Samīr Marqus begins by quoting the celebrated Egyptian writer Najīb Maḥfūẓ from one of his major works:

"The problem of the Copts is that of the people. If they are persecuted, so are we; if they are liberated, so are we."

Marqus says this means "there will be no salvation for the Copts in isolation from the mass of Egyptians," saying that if such a thing were to occur, "then the Copts would have achieved privileges, not rights."

Marqus says that it is important to think of the issue as a Coptic "matter" and not a Coptic "question," since the latter description bears colonialist connotations.

Coptic affairs should be dealt with from the standpoint that Copts are citizens who are part of the Egyptian social fabric and not as a religious minority with political demands, which would amount to "minoritization" of the Copts.