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Copts have a long history as a minority among Egypt's Muslim majority.〔Werthmuller, Kurt J. Coptic Identity and Ayyubid Politics in Egypt 1218–1250. American University in Cairo Press. 2009〕 While an integral part of ancient Egyptian society converted to Islam, Copts remained culturally and religiously distinct from their comrades. The question of Coptic identity was never raised before the rise of pan-Arabism under Nasser in the early 1950s. Up to that point, Egyptian nationalism (also referred to as Pharaonism) was the major form of expression for Egyptian identity,〔Haeri, Niloofar. ''Sacred language, Ordinary People: Dilemmas of Culture and Politics in Egypt''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2003, pp. 47, 136.〕 and both Egyptian Muslims and Egyptian Christians viewed themselves as only Egyptians without any Arab sentiment.〔Deighton, H. S. "The Arab Middle East and the Modern World", International Affairs, vol. xxii, no. 4 (October 1946), p. 519.〕 The struggle to ascertain this Egyptian identity began as Nasser and his regime tried to impose an Arab identity on the country, and attempted to erase all references to Egypt as a separate and unique entity.〔http://nationalcopticassembly.com/showart.php?main_id=1724〕 Today, Copts and many Egyptian Muslims reject Arab nationalism, emphasizing indigenous Egyptian heritage and culture as well as their own unique ethnicity and genetic makeup, which are completely different from those of the Arabs.〔 ==Copts as Egyptians== The term Copt designates the native population of Egypt, as opposed to the various invaders or settlers (Greeks, Romans, Jews, Arabs, etc.) who came to Egypt from other countries. The word ''Copt'' was adopted in English in the 17th century, from New Latin ''Coptus, Cophtus'', which is derived from Arabic collective ' "the Copts" with ''nisba'' adjective , plural ; Also ''quftī, qiftī'', Arabic /f/ representing historical Coptic /p/. an Arabisation of the Coptic word ''kubti'' (Bohairic) and/or ''kuptaion'' (Sahidic). The Coptic word is in turn an adaptation of the Greek "Egyptian". After the Muslim conquest of Egypt, the term ''Copt'' became restricted to those Egyptians adhering to the Christian religion.〔"The people of Egypt before the Arab conquest in the 7th century identified themselves and their language in Greek as Aigyptios (Arabic qibt, Westernized as Copt); when Egyptian Muslims later ceased to call themselves Aigyptioi, the term became the distinctive name of the Christian minority." (Coptic Orthodox Church ). ''Encyclopædia Britannica Online''. 2007〕 In their own Coptic language, which represents the final stage of the Egyptian language, the Copts referred to themselves as ''rem en kēme'' (Sahidic) ⲣⲙⲛⲕⲏⲙⲉ, ''lem en kēmi'' (Fayyumic), ''rem en khēmi'' (Bohairic) ⲣⲉⲙ̀ⲛⲭⲏⲙⲓ, which literally means "people of Egypt" or "Egyptians"; cf. Egyptian ', Demotic '. In the 20th century, some Egyptian nationalists and intellectuals began using the term ''Copt'' in the historical sense. For example, Markos Pasha Semeika, founder of the Coptic Museum, addressed a group of Egyptian students in these words: "All of you are Copts. Some of you are Muslim Copts, others are Christian Copts, but all of you are descended from the Ancient Egyptians".〔qtd. in M. Hussein. ' (Trends in Modern Literature ). Vol. 2. Cairo, 1954〕 Copts take particular pride in their Egyptian identity. Over the centuries, they have always rejected and fought against other identities that foreign rulers attempted to force upon them, stressing their own Egyptian identity.〔 While an integral part of their society, Copts remained culturally and religiously distinct from their surrounding. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Coptic identity」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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