NEW APPROACHES IN THE
PORTRAYAL OF CHRISTIANITY
IN EGYPTIAN TEXTBOOKS
PD DR. WOLFRAM REISS
UNIV ERSITY OF ROSTOC K (GERMANY)
WOLFRAM.REISS@WEB.DE
WWW.WOLFRAM -REI SS.DE
PREPARED FOR THE FIR ST EXPERTS MEET ING
AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE LEAGUE OF ARA B STATES
CAIRO, 25 -27 NOVEMBER 2006
FOLLOWING THE RESOLU T IONS OF
THE INTERNAT IONAL CO NFERENCE
“EURO-ARAB DIALOGUE: THE I MAGE OF ARABO -ISLAMIC CULTURE
IN EUROPEAN HIST ORY TEXTBOOKS”
ORGANIZED BY
THE UNESCO MED IT ERRANEAN PROGRAM
WITHIN THE EURO -ARAB DIALOGUE
“LEARNING HOW TO LIV E TOGETHER”
IN COOPERAT ION WIT H
THE LEAGUE OF ARAB S TATES AND THE COUNCI L OF EUROPE,
THE ISESCO AND V ARIO US NAT IONAL COMMISSI ONS FOR UNESCO, THE
GEORG ECKERT INSTITU TE IN BRAUNSCHWEIG
AND THE SWEDISH INST ITUTE IN ALEXANDRIA
FROM 12 TO 14 DECEMB ER 2004, CAIRO (EGYP T)
NEW APPROACHES IN THE
PORTRAYAL OF
CHRISTIANITY IN EGYPTIAN
TEXTBOOKS
Introduction
The dialogue between Christian and Muslim representatives in Egypt unveiled many
problems and obstacles which make the academic exchange and the international cooperation
concerning improvement of the portrayal of Christianity and the West in Egyptian school
textbooks a very difficult and sensitive issue. It is not only an issue of pedagogics, but it is an
issue of politics and the media, and an issue in which principal theological and hermeneutical
differences of understanding between Islam and the West have been raised.[1]
The mere fact that Europeans have initiated such an investigation on Arab textbooks
has already been considered as an act of political interference. Dr. Sameha Sedhom-Peterson,
a consultant of the Egyptian Education Ministry, and Prof. Al-Sayed Al-Shahed from the AlAzhar strongly stated in a symposium we organized in Nuremberg in the year 2003, that any
research conducted by Western academics could never be used as the basis for discussion
because only Egyptians are able to evaluate Egyptian textbooks correctly and propose any
changes or improvements in the curriculum.[2]
A similar statement was given a year earlier by Sheikh Fawzy Al-Zifzâf after a
consultation between the Anglican Church and the Al-Azhar Al-Sharif. Asked by an journalist
about a press release of the joint commission in which the two parties agreed „to strive to
provide accurate and respectful teaching about the other’s faith, to correct misinterpretation
about it, ... and to accurate information about faiths in the curricula of schools and
colleges“[3], he clarified in the Rose Al-Jusuf-Magazine that this refers only to a correction
and a revision of European textbooks. If he were to be asked by another country to analyze
Egyptian textbooks, he would refuse to send any school books, because, in his opinion, they
are free from any distortions or errors. [4]
Such statements can only be understood with the knowledge that a heated debate about
curriculum revision has been going on in Egypt for several decades. In these debates Egyptian
politicians have been openly blamed and attacked in the media and in parliament. Rumours
have been spread in newspapers that the United States and Israel have attempted to implement
detailed plans on curriculum revisions in the Middle East.[5] The former Minister of
Education, H. E. Hussain Baha Al-Din, the Minister of Religious Endowments, H. E.
Mahmoud Zakzouk, and even the Sheikh Al-Azhar Muhammad Sayyid Tantâwî have denied
the existence of such plans and pressures on the Egyptian government several times, but any
revision is always under suspicion of Western interference.[6]
The case of Saad El-Din Ibrahim, who was engaged in educational projects and who
was released from prison because of U.S. and international pressure, also contributed to this
suspicion of hidden plans to interfere in the field of education. It can be concluded that there
are many political obstacles in Egypt hindering a fruitful international dialogue on textbook
revision.
Despite these obstacles in achieving an international exchange, there have been new
developments and approaches to improve the Egyptian Curriculum during the past years,
based on proposals and revisions from within the Egyptian community. In the 1990’s Mrs.
Fawzia Al-Ashmâwi conducted critical research on Arab and European textbooks of several
Mediterranean countries and independently came to similar conclusions as those in our
research.[7] In addition several revisions and improvements of the Egyptian curriculum which
have been implemented in the last years are going in the same direction as our proposals. I
would like to portray these new approaches in the Egyptian Curriculum in four chapters as
follows.
I. Improvements in the portrayal of Coptic Christianity in Egypt
II. Improvements in the portrayal of the dogma of Christianity
III. Improvements in the portrayal of Western Christianity and the West in general
IV Improvements in the education for tolerance
I. Improvements in the Portrayal of Coptic Christianity in Egypt
At the centre of the improvements in the portrayal of the Coptic Christianity in Egypt is an
appendix on the Coptic Orthodox Church which was recently introduced in a Social Studies
textbook (ad-dirâsât al-igtimâ’iyya) of the Preparatory School and in the History textbook for
the first year of the Secondary School. The appendix reads „Rays of light on the history of
Egypt in the Coptic Era“.[8] The text gives scientifically well-founded descriptions of:

the meaning of the word „Copt,“

the foundation of the Coptic Orthodox Church,

the persecution of the Christians by the Roman emperors,

the national resistance of the Copts against the Byzantine church,

the development of the different branches of monasticism,

the famous first Christian School of Alexandria,

the liberation of the Copts by the Muslim conqueror ‘Amr Ibn al-‘As, and

the restoration of the rights of Benjamin I, Patriarch of the Coptic Orthodox Church
persecuted by the Byzantine Christians.

The appendix even includes a chapter about Coptic culture, literature and arts.
At the end of the appendix the author quotes two Ahadith of the prophet Muhammad to stress
the fact that there is and must be a fundamental good relationship between Christians and
Muslims in Egypt:

„When you conquer Egypt, treat the Copts well, because for them there is shelter and
mercy“

„When God conquers Egypt for you, take many soldiers from it. They are the best
soldiers in the world, since they have a connection to the Day of Judgment.“[9]
In the last sentences of this passage, the author explicitly stresses the unity of Christians and
Muslims in Egypt, saying that they are „from one blood and one family, which is united in the
unity of the country and the common aims of its fate.“[10]
This detailed portrayal of Coptic Christianity before the Muslim conquest of Egypt and the
very positive attitude towards the indigenous Christianity has to be praised, indeed.[11] Such a
detailed description of the culture of the Oriental Christianity in books which are part of the
common curriculum for Muslims and Christians[12] cannot be found in any other country of
the Middle East, although Oriental Christianity in most of these countries also traces back its
roots to the apostolic time.
It should be considered if this chapter could serve as a pattern and good example to
follow in other countries of the Middle East in order to integrate the history of the Christians
of Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Jordan and other Arab countries in the national curricula in a
similar way.[13]
II. Improvements in the portrayal of the dogma of Christianity
In the debate about the portrayal of the Christian dogma, many fundamental questions in
regard of theological and hermeneutical understanding, methodology, pedagogics, and
didactics have been raised.
Before discussing any specific proposals to improve Arab curricula (for example, to
add chapters on the history of Christianity and the West, on the dogma of the different
Christian denominations, on the institution of the church and its structure, and explanations of
church feasts and rites), these principal problems need further critical, academic debate. Some
of the fundamental questions which have been raised are as follows:
1. Are textbooks at all a primary source for building identity? Are the social context and
the teachers’ role not more important?
2. Does detailed information about other religions foster tolerance or can it cause
intolerance and interreligious quarrels as well?
3. Does Islam allow only an inclusive perception of Christianity, in which only the
common ground is described? Is it necessary to portray the self perception of other
religions including the major differences? Is a detailed authentic description of other
religions a form of mission?
4. Can the religions contribute in the education for peace and tolerance or should they be
kept out of an education for tolerance?
If we can clarify these questions - and I am convinced that this can be accomplished in a joint
commission - there are good chances to continue and progress in the dialogue. The
multiperspective approach in many European textbooks in which religions are represented
according to their authentic views has been developed only recently. Many hermeneutical,
pedagogical, and methodological questions which have been raised by our Arab partners have
been questions in the pedagogical debate in Europe as well. It is my proposal to form a joint
committee of historians, educators and experts on textbook analysis to discuss these
fundamental questions thoroughly prior to any proposals to improve the curricula.
III. Improvements in the portrayal of Western Christianity and the West in general
It will be very difficult to improve the portrayal of Western Christianity and the West in Arab
textbooks in the contemporary political situation. We must be aware of the fact that we are
discussing in an atmosphere of polarization between Islam and the West. Western powers
came back to the Middle East with military forces. In the eyes of the Arab, they re-established
a new form of neo-colonialism with troops in Saudi-Arabia, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq,
Turkey, etc. and indirectly in Israel as Israel is seen as a vassal and an allied partner of the US
in the Middle East.
In this day and age of war, occupation, and economic hegemony of the West in the
centre of the Islamic World, it is quite difficult to improve the images of the West. In
Germany and France, for example, it took many years after the Second World War until a
revision could be implemented in regard to a better portrayal of the former enemy. Our
expectations must be limited. The existing problems will not be solved by educators and
historians, but by politicians. We as educators and academics can only care for the equality
and partnership in our debates and lay the pedagogical ground for a better future.
Despite this fact, there are still chances to improve the portrayal of Western
Christianity and the West. First of all, it would be necessary to clearly separate the portrayal
of politics and the portrayal of culture and religion. If this would be achieved, I am convinced
that there is no principle obstacle in positively portraying the culture and the religions of the
West. In the portrayal of Europe and Israel in Egyptian textbooks, we can already find such an
attitude in the modern epochs, as the religious aspect does not play an important role in the
portrayal of the modern epochs.
It will be much more difficult to improve the portrayal of historical relations between
Islam and the West. The campaigns against Byzantine and the Crusades have become a
symbol of the continuing animosity and hostility of the West against the Islamic Culture since
the end of the colonial period. It would be helpful to study the portrayal of these epochs in
Islamic resources, as there is evidence that the contemporary perception of the Crusades is not
the original authentic perception of Islamic historians, but has deeply been changed since the
time of colonialism. In addition, it could be taken into consideration to study the religious,
social, and economical background of the Crusades for better understanding of this epoch. A
comparison with the portrayal of the Crusades in Palestine, Syria, or Jordan could also be a
good contribution, because the different perceptions show that the historical narrative must
not necessarily lead to the claim of a principal polarity between Islam and the West.
A joint commission of historians and pedagogues from Egypt and Europe should be
founded to examine the portrayal of history and to present proposals on how to overcome
distortions and negative images and the categories of inferiority or superiority of the cultures.
Our investigation on Middle Eastern textbooks could serve as a fundamental base of the
debate as we already analyzed in detail all relevant passages concerning the representation of
Christianity and the West.
IV. Improvements in the education for tolerance
An important step to improve the education for practical tolerance towards Christians in daily
life was achieved through the introduction of the subject “Morals and Values Education”
(tarbiyyat al-qiyam wal-akhlâq). This ethics class was introduced in the school year
2002/2003 for the first three grades of the primary school. The topics in this subject deal with
general human values such as cleanliness and environment, honesty, cooperation,
responsibility, love, freedom, unity, peace, respect, patriotism, and tolerance.
Text and pictures promote a feeling of unity between Muslims and Christians. One picture,
for example, shows an Imam and an orthodox Coptic priest holding a flag with a cross and the
crescent. Some stories are told which deal about Muslim children who have Christian friends
or which encourage the children to visit each other at religious feasts. A similar approach can
be found in the textbooks for National Education or Civics Education in Palestine, which also
try to improve the education for practical tolerance between Muslim and Christian children.
Despite the many difficulties in the dialogue during a time of polarization between Islam and
the West, we can find first steps and encouraging perspectives to revise the schoolbooks in
Egypt in regard of the portrayal of Christianity and the West. I hope that this workshop and
following conferences and workshops help to proceed in this path. The education for
tolerance and a better portrayal of other religions in textbooks in the Western and the Islamic
World is a common task, which we can only master with joint efforts.
[1]
These obstacles for the dialogue were analyzed in my Ph.D. thesis on the “Representation of Christianity in Egyptian
textbooks”. This part of the thesis was published in: Klaus Hock/Johannes Lähnemann/Wolfram Reiss (ed.):
Schulbuchforschung im Dialog. Das Christentum in Schulbüchern islamisch geprägter Länder, Otto Lembeck: Frankfurt
2006, pp. 137-243.
[2]
The symposium in Nuremberg with responses of Egyptian, Palestinian, Iranian and Turkish representatives on the
results of the investigation was documented in: ibid., pp. 7-123.
[3]
Anglican/Al-Azhar Dialogue Commission (ed.): Statement of the Anglican/Al-Azhar Dialogue Commission, 11.9.2002
in: RNSAW 43/2002 (25.-31.10.2002).
[4]
Cf.. Wolfram Reiss:: Why did the Azhar and the Anglican Church decide to correct the religious curricula?
[Translation of an article of Iqbal El-Seba’I in Roe al-Youssef, 28.9.-4.10.2002, p. 27-28] in: Religious News Service of
the Arab World 43/2002, 25.-31.10.2002.
[5]
Bakri, Mustafa: The Plan of Washington to change the curriculum in Egypt and the Arabic World in: Al-Usbua 300
(2.12.2002); Bakri, Mustafa: The implementation of the initiative of Colin Powell. The plan to Americanize the religious
Discourse of the Muslims" in: Al-Usbua Nr. 306 (13.1.2003). Investigations of the chief editor of the Arab West Report
in Egypt, Prof. Dr. Brown and Prof. Dr. Doumato (from the USA) and of myself showed that his information was not
based on reliable resources. Mustafa Bakri admitted in an interview that he never saw the documents about which he
was reporting, but he stated that he believes this information, because "We have enough circumstantial evidence to
believe that the US is planning to interfere in the Arab World. US Secretary of State Collin Powell called for a
democratization of the Arab world. Articles have appeared in the US press about changing curricula in the Arab world.
After September 11 we have seen an upsurge of anti-Islamic articles in the West. The problem is that many news reports
do not distinguish between Islam as a religion and the acts of individual Muslims. Islam is equated with terrorism.
That’s false. All these reports indicate that Islam is under attack. President Bush spoke about a 'crusade'. He later
apologized but I don’t believe this was a slip of the tongue. I believe all the statements we have heard, all the articles we
have seen, indicate that there is an agenda against the Islamic world. The information we received about plans to
interfere in Egypt’s curricula fit that pattern. The US Embassy may deny this but we have no confidence in what they
say. Their political interests go before truth. But we trust our source.” This statement accurately characterizes the
climate in Egypt. The editor is not interested in reporting facts nor is he interested in a serious investigation. On the
contrary, he hawks rumors and beliefs which support the suspicion and the prejudices which already exist in the society.
[6]
Cf. Al-Sharq al-Awsat, 9 March 2004; Al-Ahram, 16 March 2004; Aqidati, 16 March 2004.
[7]
Fawzia Al-Ashmawi: L’image de l’autre dans les manuels scolaires des pays des deux rives de la Méditeranée in:
Internationale Schulbuchforschung 18 (1996), 211-228; cf. Fawzia Al-Ashmawi: Revision of Textbooks with Respect to
the Image of the Other (Christians and Jews) in Some Arab and Muslim Countries (Egypt, Jordan, and Syria), in: Klaus
Hock/Johannes Lähnemann/Wolfram Reiss (cf. Ref. 2), 62-73.
[8]
Social Studies, Preparatory School, 1st grade, part 2, edition 2001/02, Cairo 2001, 70-78. The longer text in the History
textbook for secondary school was slightly shortened and edited for the reprint in the Preparatory School textbook,
probably by a Muslim redactor, since most of the names of the church fathers vanished.
[9]
Social Studies, Preparatory School, 1st grade, part 2, edition 2001/02, Cairo 2001, 77; Egypt and the cultures of the
ancient world, Secondary School, 1st grade, Edition 2001/02, Cairo 2001, 234.
[10]
The unity is a unity of embracement and incorporation: Muslim men may marry Christian women, but Christian men
may not marry Muslim women. The children of mixed marriages are automatically considered as Muslims.
[11]
There are several minor mistakes in the text and proposals for improvement in detail, but this does not change the
general positive evaluation.
[12]
Detailed information on indigenous Christianity is given only in the courses for Christian religion in the other
countries, not in History, Social Studies or other subjects attended by both Muslims and Christians.
[13]
The problem lies in the fact that after 640, indigenous Christianity virtually disappears. Anyone reading the school
textbooks would think that, just like the Pharaonic or Roman eras, the Coptic era, too, belongs to a bygone age, from
which only scattered ruins are still to be seen. So it should be taken into consideration whether it could be possible to
continue with the description of the culture of the Oriental Christians in order to show that they have contributed
substantially to the societies in the Middle East until today. Cf. Wolfram Reiss, The Representation of Christianity in
Egyptian Textbooks, Providence 2003.