[The text was written as a chapter for Freedom of Belief and Christian Mission, Edited by Hans Aage Gravaas, Christof Sauer, Tormod Engelsviken, Maqsood Kamil and Knud Jørgensen. Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series, Vol. 28, Regnum Books International, Oxford, 2015. This chapter was edited by Prof. Knud Jørgensen].
Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt have a diverse history with moments of great hardship and great prosperity. Among Muslims, Hugh Goddard identified three main attitudes toward Christianity in classical Islamic thought consisting of irenic, neutral and antagonistic views still central among segments of Egypt‟s population today. Among Egypt‟s Christians hardships and fortunes tend to be explained in terms of a spiritual battle between good and evil.
The following chapter provides a historical overview of Muslim-Christian relations in Egypt by Cornelis Hulsman and to this Ramez Atallah provides a first-hand account of the fortunes and pressures facing Egyp's Christian population following the January 25, 2011 revolution.
