Coptic Christian Priest Prefers Martyrdom to Slave Tax in Egypt

By Michael Terheyden
1/17/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

We must stand in solidarity with our Christian brethren in Egypt befoe any other political considerations

After the sweeping political victories Islamists made in the early round of elections in Egypt, the Deputy Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church Yohanna Qulta was interviewed on Arab television concerning the looming threat that Egypt's Christian communities will face in an Islamist society. The interview gives us unusual insight into the mind and heart of our Coptic brothers and sisters.

Salafis torch Christian homes in the village of Awlad Khalaf, Egypt this past summer on rumor of church construction. Photo courtesy of AINA

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KNOXVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - After the sweeping political victories Islamists made in the early round of elections in Egypt, the Deputy Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church Yohanna Qulta was interviewed on Arab television concerning the looming threat that Egypt's Christian communities will face in an Islamist society. The interview gives us unusual insight into the mind and heart of our Coptic brothers and sisters.

Although the interview is only a few minutes long, the Deputy Patriarch's comments are wide-ranging and pack a powerful punch. They cannot be ignored. Therefore, I have included the interview in the attached video at the top of this page if you want to watch it. I also recap and discuss three points gleaned from the interview.

The three points are as follows: First, the West's failure to assist persecuted Christians in the Middle East and around the world. Second, Yohanna Qulta's excellent insight into the reason for the separation of church and state. Third, his willingness to sacrifice himself to the point of martyrdom gives us an example of courage and how we are to live.

The West's failure to assist persecuted Christians

What Yohanna Qulta said about America was painful to listen to. He said, "What did America - with 150,000 soldiers armed to the teeth - do for the Christians of Iraq? Churches were [burned] down, Christians were martyred, and America did nothing. What did America do for the Christians of Lebanon? What did it do for the Arab Christians? What did it do for the Christians of Rwanda and Burundi, one million of whom were killed?"

It was not his intention to accuse America, but to vocalize a reality he perceives, that the Copts, and Christians living in other Muslim countries, are essentially alone and cannot rely on America or any Western nation to help them. Given this harsh reality, the Deputy Patriarch believes that the Copts are at the mercy of their Muslim neighbors and will have to plead their case before them. He told the interviewer, "We will not turn to the UN or to the Western countries, but to Al-Azhar, to Islamic moral values, and to the vast majority of Muslims, who are moderate."

The Deputy Patriarch's comments remind us that when our Christian brothers and sisters are persecuted anywhere in the world, all Christians everywhere are diminished and harmed. This is true because we are all members of one body, the Mystical Body of Christ. In Acts 9:4, when Saul was persecuting the early Christian Church, Jesus said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" We may not see this reality or understand it, but it is true nonetheless.

However, we not only share in their suffering, we also share in the grace they merit for the Mystical Body, the Church. Thus, we need to open ourselves to God's gift of grace which is being poured out in exchange for the blood of all His holy martyrs. And when we do, despite the brokenness of the Christian family, Christians will begin to see themselves as one body, that is, one family belonging to Christ. And once Christians around the world unite, we will become the greatest power the world has ever known, for God will surely set us ablaze and use us to renew the face of the earth.

Separation of church and state

Realizing that the well-being of the Coptic community, maybe even its very survival, depends upon the separation of church and state, Deputy Patriarch Qulta also gave a passionate and reasoned appeal for Muslims to consider this form of governance.

He said, "The Church was liberated the day religion was separated from state. . . . It has been proven that a religious state is not compatible with human nature. The role of religion is to educate the human conscience. It shapes the conscience of humans, so that merchants have a conscience, engineers have a conscience, laborers have a conscience. Religion is not supposed to regulate traffic or taxes, or to determine whether one should wear the hijab or niqab. Religion is supposed to advise and guide, but to leave one with freedom of choice."

This is what we generally mean when we refer to Muslim society becoming secular. We are referring to a secular approach to governance and promoting a pluralistic society that allows for the coexistence of Muslims and non-Muslims, which is a meaningful example of tolerance. Viewed from this perspective, it is easy to see that a secular approach to governance serves to protect religion, not to reject it.

This is obviously not the same thing as modern Western secularism, which is not open to religion to educating the human conscience, or advising and guiding the people in social, economic and political matters. Rather, Western secularism is an ideology with its own unique claim to having a "morality". By definition it is supposed to be neutral toward religion, but in practice, it is aggressively ...

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1 - 10 of 13 Comments

Paul
1 year ago
where we Christians make mistake is that we consider some muslims as moderates. If there were any they will be sincere to condem acts of murder especially of innocent souls but the truth is that the so called moderates rejoice inwardly when Christians are persecuted. We can look at the wright direction when we consider every muslim around us a potential danger. We need to pray very hard and in solidarity with our persecuted brothers and sisters that God would constantly guard over them and keep his miracle permanent in this world.
Judy
1 year ago
Excellent posts! Informing and painful article=Well Written! There are many subjects on which to write of and on in this sad story. One that I especially liked, was that on secularism, and the different take on it in Muslim vs. Western countries. Michael was absolutely correct in how he portrayed their differences. It is time to rise up in this nation...not only for Christendom, but our Jewish brothers and sisters as well. It is time to take back our freedoms in order to do what is right in this country and in the world. Secularism=public schools. and colleges, are a dis-ease to any and all of Christ's teachings. It is a: Me, myself, and I attitude. It is not self-less. It is one's own opinion that counts. Nothing else. It is a battle. One that must be fought. And this article, is only one among many more to come, to open eyes, if they are not already open. Let us pray for our brothers and sisters around the world, who seem forgotten and alone. Let us pray that we might have more courage and understanding for them in their plight. Let us pray that this may not be the beginning of another historical martyrdom beginning, as it was with Ignatius of Antioch (35-107), disciple of St John the apostle, who later himself became Bishop and martyr. All for Christ. I close w/his words:
"If I am a true Christian, that time for me to call myself one, the time when I am truly a believer, will be when I am no longer to be seen by the eyes of men". Wisdom of the Cloister, John Skinner.
Robert Burford
1 year ago
The persecution is just another "fruit of the Arab Spring" God bless these Christians.
Lilian
1 year ago
Errol, Muslims do not revere Jesus Christ, instead, they invent stories to deny His death and ressurection and persecute those who reject their lies and refuse to submit to Islam. YOU call them your "brothers and sisters" but they call you "bastard" and "infidel." How long will it take Christians to acknowledge the enmity of the Muslims which began since the Arab poisonous jealosy for the Jews motivated their rejection of the historical facts about Jesus Christ? When will Christians read between the lines to notice that the hatred the Arabs have for Jesus is responsible for their persecution of Christians and Jews since the 7th century to this day? Of course the 'story' of Jesus (Isa) is in the Koran and the Hadith, but you should compare it to that of the New Testament Bible and discover the fraud of Islam. I'm sure that if you have friends or brothers and sisters who change your story to detract from your glorious achievements, you would regard such friends and brothers and sisters as enemies. The project to change the divinity of Jesus Christ is lavishly funded with petro-dollars, violence, and deceit of people into sucidal actions. All these cannot change anything about who Jesus Christ is or kill Christianity. Jesus Christ died and rose from death to purchase for ALL people the salvation which Christians have happily received. May Our Lord Jesus Christ remove the blinders from the eyes of those who continue to reject Him. While we pray for the Muslims to reject hatred and violence and love all men as Christ has loved all men, when speaking about the relationship between Christianity and Islam, we MUST learn to choose our words carefully.
Bill in m.j.
1 year ago
Where is Obama. nothing.
David Carlon
1 year ago
Amen. Your Holiness Patriarch Qulta... God bless you and keep you. The West worships death and sin... persecutes and mocks our Lord for sport under the veil of Christianity... a culture of goats and hypocrites... false priests flourish like weeds among the wheat and the anti-Christ stands at every Broadway corner... there is a remnant of Saints who pray for the salvation of the world and waits for the martyrs crown here also. Death before mortal sin!
franny
1 year ago
Here in the USA, we are facing a religious & moral decay, unless we pray to God, & living according to His Word. I agree the UN is useless. i am trying to be tolerant of the muslims but it is difficult when i see all that is going on around the world, to people who do not agree
with Islam. Watch EWTN-Where God Weeps--& how we can help. I think only God can intervene to save the Catholics & Christians around the world. I think God is very angry at all the evil & greed that causes war & persecution, etc. and the guilty ones will bear his wrath. Dear God---pls protect your people & all of us should the Jesus Prayer: it is:Lord Jesus Christ,Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. it is a very powerfull prayer & you can say it over & over.
jorge
1 year ago
and still some say "islam is a religion of peace". How dellusional and dishonest some people out of cowardice, appeasing fear and self-deceiving thoughts can become??...islam also condenes LYING to infidels to submit us at all cost..remember that!! Don't buy the avalanche "moderate" muslims always come up with..its all done with the one purpose of enslaving you into islam.
ERROL
1 year ago
It is very true that all Christians around the world most particularly Catholic Christians, feel the pain and suffering of our persecuted brothers and sisters in all parts of the world.

In my view of the America today, America is no longer a country of the free. America is no longer a defender of authentic freedom, rather America is more focused on securing World dominance, but the America abandon her greatest SOURCE of strength - GOD.

All Christians around the world can annihilate all oppressors much easily by force, if our GOD says so. But then, we Christians are not called to become murderers, as the Lord Jesus Christ, whom our Muslim brothers also revered, have shown us how to live this life.

Fight the good fight of Faith. You have brothers and sisters here in the Philippines...
jh
1 year ago
Excellent article, painful to read.

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