Abstract
This chapter looks at the recent interaction between the Egyptian state and the religious organizations of al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church. It explicates the extent to which the state seeks to define the parameters within which al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church can direct religion. Looking at how religion is invoked and negotiated between the state and al-Azhar on the one hand and between the state and the Coptic Orthodox Church on the other elucidates the limits that the Egyptian state encounters in its direction of religion. It also illustrates the accommodations that the state has come to with both al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church. Since the Revolution of 2011–2013, realignments have occurred in the state’s relationship with al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church. The removal of the Muslim Brotherhood from the public sphere and al-Azhar’s greater level of independence have resulted in increased tension between it and the state as the latter has tried to undermine the independence of al-Azhar. At the same time, the state has been increasingly supportive of the Coptic Orthodox Church and of Coptic Christians. Consequently, the state’s support of the Coptic Orthodox Church has emboldened it in its attempts to undermine the authority of al-Azhar.
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Scott, R.M. (2023). Arranging Religion in Egypt: New Alignments Between the Egyptian State, al-Azhar, and the Coptic Orthodox Church. In: Holzer, S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Religion and State Volume II. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35609-4_25
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