Islam
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Chapter 5 – The Arab Conquest of Egypt (641 CE)
Part III – The Coming of Islam and the Reconfiguration of Society 5.1 The Historical Setting By the early seventh century, Egypt stood as one of the richest provinces of the Byzantine Empire, supplying grain to Constantinople and functioning as a bastion of imperial power in the eastern Mediterranean. Yet,…
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Chapter 6 – Gradual Islamisation and Cultural Integration
Part III – The Coming of Islam and the Reconfiguration of Society 6.1 From Conquest to Cultural Transformation The Arab conquest of Egypt (641 CE) brought administrative and political change, yet the process of Islamisation—the adoption of Islam as a faith and culture—was gradual and complex. Initially, Muslims formed a…
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Chapter 7 – Taxation, Law, and Tolerance in Medieval Egypt
Part III – The Coming of Islam and the Reconfiguration of Society 7.1 Fiscal Foundations: Zakat, Jizya, and Kharāj The early Islamic state that emerged after 641 CE was both a religious community and a fiscal entity. Its stability depended upon a just and sustainable taxation system. In Egypt, as…
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Chapter 11 – Muslim and State Perspectives
Part IV – The Fatimid Era and the Miracle of Mokattam Mountain 11.1 Fatimid Pragmatism and Religious Neutrality The Fatimid Caliphate (969–1171 CE) was remarkable for its administrative sophistication and religious pragmatism. While the Caliphs were Ismāʿīlī Shiʿa, they governed a majority Sunni Muslim and Coptic Christian population with deliberate…
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Chapter 13 – The Enduring Coptic and Islamic Identities
Part V – Modern Egypt and Religious Continuity 13.1 Egypt as a Land of Two Faiths Modern Egypt remains one of the world’s oldest and most complex religious landscapes. Roughly 90–92% of Egyptians are Muslim, predominantly Sunni, while 8–10% are Christian, almost entirely Coptic Orthodox (CAPMAS 2021). Both faiths claim…