Discrepancies Between Coptic Statistics in the Egyptian Census and Estimates Provided by the Coptic Orthodox Church

Cornelis Hulsman

MIDEO 29 (2012)

 

The political use of Coptic statistics remain largely unrecognized in Egypt and among specialists on the Middle East. Challenging the generalized and false assumption that Copts represent 10% of Egyptians, the paper describes the discrepancies between statistics held by Egypt's authorities and the Coptic Church and the political and cultural reason behind these discrepancies.