ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

93 GULF COUNTRIES, YEMEN Citizens cannot practise any other religion other than Islam; minorities, previou- sly numerous, have been progressively expelled. Foreigners (including perma- nent residents) are allowed to practise Christianity in private. Some indigenous Jewish families enjoy the same privilege in Bahrain and Yemen. IRAN Officially, the Christian population does not reach 0.2%. Sometimes it is estimated at 0.5%. Treated well under the Pahlavi dynasty, it benefits from certain indiffe- rence on the part of the Theocratic Repu- blic established by Khomeini in 1979, and has a member of parliament. Any pro- selytism is punished with death, including relations with Muslim women. Students in Christian schools must attend Islamic initiation courses, designed to "hasten their conversion to the authentic religion". The authorities in Tehran prefer "national" Christians such as the Armenians, instal- led in the country since the 16th century, to foreigners who arrived later. Catholics are particularly badly seen after the con- version of Princess Ashraf, twin sister of the last Shah. Half of Iranian Christians have fled since 1979. The majority have taken refuge in California. EGYPT It is the Egyptian Copts who, by joining the Arab conquerors in 642 out of hatred towards the Orthodox Byzantines, have made the progression of Islam in the East irreversible. This community underwent a brilliant rebirth in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century, under the monarchy of Turkish origin founded by Mehmet Ali. At that time it represen- ted 15-20% of the population and defen- ded the idea of a "pharaonic" civilization that was specific to Egypt and different from the Arab culture. The Nasserian revolution, starting from 1952-1953, was fatal to it: the Copts were excluded from the political class, except for a few sym- bolic personalities (such as the Minister of State Boutros Ghali, who became Se- cretary General of the UN and then Inter- national Secretary to the Francophonie) then stripped of their economic power. Under Hosni Moubarak, in power since 1981, violence of all kinds (from the bomb attack to rape) multiplied, inciting young people to emigrate to Britain, Canada and the United States. The Copts will not be more than 5 million in Egypt today, 6-7% of a global Egyptian population estimated at 65 million inhabitants. - Michel Gurfinkiel & The World Show, 2004.