Coptic flag
Encyclopedia
Copt
The Copts are the native Egyptian Christians , a major ethnoreligious group in Egypt....
ic activists in different countries to represent Coptic communities both in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and in the diaspora. It is not recognized by the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, but many Copts worldwide have adopted it as a symbol of Coptic identity. The Coptic flag has been officially recognized and adopted by the New Zealand Coptic Association and the Free Copts .
Background
Copts voice opposition to many aspects of Egypt's political life. One of these is the present-day Egyptian flagFlag of Egypt
The flag of Egypt is a tricolour consisting of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black bands of the Arab Liberation flag dating back to the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. The flag bears Egypt's national emblem, the Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band...
, which many Copts feel does not represent their community (though some Muslim Egyptians appear to have voiced similar concerns). The pattern closely resembles those of other Arabic-speaking countries, a symbol of Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism
Arab nationalism is a nationalist ideology celebrating the glories of Arab civilization, the language and literature of the Arabs, calling for rejuvenation and political union in the Arab world...
rejected by many Copts (and many Egyptians
Egyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
in general), along with the official title of the country "Arab Republic of Egypt", as if to distinguish between an Arab Egypt and one that is not (see also Egypt#Identity). In this respect, taking into consideration that Copts are especially likely not to consider themselves Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
, the current Egyptian flag alienates the Egyptian Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
minority in its homeland.
The Coptic flag arose from the conviction that any group has a right to represent itself through an emblem or a flag in its larger society and the world. It is in line with examples such as the emblem of the Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
(two swords surrounding the Koran), and the flag of the Lebanese phalanges
Kataeb Party
The Lebanese Phalanges , better known in English as the Phalange , is a traditional right-wing Lebanese political party. Although it is officially secular, it is mainly supported by Maronite Christians. The party played a major role in the Lebanese War...
(a red circle surrounding a green cedar tree). Other examples include the flag of the Lebanese Hezbollah
Flag of Hezbollah
The flag of Hezbollah, while sometimes found in different colours, is usually composed of the green logo of the Shi'a political/military organization Hezbollah, upon a yellow background with text above and below the logo in red ....
and the flag of the Assyrian minority
Assyrian flag
The Assyrian flag is the flag chosen by the Assyrian people to represent the Assyrian nation in the homeland and in the diaspora.George Bit Atanus first designed the flag in 1968...
, which flies side by side with the Iraqi national flag
Flag of Iraq
The flag of Iraq consists of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black bands of the Arab Liberation Flag. The flag has been in use since 1963, with several changes to the green symbols in the central white band, the most recent version bearing the Takbir rendered in green. Following the U.S...
at Assyrian
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
churches.
Nevertheless, in view of the Copts' Egyptian patriotism and their attachment to their country, and from the standpoint of respecting the opinion of other Egyptians, Coptic or Muslim, who might consider the national flag representative, Copts continue to call upon respecting the current flag of Egypt. The Coptic flag came about as a compromise; one that represents the Copts and highlights their non-Arab, non-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
identity. Some Copts have begun using the new flag alongside the official Egyptian flag
Flag of Egypt
The flag of Egypt is a tricolour consisting of the three equal horizontal red, white, and black bands of the Arab Liberation flag dating back to the Egyptian Revolution of 1952. The flag bears Egypt's national emblem, the Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band...
. These Copts view it as a way to reconcile their pride in their Coptic identity with their allegiance and strong attachment to Egypt, as well as with their desire for peaceful coexistence with their compatriots.
The Coptic Flag
- The cross represents ChristianityCoptic ChristianityThe Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the official name for the largest Christian church in Egypt and the Middle East. The Church belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, which has been a distinct church body since the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, when it took a different...
, the Copts' religion. The blue color stems from the Egyptian sky and water. It also reminds the Copts of their persecution, when some of Muslim rulers forced their ancestors to wear heavy crosses around their necks until their neck bones became blue.
- The top of the coat of arms is decorated with Coptic crosses intertwined with lotusLotus (plant)Lotus identifies various plant taxa:* Nelumbo, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers** Nelumbo nucifera, the Sacred or Indian lotus** Nelumbo lutea, the American or Yellow lotus...
flowers, representing Egyptian identity. Coptic crosses are made of four arms equal in length, each of which is crossed by a shorter arm (a form of the heraldic "Cross Crosslet"). They are different from the more conventional crosses that possess three short arms and a longer arm. The lotusLotus (plant)Lotus identifies various plant taxa:* Nelumbo, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers** Nelumbo nucifera, the Sacred or Indian lotus** Nelumbo lutea, the American or Yellow lotus...
flower, also known as the Egyptian White Water Lily Nymphaea lotus, is one of ancient EgyptAncient EgyptAncient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
's most highly-regarded flowers. It used to represent creation and resurrection, for it disappears under water after sunset, then resurfaces and blooms at dawn. An ancient Egyptian creation myth states that the first thing to have been born from the watery chaos of the beginning of time was a giant lotus flower, which, on the first day of creation, gave birth to the sun.
The black background behind the ornaments is a symbol of Kimi or Kemet, the Egyptian
Egyptian language
Egyptian is the oldest known indigenous language of Egypt and a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. Written records of the Egyptian language have been dated from about 3400 BC, making it one of the oldest recorded languages known. Egyptian was spoken until the late 17th century AD in the...
name of Egypt, which means the Black Land. Ancient Egyptians gave their country this name since the waters of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
used to bring black soil during the inundation season and deposit it on the banks of the Nile
Nile
The Nile is a major north-flowing river in North Africa, generally regarded as the longest river in the world. It is long. It runs through the ten countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Egypt.The Nile has two major...
, thus fertilizing them. The contrast between the yellow and the black is a symbol of the Copts' Christian faith and Egyptian identity that still shine amid the darkness of the persecution they have been suffering over the centuries. Beneath these ornaments is a green line in the middle of the coat of arms, which represents the Nile Valley. Around it are two yellow lines that symbolize the Eastern and Western Deserts of Egypt. These two lines are in turn flanked by two blue lines that represent the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
that enclose Egypt. Finally, these lines are separated by red lines symbolizing Coptic blood, which has been shed all over Egypt since Egyptians adopted Christianity and until today.