egyptianways: Egypt is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. The pe
egyptianways: Egypt is a predominantly Sunni Muslim country with Islam as its state religion. The percentage of adherents of various religions is a controversial topic. Approx. 90% are identified as Muslim, 9% as Coptic Christians, 1% as other Christians. Non-denominational Muslims make up roughly 12% of the population. Although Egypt was a majority Christian country before the 7th Century, after Islam arrived, it was slowly Islamified and became a majority Muslim country. It then emerged as a center of politics and culture in the Muslim world. Under Anwar Sadat, Islam became the official state religion and Sharia the main source of law. It’s estimated that 15 million Egyptians follow Native Sufi orders, with the Sufi leadership asserting that the numbers are much greater as many Sufis are not registered. There’s also a Shi'a minority of about 1 to 3 million. The Ahmadiyya population is estimated at less than 50,000, whereas the Salafi (ultra-conservative) population is estimated at 5-6 million. Cairo is famous for its many mosque minarets and has been dubbed “The City of 1,000 Minarets”. Of the Christian minority in Egypt over 90% belong to the local Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Christian Church. Other native Egyptian Christians are adherents of the Coptic Catholic Church, the Evangelical Church of Egypt, and other Protestant denominations. Non-native Christian communities are largely found in the urban regions of Cairo and Alexandria, such as the Syro-Lebanese, who belong to Greek Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Maronite Catholic denominations. Ethnic Greeks made up a large Greek Orthodox population in the past. Likewise, Armenians made up the then larger Armenian Orthodox and Catholic communities. Egypt also used to have a large Roman Catholic community, largely made up of Italians and Maltese. These non-native communities were much larger in Egypt before the Nasser regime and the nationalization that took place. Egypt hosts two major religious institutions, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, established in the middle of the 1st century CE by Saint Mark the Evangelist, and Al-Azhar University, founded in 970 CE by the Fatimids as the supposed first Islamic School and University in the world. Egypt recognizes only 3 religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Other faiths and minority Muslim sects practiced by Egyptians, such as the small Bahá'í and Ahmadi community, are not recognized by the state and face persecution since they are labelled as far right groups that threaten national security. Individuals, particularly Baha'is and atheists, wishing to include their religion (or lack thereof) on their mandatory state issued identification cards are denied this ability, and are put in the position of either not obtaining required identification or lying about their faith. A 2008 court ruling allowed members of unrecognized faiths to obtain identification and leave the religion field blank. -- source link
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