Alex Schank

The Shari'a, or Islamic law, is an essential part of the Islamic religion for many Muslims, and today poses interesting questions for Islamic countries wrestling with democracy and dealing with Islamist political parties. Developed over the course of centuries, the Shari'a - literally, the way - is considered to be divine law, although there are several schools of interpretation within it. The four Sunni schools developed, some scholars argue, in response to the Shi'a threat which was evident in the major revolts against the ‘Abbasid caliphate in the tenth and eleventh centuries, including the Zanj and Qarmatian revolts. The four schools - Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki, and Shafi'i - consolidated Sunni identity, for although they held different interpretations on certain issues (the Maliki school, for example, recognized saints, while the others did not) and represented different geographical areas, the schools respected each other's rulings and Sunnis could largely choose the school to which they wished to belong. Shi'a legal schools also developed, the most prevalent among them being the Jaafari (Twelver) and Isma'ili (Sevener) schools.

Ask most Americans on the street to generate categories describing the people of the Middle East, and you will probably get responses like: "Muslim," "extremist," "Arab," "Bedouin," and perhaps "Jewish" or "Israeli." One adjective you are unlikely to get is "Christian." A crucial demographic group often overlooked in the American media and public consciousness, Christians compose between seven and ten percent of the Arab world (i.e., 21 to 30 million people) - though Arab governments tend to underestimate the Christian population and the Christians themselves usually overestimate their numbers. Egypt is a particularly interesting case study of Arab Christians, not only because the Egyptian Copts represent the largest Arab Christian community (roughly 7 million people), but also because the discrimination the Copts face reflects larger problems confronting Arab states today: democracy and the protection of minority rights. According to the U.S. Department of State's 2006 International Religious Freedom Report, the Egyptian government discriminates against non-Muslim citizens. The ruling National Democratic Party rarely nominates Christians to run in elections, and consequently, Copts are vastly underrepresented in the Egyptian Parliament (holding less than two percent of the seats). Only one Copt was elected to the People's Assembly in the most recent elections, and the government offered only peanuts in terms of appointments: five Coptic appointments to the Assembly, six to the Shura Council, and two to the cabinet. Discrimination is also evident in government hiring practices. Christians rarely receive appointments in public universities or advance in the security services or armed forces.