In the wake of the so-called “Arab Spring,” the Copts and the Christians of the Middle East have lost the most. For Christians, the revolutionary uprisings became a nightmare due to the emergence of Islamist forces hostile to democracy. From the outset, the late Pope Shenouda III believed that the Egyptian January 25, 2011 revolution was an Islamist revolution, and for that reason, he cautioned the Copts against participating in the protests. The civil Coptic forces did not listen to his call, however, and participated in the revolution nonetheless. From January 25, 2011 until the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak on February 18, 2011, Tahrir Square was an example of national unity, but the situation changed immediately afterwards with the emergence of Islamist forces that had been hiding behind the democratic and revolutionary slogans.