Egypt

Egypt’s religious composition is deeply contested as there is no published national census data. Existing estimates are: 85-90% are Sunni Muslim, 8-14% are Christian (the largest religious minority in the Middle East), and 1% belong to other religious affiliations, including Bahais, Ahmadis, Shias and Quranists. It’s difficult to estimate the number of atheists or those who have no belief as they are not recognised.

Our work in Egypt

Featured
Interfaith service delivery: Gathering community oral heritage for social cohesion in Egypt

This project will build the capacity of 140 youth from different religious minorities to document, archive and disseminate the oral heritage of their communities. It will build on a British Council-supported project among Coptic youth for heritage capture by scaling-up the initiative while building the…

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Event December 6, 2022
Tackling poverty and protecting freedom of religion or belief: lessons for future UK policy and programming

A joint CREID / APPG FoRB event chaired by Fiona Bruce, UK Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief , featuring lessons and highlights…

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Analysis
Two men walking in waist-high floodwater in Pakistan, one carrying two large bags on his shoulder
COP27 and Climate Justice: Where do the Religiously Marginalised Fit in?

Climate change reductionism – assuming the causes and the redress for those suffering the worst impacts of extreme weather lies with climate change alone –…

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Case Study
A signifier of faith in the symbolic healing power of the cross – the heritage story of my tattoo (Egypt)

Men and women from religious minorities have from ancient times inked their bodies to proclaim their identity. The Copts are one of the oldest surviving…

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Case Study
Egyptian woman who shared a story of her heritage tattoos
It is our right to make a tattoo on our arms. The cross won’t be removed – the heritage story of my tattoo (Egypt)

In this interview with Mari Makramalla Monir, Thoraya Saleh Salib talks about how she is proud of the tattoos, which she inked herself, and encourages…

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Case Study
We engraved crosses on our wrists so that it is manifest to all that we are Christians – the heritage story of my tattoo (Egypt)

Men and women from religious minorities have from ancient times inked their bodies to proclaim their identity. The Copts are one of the oldest surviving…

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Case Study
An Egyptian shares the story behind her religious tattoos
Reaffirming my faith – the heritage story of my tattoo (Egypt)

Men and women from religious minorities have from ancient times inked their bodies to proclaim their identity. The Copts are one of the oldest surviving…

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News
CREID vertical logo next to the words International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Catch up on CREID news, events and videos at International Freedom of Religion or Belief Ministerial Conference

Earlier this month, six hundred delegates from over 100 countries attended the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion Belief, hosted for the first time…

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Analysis Coptic Heritage Village – a celebration of intangible heritage from Egypt

Last week, Egyptian Coptic youth from Minya welcomed a delegation from the UK Embassy, led by HM Ambassador Gareth Bayley, to a reconstituted “heritage village”…

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Analysis
Why regional knowledge exchange matters for heritage preservation

With much of knowledge sharing on heritage gathering dominated by Western scholars and practitioners, a recent IDS-led workshop in Beirut, supported by the British Council’s…

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Event February 15, 2022 Remembering Contemporary Martyrs Day

His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, and Founder and Director of Refcemi (The Coptic Orthodox Office for Advocacy and Public Policy), invites…

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Working Paper
Whose Heritage Counts? Narratives of Coptic People’s Heritage

This CREID Working Paper by Elizabeth Monier examines whose voices narrate official Coptic heritage, what the in-built biases in representations of Coptic heritage are and…

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