Hello
My name is Mohamed and I signed-up here to learn more about Coptic Christians.I believe that all the chaos thats happening in Egypt is because of Ignorance from both sides of Egyptian society and of course because of the economy.The best way to shun this ignorance is to build bridges so I thought starting here wouldnt hurt. I have some questions for you guys and I hope you can answer them
1-) Whats the primary difference between Copts and Catholics ?
2-) What is your view of the political climate in Egypt ? And do you see hope for the future under the MB?
3-) Whats the Coptic dress code ? (E.g. Muslims are required to wear modestly and not showy so bikinis are a no no)
4-)Whats your view of Muslims ? whats your view of Islam ?
5-)What have you heard of Islam that you find disturbing ? (Back-up with facts and sources)
You dont have to answer them all!
These are my questions for now
Thank You and God Bless!
Comments
I have been on this forum a while and you are the first Muslim who came here asking such brave questions. I am sure very few of us or even none of us from this forum has gone to a Muslim forum asking these kind of questions.
Mohamed, we need more people like you from both sides that are full of empathy and interested to build bridges.
Before I try to answer one of your questions I want you to know that I am not Egyptian and therefore don’t know much about the politics in Egypt other than what I heard from my Coptic friends & read on the news.
3-) Whats the Coptic dress code ? (E.g. Muslims are required to wear modestly and not showy so bikinis are a no no)
I am sure you know that Coptic monks, priest & bishops wear long dresses; pretty much like the gelabia. Coptic nuns also wear full black dresses and cover their hair fully. Also in the church males and females stand separately. In the old Jewish tradition females used to stand in the back during prayer and had very low status within the society. However, because of the honor of Saint Mary females now stand on the right side of the church. This is supported by a verse from the Prophet David (Dawod, PBUH) “At Your right hand stands the queen in gold from Ophir” Psalm 45:9. Also in the church all females cover their hair.
Outside the church the main focus is for males & females not to be together alone. They can be together in a group but never as couple. A male and female should not even kiss before marriage. If a couple are engaged they can go out on a date at a public place but never to a quite place by themselves not to give the devil a chance to tempt them.
Both males and females are not allowed to wear exposing dresses such as bikinis. I know for a fact males and females can not be swimming in the same swimming pool. However, if there are only females they can wear bikinis and swim. Also when males go to a monastery we cannot wear shorts since they are exposing dresses.
The general rule is to always be considerate to others and exercise purity not just in our dress but also in our thoughts. To this effect allow me to share a story that happened to two monks...
Once two monks were traveling together and reached at a river. As they were getting ready to cross a female came to them and asked them to help her cross the river. One of the monks swiftly lifted her and carried her across the river. Then the two monks continued their journey. After travelling in silence for a long time, the monk who did not carried the woman reproached his friend saying “how can you being a monk still hold a female so close to your body”. The monk who helped the woman replied “I only carried her for a short time to help her but you have carried her all this way in your heart”
May God show us His way of peace and bless Egypt
Theophilus
1-) Whats the primary difference between Copts and Catholics ?
Copts are Oriental Orthodox, meaning they are in communion or share sacraments and have the same faith as other Oriental Orthodox churches. These churches and the other churches split apart in the fifth century over the nature of Christ Jesus as divine and human. The Catholic Church separated from the Easter Orthodox churches (like Greek or Russian) in the eleventh century. When some of the Copts converted to Catholicism, there came to be a Coptic Catholic churches that are part of the Catholic Church and that use a liturgy that is the same or similar to the Coptic Orthodox liturgy. There are still theological differences between these.
There are differences like how the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father (Orthodox) and not God the Father and the Son (Jesus). Both are trinitarian monotheistic faiths. The Catholics have a bishop that is over every single Catholic. In the Orthodox churches, each bishop is over his respective churches and no bishop is higher than the other bishops. Catholics are also a bit more liberal. I don't know much about how oriental Catholics compare, but Coptic Orthodox fast (from meat and dairy) more than probably anyone else.
Outside the church the main focus is for males & females not to be together alone. They can be together in a group but never as couple. A male and female should not even kiss before marriage. If a couple are engaged they can go out on a date at a public place but never to a quite place by themselves not to give the devil a chance to tempt them.
Not alone together ever or just in romantic relationships? (I assume immediate family can be excused from this.) What about hugs?