Religion in egypt

The religious periods of Egypt is. The first, religion in ancient Egypt. Then the second period, after the Roman conquest, Coptic Christianity. After the conquest of Egypt by Umaribn al Khattab, the Islamic religious period began.

Ancient Egyptian religion

It was a complex system of polytheists and rituals that were an integral part of ancient Egyptian society. It focused on the interaction of the Egyptians with various deities who were believed to be in control of the forces and elements of nature. The practices of Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for the gods and win their favor. Formal religious practice centered on the pharaoh, king of Egypt, who was believed to possess divine power by virtue of his position. He acted as an intermediary between his people and the gods and was obliged to support the gods through rituals and offerings so that they maintained the universal order. The state dedicated a large amount of resources for rituals and the construction of temples.

Coptic Christianity

Egypt was one of the first places Christianity spread to, due to its proximity to Palestine. Christian traditions indicate that it was the apostle Saint Mark himself who carried out the first preaching in the lands of the Nile. By the second century, Egypt was already largely Christian, although some polytheistic redoubts remained until almost the Islamic conquest. Egyptian Christianity separated from the rest of Christianity in the year 451, as it did not agree with the definitions adopted at the Council of Chalcedon, which condemned Monophysitism. Coptic Christianity carried out missions to the south, so large areas of Nubia and Sudan were majority Christian for several centuries, as were Ethiopia and Eritrea, which remain majority Christian to this day. For some years the Coptic Church has carried out missions in other parts of the world, such as the United Kingdom and Bolivia, where it has several parishes and converts.

Contemporary religious period

In the year 639, Umar ibn al-Khattab conquered Egypt and began to spread Islam, initially respecting and coexisting with Christianity and Judaism, but later forcing non-Muslims to pay tribute or convert to the Muslim faith.

According to the current constitution, the official religion of Egypt is Islam (2007), being practiced by around 75% of the population, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.

25% of the population is divided between Copts and Copto-Catholics. There are also small minorities of Orthodox, Armenian Christians, Chaldean Catholics, Maronites and Baha'is.

Atheism in Egypt

In Egypt, atheism is not recognized by the government, so it is not easy to establish the number of atheists in that country, and people who declare themselves atheists are persecuted by the government.

Intellectuals suspected of holding atheist beliefs have been prosecuted by judicial and religious authorities. Novelist Alaa Hamad was convicted for publishing a book containing atheist ideas and apostasy that were considered a threat to national unity and social peace.

Islamism and Christianity in the 2013 coup d'état

Although in the origins of the Egyptian culture in Egypt they had a polytheistic religion, from the first century the Christianity of the Coptic Church began to spread. Later, in the year 639, Umar ibn al-Khattab conquered Egypt and began to spread Sunni Islam.

Under Mohamed Morsi's rule, the congress based its new constitution on Sharia, or Islamic law, bringing Egypt closer to becoming a theocratic Muslim state. This increased pressure against religious minorities and there have been various episodes of violence against Christians, including the burning of churches by Muslim mobs. After the coup in 2013, the repression changed sides, and the Islamists began to be persecuted by the new government.