Note: Raymond Ibrahim reviews new book, Christian-Muslim Relations in Egypt: Politics, Society and Interfaith Encounters, by Henrik Lindberg Hansen
Hansen has made a substantive contribution to our understanding of Egyptian society by focusing on relations between Christians and Muslims. His discussions on a number of topics are insightful: the patron-client relationship between the two groups, the complex identities existing within the continuum between Muslim and Christian—from those on the extremes who see themselves exclusively as Muslim or Christian to those in the middle who see themselves as Egyptians—and Egyptian society’s worsening post-revolutionary polarization along Islamist, secular, and Christian lines.
The book is not for the lay reader; its first fifty pages closely examine a number of sociopolitical and psychological theories and then regularly invoke them as paradigms for understanding Christian-Muslim relations. Moreover, while Hansen gives fair warning that “this book is addressed to Western academia,” the result is a work that incorporates one of the key deficiencies of such scholars: the failure to factor in religion, particularly Islamic doctrine, when analyzing societal issues.
Thus, while noting Egyptian Christians’ marginalized position, he also portrays them as “clannish and mistrusting” in what seems a strained effort to appear objective. When declaring that “discrimination [against Christians] is not a product of Islam as an essentially evil religion, which propagates the suppression of people not belonging to the faith,” he trivializes and thus dismisses the topic of Islam’s doctrines. One does not need to characterize a faith as evil to examine its actual tenets and their practical repercussions.
For example, while discussing the social, political, and psychological aspects that make it difficult to build or repair churches, Hansen never informs the reader that Shari’a bans the building and reparation of such houses of worship and that this is precisely what Muslims cite when they protest and attack churches. Nor does he mention how Muslim authorities use the conceit of “defamation of religions” to harass and imprison Christians (most recently of youths who mocked ISIS)… Keep reading

Ahem says
So, Henrik Hansen is merely another academically qualified piece of lying filth.
If it were in my power I would close down every single Arts faculty in the western world. Governments should fund useful science related subjects only and refuse to recognise the validity of any degree that involved a non science related subject.
dumbledoresarmy says
“If it were in my power I would close down every single Arts faculty in the western world. Governments should fund useful science related subjects only.”
So you regard the study of history, literature and languages (and of course you would scorn Biblical Hebrew, Classical and Koine Greek, and Latin – and *I* learned Classical Greek and Latin at university – and any other ancient language) as being ‘useless’ or destructive *as such*?
And what is a ‘non-useful’ science-related subject? Astronomy in its various forms? Pure mathematics? Physics?
The thing about science is this: that some of the most interesting and, yes, useful, stuff is found *by accident* whilst people are pursuing what might be called ‘curiosity-based’ research.
As for the humanities: it is not the humanities *as such* but the way that they are taught, by some or even many today, that is a problem. Scrapping the humanities altogether is not the answer. *Mr Spencer* first got going on his studies of Islam whilst he was pursuing his first degree .. studying that obscure historical and theological topic, the development of early Christianity.
What a *good* humanities degree produces – or helps make possible – is someone like Mr Spencer’s friend Hugh Fitzgerald.
The real challenge is to *reclaim and revitalise* the humanities; to revisit the history books and the records of old curricula – and talk to the elderly who remember – and discover what previous generations in the West – right up until the 1950s at least, in most places – studied when they studied Liberal Arts.
abad says
More accurately, it is the AGENDA behind the humanities in higher education.
Russell Kirk Was Right says
The Liberal Arts and Humane Letters is what built our Western Civilization. You’d be no better an iconoclast than those who destroyed Palmyra.
Perhaps the better ideal would be to restore traditional Western Civilization’s moral imagination, philosophical grounding, and faith which fueled the sciences to begin with. All this talk of “useful” education will spell the end of authentic education.
maghan says
Silly recommendation. And what makes you think that some scientific theories are not suspect. The social sciences are necessary to help understand human behavior. Hansen is an ideological pro-Islam hack, and his book has been rightfully debunked.
Sam says
Hansen your a filthy piece of crap go Rott in hell Egypts Christians are not clannish in this modern world your a lier trying to degrade the Copts and the truth is its sharia not socio economic factors that prevent building churchs.
Ex-muslim says
Sam
Thank you! Hansen is another ignorant and filthy politically-correct crap who has NO idea of what he is writing about.
Sam says
Beware of journalists these days with there false stories trying to degrade others.
Tom says
This is why I dislike scholars and journalists they talk a lot of rubbish while degrading others to make money while at the same time to misinform people.
dumbledoresarmy says
*All* scholars? *All* journalists? Always and everywhere?
celticwarriorcanada says
Interesting Book Review ! Like many academics today , this author seems reluctant to tackle the real substantial Source which mandates Islam’s persecution of Christianity . ” Clannish and Mistrusting ” After years of Forced conversions , torture , rape and constant harassment , one can only SURMISE ! Why a Severally Persecuted minority would become “Clannish and Mistrusting” !!!
Sam says
Celticwarrior it’s good that your from the west and have good historical knowledge of why Egypts Christians converted to Islam throughout the past centuries all because of of Islamic ruling since the Arab conquest in the beginning.
Keys says
@Celticwarrior
“Like many academics today , this author seems reluctant to tackle the real substantial Source which mandates Islam’s persecution of Christianity.”
He may be afraid of losing his livelihood.
Carolyne says
He might be afraid of losing his life. Muslims do that.
Paul says
If they were clannish and mistrusting why would Mohammed Ali Pasha the last leader to conquest Egypt ban jizya from previous Islamic rulers in 1815 and enroll them in his army to fight for him like in battle of Konya. He enrolled them in his army and banned jizya because of there trust.
xavier says
The question that’s always intrigued me is why the moselms are so hellbent on prohibiting the construction of new churches and the renovation of the old. To me it’s a mix of envy churches beautiful while most mosques are plain and fear that the churchrs would draw away moslems who wonder why there’s so little beauty i their civilivation
xavier
Jay Boo says
Actually some mosques are ornate.
Islam however is drab, monotonous and so full of bitter emptiness that Muslims are constantly PERFORMING as if to attempt to say it isn’t so.
red rose says
I honestly wish that reporters who have no understanding the evil of Islam move out of the Western countries and move into one of the Muslim countries. Let them get a first hand look into how it would feel to be a non-Muslim living with evil.
Angemon says
So Mr. Hansen wrote a book about interfaith relations that disregards the guiding principles of one of the faiths and their consequences? F*** me, I can be a Middle East expert too. Heck, I can be an expert of anything, apparently – I think I’ll write a book about pudding cake without mentioning pudding, cake or their ingredients.
mortimer says
A word of advice to Henrik Hansen: Take a look at the ‘PACT OF OMAR’ and learn why Muslims won’t allow new churches or even the repair of old ones.
Read up on the doctrine of Dhimmitude.
salim says
The islamic virus damages anything it touches, academia included.
For a while, I had my suspicions about academic research whenever Islam (or Muslims) is involved.
I spent some time in the Gulf states and know well that Muslims employ research for the service of Islam. Through such pseudo science, Muslims proved that the Quran has scientific miracles and Muslims were the first to discover just about everything. They easily find gullible western academics to confirm their pseudo science.
I am afraid that the politically correct culture has affected the Western universities and academic field. That is like taking the lethal pill.
I do not have solid evidence but I have my doubts about any Western paper with Islamic names on it.
I cant believe the number of western professors who attended islamic conferences in the Gulf with the sole objective to have their names used to propagate the Muslims’ lies.
Keys says
Interesting, Salim. Can’t imagine how they would get away with it without looking like fools. Can you cite any glaring examples?
I have often wondered if Muslims burned the great library at Alexandria.
Jane says
As a tourist who has been to Egypt I have witnessed tolerance of most Muslims to there fellow Christians as they are all the same ethnic group Egyptian but the problem is extremist Muslims like Salifis and Muslim brotherhood who are brain washed and possibly come from Arab tribal backgrounds from Saudi Arabia as migrants long time ago as in centuries ago who tend to dislike Christians.