SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

knowledgeable scholars are not very willing to share their methodology. Further, some even look down on the Copts for not getting involved in this work. For this catch-22 cycle to be broken, we need to get more Copts involved in the study of these documents even if it is harder to handle than other texts. Copts have learned and excelled in more difficult tasks. So why not take on this challenge.

Conclusion: Documents of this type have been discovered in abundance in Egypt. Many of these made their way into several Museums and Libraries in Europe and America. They hold immense value in uncovering the regional history and the common law of the Copts. Despite that, only a small number of scholars are well-versed in the field, and their work is either published in places or in languages not accessible to most Copts (even educated ones). To compound the problem, we find some of those

A Forgotten Coptic Martyrdom from the 13th Century - St. John of Phanidjoit (4) - Reader's Comments (by Febe Armanios & Hany N. Takla)

2. Under Qur'anic and Islamic tradition, no person is to be coerced into converting to Islam. And although there are many historical exceptions to this rule (particularly in present days), most of the time Christians and Jews lived peaceably to practice their religions. Persecution was sporadic and was usually not based on ethnic or racial hatred but frequently at a time when economic conditions were bad OR when Muslims were angered by the fact that minorities were attaining better positions than them in the government OR when the leader was a fanatic ruler. There was no policy among the Muslims to convert minorities, and the Qur'an instructed that the religion of "ahl al-kitab" or "the people of the book" (i.e. Jews and Christians) should be respected. Many Copts converted in any case because of various reasons, including attractive economic incentives such as not paying the poll tax [jizya]. At the same time, several Copts remained unconverted and stayed in their high governmental positions. Thus, contrary to your argument, it is not clearly indicated that Copts converted in 'order to keep their jobs.' For references on this matter, please consult an excellent work: Anawati, Georges C. 1990. "The Christian Communities in Egypt in the Middle Ages." In Conversion and Continuity: Indigenous Christian Communities in Islamic Lands, Eighth to Eighteenth Centuries ed. Michael

Introduction: Miss Febe Armanios of Colombus, Ohio sent the following comments to the Society in regards to an article written in the January, 1997 issue of The St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter titled, "A Forgotten Coptic Martyrdom from the 13th Century - St. John of Phanidjoit (3)". The article in question, listed several historical observation that this hagiographic text has contributed to the history of the Copts at the time. Ms. Armanios, young Copt, is a Graduate Student at Ohio State University in Middle East History. The emphasis of her studies is on the History of the Copts in the Modern Era (19th and 20th centuries). The comments, which were transmitted to us via e-mail, are included in the exact text they were receved in; with the exception of minor formatting modifications. Miss Febe's Comments: 1. First of all, in general, the Ayyubid rule of Egypt was one of the most tolerant of minorities in early Islamic history (compared to the Abbasid rule for example). During this time, as you yourself say in your article, many Copts prospered and flourished in high positions of the government. Thus the presence of a "Moslem with benevolent feeling" was not the exception to the rule, but rather the norm during this period.

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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