Motherland Lost: The Egyptian and Coptic Quest for Modernity (Hoover Institution Press Publications) (Volume 638) Hardcover – August 1, 2013

Mother Land lost gives the reader a broad yet very through history of both Egyptand that of the Coptic Christians who dwell there . The histories appear to beseperate yet intertwine at certain points.Coptic history has been filled with sacrifice and martyrdom . Owing tooppression from first the Catholic Church and then later Islamic fundamentalism, the Copts have faced a long upward struggle for equality .Christianity was brought to the city of Alexandria by the apostle Mark. hestayed with a craftman named Athanius. Athanius and his family would laterbecome devoted Christian and set up an institution of higher learning. All thishappened during a period of intense turmoil between the Persians and the Romans.Even when things were settled the Copts did not have an easy time of it. TheArian schism and the Nestorian schism placed the Coptic church at odds with theRoman Catholic Church and the Byzantines. This would lead to discrimination andpersecution by the Catholics when they had control over Egypt.The advent of Islam saw the Arab conquest of Egypt. Some would say that theCopts welcomed the Arab and others would say that at best they were ambivalent .Under Islamic rule the Copts were granted a second class status if the Dhimmi.This arrangement forced them to pay a special tax and limited the jobsavailable. They also required permission to build a new Church or renovate andold one.Under Arab rule the Coptic church fossilized . They held administrative andbureaghcratic positions as they were needed to run things . But as timeprogressed there were more Muslims to take those positions. The Copts beganlosing jobs .As their material position began to decline so to did their culture . Manyforget Coptic and the church began having their services in Arabic.The Copts were taxed excessively. The taxes were used to pay for militaryadventures and enrich someone else's coffers. This would impoverish the Copticcommunity and many would convert to Islam to escape the heavy taxes.This would continue under Maneluke rule and Ottoman rule. The practice of Simonydeveloped where in the pope would take money or bribes for promoting bishops andmonks.Under Muhammad Ali, a Turkish governor , Egypt would taste military defeat bythe French who would occupy the country for a certain length of time.some Copts were favored by the French but to embrace the French to openly was tocourt disaster. After the defeat Muhammad Ali began building factories in orderto make modern weapons . His drive for modernization would continue under Abbashis Grandson and successors. They would also send Egyptian students to Europe tostudy Euripean war technology . Copts were almost never selected.As history progressed Egypt would have to deal with it's Coptic issue . TheIslamist wound say that the Copts were treated well and were part and parcel ifthe Egyptian people. The Copts would have a different view of events.With British intervention and the insertion of missionaries the Copts would faceeven further challenges. The British did not favor the Copts in fact foreignpowers over looked then sometimes in favor of Armenians and Syrian Christians.Protestant missionaries would pose another challenge of pulling people away fromthe church through their modern education . Pope Kyrillos the fourth, Demetruousand Kyrillos the fifth would deal with the Protestants . They would upgradeCoptic infrastructure and education .Along the way the clergy and the secular organization. Called the Milli wouldvie for control over Church assets. It was a battle that involved not only laypeople but sometimes Egyptian authorities .Another movement that would revitalize the Coptic Church was the Sunday schoolmovement. This was a movement sort of started by Bishop Samuel. This broughtabout a renewal and return to the roots and an accompanying explosion of Copticscholarship. It also brought in new resources to help infrastructure.king Farouk tried to use an Islamic approach to unify Egypt. Upon his overthrowNasser would engage in Sicialism and pan Arab unity. This helped the clergy andthe pope . With Sadat who courted the Muslim Britherhood things would get worsefor the Copts. Pope Shenouda and the Copts were more assertive against this.Sadat would banish Shenouda to a monastery. After Sadat's assassination by theMuslim Brotherhood, Mubarak would ascend and he tried to work with the Copts.Following his ouster the Copts found themselves at the mercy of the mob . TheCopts are leaving Egypt and only the impoverished remain . The Muslimbrotherhood does not want to kill them they just want them to know their place.Or so they say.

I had hard time putting this book down. The books gives an excellent insight on the status of the Copts today and how it came to be shaped that way. It also gives a great insight on the modern history of Egypt and it's implication on the Egypt of today. The book could not be more relevant to the struggles and prospects of our generation. Few things could have deserved more analysis. The coverage of the era of the Sunday school movement and 20th century pioneers of the coptic church was very interesting and insightful but could have been more details. Habib Girgis is identified as a key person, but we hear little about him and his views. Fr. Bishoy Kamel is mentioned briefly, while he may have had a huge impact in Alexandria worth discussing more. The impact of mission work was mentioned, to the authors credit; it may be too early to speak of it as history, but it is conceivable that the mission movement of past 20 years could end up be the natural heir to the sunday school movement of the 1900s shaping the future of the Coptic Church in next decades. Of course the book was written during the rule of the muslim brotherhood and ended on a very dark note. It would be interesting to see how the author would have ended the book if it was written a year later and what lesson from the past could be relevant to the Copts of today.

I have an abiding interest in the earliest Christian communities, preferring the time before the Apostle Paul radically changed the message of Jesus of Nazareth. I had hoped this book would contain more material about early Coptic Christianity. It doesn't address that concern. The focus of this book seems to be on the Coptic community as an important 'player' over almost 2000 years of Egyptian history. What comes through most tellingly is that the Copts didn't just come from somewhere else to 'land' in Egypt: they are descendants of the very same ancient Egyptians who have always been on the ground. At some point, some Egyptians became Coptic Christians and others chose to follow Mohammed's revelation. The book shows that this history has also been one of cultural challenge and marginalization and persecution. Samuel Tadros argues that Egypt can not find a way forward in its modern composition unless it accepts and even welcomes Coptic participation. His is an argument well worth listening to.For me, this book is only 'okay' because I was looking for more on the Coptic faith. Tadros work comes close to seeming like a 'lament' by a marginalized group. Of course, he appears to be right in all of the concerns he explores. What seems to be lacking is any strategy for Copts to press their claims in modern Egyptian culture.

Beautifully written, masterful use of imagery in the writing which resulted in a detailed yet structured painting of the interwoven aspects of Coptic and Egyptian history. The author always gives the broader Egyptian context before he delves deeper into the Coptic reaction to the challenges of the times in question. While giving all the necessary information to allow the reader to understand the significance of events and the link between both the Egyptian and the Coptic story, he also succeeds in mentioning details and anecdotes that attest to thorough research and help to bring the people mentioned in the book closer to the reader's mind. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn more about Egypt and its ancient Coptic community from someone who truly understands the country and the impact its history had on the Coptic church.

As a Copt who lived in Egypt upto the sixties, it gave me an insight into the problems that face Copts in Egypt today. It is a good read for understanding the plight of minorities in general and Copts in particular. For those chartered with US Foreign policy, it may be an informative read on the plight of Egypt's Copts.