Egypts Religions

Egypt has a few dominate religions that are practiced throughout the country. It consists of 90%
Islam faith, which is the Muslim culture, and 10% Christianity (Kjeilen,). Both of these religions have
started in different countries and began their dominance in the country of Egypt. Egypt, unlike America,
still has disputes between citizens because of religions or way of living their life. It is important to keep
in mind where these religions have come from and the standards that they have for the followers. Islam,
or Muslim religion, originated in the Arabian Peninsula. It is believed that people from this area were
attracted to Egypts Fertile Crescent. The two countries are very similar in a lot of ways. Christianity
originated in Palestine or Israel, there are arguments as to what it is to be called since the territories
over cross. But In general, Christianity was originally from Jerusalem which is in that area.

{This image is used to show how close the Arabian Peninsula, or
Saudi Arabia, is to the country of Egypt.} (U.S. Energy)























The role of religion in the development of Egypt is very important. In ancient Egypt a lot of the
religion was centered on the observation of the environment (Teeter). Because of the drive of religion,
there were pyramids built and people thought to be gods. These are two very significant parts of Egypts
history that help mold the everyday persons idea of what Egypts culture is like. Without religion, there
would not have been a drive to honor the gods and goddesses in the past and build the pyramids.
Without religion, there would not be the preservation pharaohs and others who were mummified.
Without religion, we would not have the ability to read about their past. Because they wanted to share
the stories of their religion, they learned how to write. The Egyptians were often the first to do things
and to make things. Others learned to follow how the Egyptians did things and where they got them.
Islamists and Christians both have quite a few sacred places, the most commonly known or
visited are Jerusalem, Israel for Christianity and Mecca, Saudi Arabia for Islam. Both of these are in the
{This image is used to show how close
Egypt is to Jerusalem, the origin of
Christianity.} (ISREAL)

religions country of origin but not in the country of Egypt. Because the countries are so close together,
however, there is easy access for Egyptians who practice those religions to visit the sacred places. It is
important in any religion to demonstrate faith and there are several ways to do so. In the Islam faith, it
is almost mandatory that one makes the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. Those kinds
of encouragements are not the same for the Christianity faith, although it is welcomed to visit
Jerusalem.
There are a lot of connections with religion and government in Egypt, unfortunately. These
connections cause a lot of distress on the country and a lot of fighting. When there is a dominance of
one religion, especially those who are in the government, there is often a rift between those who
practice that religion and those who do not. The Muslim religion has a lot of emphasis on what is
decided for the country of Egypt. While the country is moving towards a good change with religious
acceptance and getting rid of favoritism at the higher level. There are still several issues going on today
involving discrimination and fear of practice (Sahgal).
I think that religion places such high importance in a lot of Egyptians lives so I think that there
should be a continued government-religion correlation. However I feel that because the conflict is so
strong throughout, as it has been for several years, it may be time to make a change in the government.
I think that this is a role that the UN has in the country of Egypt. One of the goals is to stop
discrimination. The entire world knows what is going on in Egypt and how there are people being killed
or discriminated against simply because of what religion they practice. There needs to be a change. That
being said, I also really admire the history of Egypt and how far it has come from the worship of gods
and goddesses to modern day religions and making sure they stand up for what they believe in.










{This is the religion map of
Egypt. It is the most current
map that I could find but it
shows the different branches of
the Islam faith as their own
faiths.} (Lewis)








Bibliography
ISRAEL. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/asia/il.htm
Kjeilen, T. (n.d.). Egypt / Religions - LookLex Encyclopaedia. Retrieved October 10, 2014, from
http://looklex.com/e.o/egypt.religions.htm
Lewis, M. (2011, February 14). Egypt's Religious Diversity and Its Forgotten Shi'ites. Retrieved October 10,
2014, from http://www.geocurrents.info/cultural-geography/egypts-religious-diversity-and-its-
forgotten-shiites
Sahgal, N., & Grim, B. (2013, July 2). Egypt's restrictions on religion coincide with lack of religious tolerance.
Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/07/02/egypts-
restrictions-on-religion-coincide-with-lack-of-religious-tolerance/
Teeter, E., & Brewer, D. (2002, January 1). Religion in the Lives of the Ancient Egyptians. Retrieved October
10, 2014, from http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190168/
U.S. Energy Information Administration - EIA - Independent Statistics and Analysis. (2014, September 10).
Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=sa