building of new churches, but he also sent the first Copt on a student mission to France. It was also at this same time that Kyrillos IV was enthroned as Pope. His commitment to education, the introduction of the printing press to Egypt, and the re-organization of the church, as well as his attention to the inequitable treatment of women, were some of his main undertakings. As a result of Kyrillos IV putting forth several demands upon Said, it is purported that the governor ordered the murder of the pope. Tadros appears to propose that in spite of the clash that occurred between Said and Kyrillos IV, the reforms they each initiated served as a catalyst in Egypt’s modernization efforts. In addition, the author suggests that the flood of foreign missionaries dealt a major crisis of modernity for the Church. However, I would propose that the need to respond to the influx of missionaries propelled the church to invest into theological education. In other words, it inadvertently advanced the Church through initiatives, such as the establishment of the Coptic Theological Seminary.

In Chapter 5, the author describes the national climate over the next 50 years. With an attempt to depict history in such a way that it would support a national unity narrative, Copts and Muslims were portrayed in a manner to suggest that they had always maintained a symbiotic relationship. It was implied that the contemporary strained relationship between these two parties could be understood as a consequence of the external Western forces that sought to divide and conquer Egypt. The author suggests that the attempt to propagate such a narrative was unsuccessful. Four days after the first Coptic Prime Minister Boutros Ghali was assassinated, a Coptic Conference gathered and put forward five key demands in 1911. Tadros contends that the demands of the Conference were advanced far beyond what modern Copts would consider seeking after. Whereas many people today are certainly concerned with attempting to access their most basic needs – in addition to a recent decline of Coptic activism within Egypt – I would propose that there does remain a significant number of Copts advocating for an equal treatment of all parties within Egypt, that echoes some of the demands of the 1911 Conference. Moreover, there is an growing group of Coptic activists outside of Egypt who have sought to advance the cause of the Copts inside Egypt, finding themselves unable to speak freely.

In Chapter 6, the author highlights the quest for Egyptian independence from Britain at the start of the twentieth century. With deep convictions that Christians and Muslims should be treated equally, Saad Zaghloul – the minister of education – was the ideal person to lead the nationalist movement. Although King Fouad was the leader of Egypt, Zaghloul maintained a strong position of influence while Fouad attempted to manage the fierce battle between competing ideologies. Shortly after, anti-Christian rhetoric and attacks began to escalate. It was during this period that the Muslim Brotherhood arose and began to mount substantial threats to Copts. Nationalism had been replaced by religious fundamentalism, which led to the 1934 regulations restricting the building of Churches – that continues until today – along with an increasing number of attacks on Copts and their churches. By the 1940s, modernization efforts had begun to fail, and the hopes of equality and national unity were becoming a distant memory.

In Chapter 7, Tadros begins with the overthrow of King Fouad by the Free Officers – led by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser – on July 23, 1952. During this time three key Figures in the Habib Guirguis Sunday School movement began to stand out. Bishop Samuel, who developed a strong awareness of social consciousness within Egypt, also established the first Coptic churches in the West during the 1960s. Bishop Shenouda, who would eventually rose to the papacy, was known for his teaching and commitment to prayer. Father Matthew the Poor, who was an ecumenist, believed that the church should not waste time and resources with any activity other than bringing sinners to Christ. Albeit these three figures have had tremendous impact on the current state of the Coptic community, it is likely Kyrillos VI who has most impacted the trajectory of the church by empowering these men to lead the community beyond his time. It was during the papacy of Kyrillos VI – and his successor Shenouda III – that the Islamizaton of education occurred, along with a rise in anti-Christian sentiment. Subsequently, Copts increasingly sought refuge within the walls of their church. As discrimination in the public sphere ramped up, Copts increasingly gravitated to the church. According to Tadros, the most significant development the Coptic Church has faced in its history has been its transformation into a global Church with largescale waves of emigration by Copts beginning in the 1950s.

This study is valuable for many reasons. Written with clarity, logically structured, and well referenced, Tadros’ book is accessible to a large audience. The author engages with the topic with such precision and command that the material will be meaningful for a beginner in the field, while remaining informative and thought provoking for an expert. However, the book is not flawless. As Tadros speaks to the self-understanding of the Copts in Egypt, he does not engage with the complexities that arise due to urbanization. Whereas many of the Coptic elite – residing in the urban centers – had become increasingly intent on voicing their demands, the role of the rural populations is overlooked in this analysis. Additionally, while Tadros states that the imagery of martyrdom is central to the narrative of Copts, he does not explore how the community’s identity had been shaped by the development of liturgical language, biblical imagery, and other ecclesial portrayals. Lastly, what seems to be lacking in the course of his analysis are any recommendations or strategies for Copts to rectify their position in Egyptian society. Tadros paints a gloomy picture and in his own words he believes that “the prospects for Copts in Egypt are, to say the least, bleak.”

(211) The only serious option that he gives them is to leave, but then he immediately acknowledges that many will be unable to do so. If anything is evidenced by the historical analysis of the Copts offered in this book, they are a resilient, faithful, and a creative community that had always found a way to survive and – at times – to thrive. That said, Samuel Tadros certainly made an extraordinary contribution to the important and oftentimes relegated field of modern Coptic sociology. Focusing on a distinct sociological group, his book compares favorably to Nicholas V. Riasanovsky’s Russian Identities: A Historical Survey. The two authors effectivelyexplore the historical developments of respective Church communities; however, Tadros does a masterful job of exploring the evolving nature of the identity of an indigenous religious minority within an ever-changing climate.