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what is our ethinicity?

MasrIIMasrII
edited December 1969 in Random Issues
i am coptic egyptian...but what do we classify ourselves in race form? like are we considered arabs? africans? i dont even know lol...i cant say arab because i am not muslim. african? i guess since i am in north africa? i dont know...if someone knows, please say lol
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  • sherrymikhail04sherrymikhail04
    [quote author=MasrII link=board=4;threadid=1288;start=0#msg21520 date=1109857892]
    i am coptic egyptian...but what do we classify ourselves in race form? like are we considered arabs? africans? i dont even know lol...i cant say arab because i am not muslim. african? i guess since i am in north africa? i dont know...if someone knows, please say lol



    from my knowledge,
    were africans

    egypt is in africa rite?
    therefore were africans!
    howz dat?
    GBU
  • MasrIIMasrII
    yeah i thought so...i wasn't sure, thanks
    i feel better to know now..

    MasrII
  • MasrIIMasrII
    i really thought so the whole time, and just wanted to make sure. thanks
    peace
  • sherrymikhail04sherrymikhail04
    ok no problem ;)
  • PrincessMaryPrincessMary
    ya egypt is in africa , so we r african americans= we r black ! lol so on your SAT's mark african american for etnicity and i guess u can apply for all the african american scholarships lol
  • MasrIIMasrII
    are you trying to be funny or something? and where did american come in? **** AMERICA and ******

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  • mmatt95mmatt95
    As copts we have the Pharao's as our ancestor's. So the question we should ask is what race the Pharao's were, rite? ???
  • MasrIIMasrII
    yea i guess so
  • ibrahimfibrahimf
    Hello folks:
    In USA: North Africans (and especially Egypt) is not considered African race. We might be considered Middle Eastern or Mediterraneans but not African. From our Coptic Church stand point of view, and in the last national census done in USA about 5 years ago, the church asked if we would mark the race as OTHER and state that we are COPTIC. I and my family did so, same as most of our congregation. This is a minority status of course, but I was proud to state my race as COPTIC. Some people might not agree to do that but that's for FYI. I don't intend to start a debate.
    GBU all
    Ibrahim
  • Georgy323Georgy323
    Hello,

    I agree with Ibrahim. I always check other and state COPTIC. However, all North Africans above the Sahara are technically Caucasian, according to the census bureau (atleast thats what I'm told).

    -George
  • SafaaSafaa
    The scientists have matched the DNA from the Copts to be identicals to that DNA specimens from Pharaoh"s mummy. So you can say that the Coptic Egyptians are the descendants of the pharaohs, just the Copts not the Muslims ( Muslims are the descendants of Arabs ). The history also supportes that St. Mark came to Egypt in the first century to preach Christianity to native Egyptians who were the last of Pharoah"s Dynasties.
  • ibrahimfibrahimf
    You're right Safaa; however, some moslems in Egypt today are originally from Coptic descend, as their great grandparents could not sustain the persecution against Christians by the moslem arab invadors who spread islam by the sword, did not have enough money to pay the "gizya" and converted to islam under the threat of being slained.

    That's why we aught to be proud as Coptic Orthodox Christians who are the descendants of the Martyrs who preserved the faith with their blood and did not fear being killed for Christ our Lord. That's the unique Coptic race!!!
  • mmatt95mmatt95

    Muslims are the descendants of Arabs

    don't u think that there's also quite a number of descendants of pharao's ie former copts who converted to islam, which would mean that a number of muslims in egypt is (by race) coptic as well...i keep wondering about this. I mean, there's a number of course that is mixed cause they married arab muslim men, back at the invasion...anyone? ???
  • mmatt95mmatt95
    coptic is the same as egyptian...the word coptic is derived from some greek word being egyptian (ayguptos if i'm not mistaking)
  • andrewgandrewg

    The scientists have matched the DNA from the Copts to be identicals to that DNA specimens from Pharaoh"s mummy. So you can say that the Coptic Egyptians are the descendants of the pharaohs, just the Copts not the Muslims ( Muslims are the descendants of Arabs ).

    Even if the muslims did mix with some converted christains, their DNAs would not be identials. They would be a mixture of arab and pharaonic(just made that up. LOL) DNA.
  • Mark423Mark423
    Ibrahim couldn’t have put it better.

    Also, George is 100% correct, according to the census bureau North Africans are considered white.

    We can be classified as African Americans. We are not, however, black. It amazes me how a black person can look at the color of my skin, then look at theirs, and say we are the same.

    In summation...

    African american? If you wish...
    Black? Not a chance.

  • Unknown
    I myself use to write white all the time...lol....there was nothing else that matched exept white...but anyway...some people told me to just write coptic or egyptian or w/e....it's really not tht big of a deal to knw wut our ethinicity is...we are all human beings
  • socoolbishoysocoolbishoy
    Middle easterners, north African, or European are all white... it would be wrong to say any thing else, also by African American they mean black... and non of the rest could be used... if you are not sure of my answer check it out... because I made my research...

    SO WE ARE CONSIDERED WHITE
  • SafaaSafaa
    Hello, ibrahim f & Hos Erof
    Both of you are absolutely right, you can say Christians, overwhelming, are descendant of Pharoah but we can not say the same abouy Muslims ( roughly half of them Arabs and the other half Copts ).
    Another point, saying that you are Copt, take away from you your Egyptian heritage. It is better that we all say: we are Egyptian Copts.
  • PrincessMaryPrincessMary
    hey dont take it personally i was just joking about us being black....but i do know some egyptian girl from church that really applied for an african american scholarship ;D
  • cremedelescremescremedelescremes
    [quote author=Georgy323 link=board=4;threadid=1288;start=0#msg21532 date=1109863835]
    Hello,

    I agree with Ibrahim. I always check other and state COPTIC. However, all North Africans above the Sahara are technically Caucasian, according to the census bureau (atleast thats what I'm told).

    -George


    Exactly!
  • cremedelescremescremedelescremes
    [quote author=Marianne87 link=board=4;threadid=1288;start=15#msg21548 date=1109874569]
    I myself use to write white all the time...lol....there was nothing else that matched exept white...but anyway...some people told me to just write coptic or egyptian or w/e....it's really not tht big of a deal to knw wut our ethinicity is...we are all human beings


    I really like that you said we're all human beings. Too many people confuse ethnicity with how good a person is these days and thats just not right
  • MasrIIMasrII
    i dont think anybody knows anything lol... yes st.mark was of african descent came to egypt, alexandria to spread the word of christianity.. so i guess we are african.. i dont know where american came from, coz thats just "land of the lost" no one knows where they are from over there lol..
    peace,

    MasrII
  • MasrIIMasrII
    i know it doesnt sound rite...but its truth

    MasrII
  • Unknown
    why does it matter wut ethinicity we are...it's not like tht would even matter to anyone....just had to get tht out...at least it wouldn't matter to me...i am a christian human being....
  • battatabattata
    i agree...we are all human beings. but i can never decide what to put on those things so i pick something different each time...so sometimes im white and sometimes im black, but i am not an arab.
    MasrII-just wondering...whats so bad about America?
  • pureplaya434pureplaya434
    when i do the SAT's i put african american and when the time for college comes it willlll help alottttttt tahts what ive heard alotta copts i knwo do taht

    aghape ,
    chris
  • CAROCARO
    Hello! You pose an interesting question. Aren't we just Egyptian? True, by geographical location, we are considered North Africans, but culturally and linguistically, we are considered to belong to the Middle East. The Middel East is not all Arabs though. The Middle East is a huge combinition of everything. We are Egyptians FROM the Middle East. On race froms (that NEVER incude EVERYONE), simply check the "Other" box because we are not on there.
    I hope this helps solve your dilemma :)
    caro
  • Boricua_OrthodoxBoricua_Orthodox
    [glow=red,2,300]In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The One True God. Amen.[/glow]

    Ethnicity is an intriguing topic for most minorities living in a foreign land (i am Puerto Rican) and this thread has given us many different responses on defining the Egyptian identity as Coptic Orthodox Christians.

    Mark and Caro have hit it on the head. Egypt is in the continent of Africa thus Egyptians are AFRICANS. When people hear the word African the stereotypical image of a black person comes to mind. However this is not the case. Africans come in all shades and colors just like there are many different religions there as well. The country of South Africa has both BLACK and WHITE Africans. The BLACKS are the native Africans,obviously, and the WHITES of European ancestry. Both are AFRICANS.

    The Coptic Orthodox are the native Egyptians who never wavered under the oppression of Islamic dominance. "Copt" means Egyptian. It comes from the Arab word "Gibt" or "Gybt" which the Muslims got from the Greek "Egyptos" or "Egypt". The Greeks got the word from the ancient Egyptian words Ha-Ka-Ptah or the house or temple of the spirit of God Ptah, one of the major ancient Egyptian Gods. Thus the word, "Coptic", simply means Egyptian meanwhile the muslims call themselves Arabs in Egypt. Copts are known as the Christian population of Egypt. It is also the original language of Egypt ;D...Arabic being the adopted language after the Muslim conquest.

    As for MasrII... its good to be proud of your heritage but its in bad taste to do it at the expense of others.... Please let's share with the love of Christ ;D. He is the TRUTH!!! Ty.
  • msaadmsaad

    "Q&A regarding the faith of the Coptic Orthodox Church."


    I dont see how ethnicity falls under the term FAITH...
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