Who Am I?
The 2010 census has started and a letter went out from the 3 bishops of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States asking all members of the church to enter their race as Coptic. Some people disagreed with the idea and started a petition asking that we should enter our race as White or Caucasian. This got me thinking, who am I?
Some people believe that since Egypt is part of Africa, that we are African American. I think a lot of people used this to their advantage when there was affirmative action order to take advantage of the situation. If I stand in a group of African Americans, I will not blend in or be mistaken for a fellow African American.
Another possibility is to consider myself to be White, Caucasian, or Anglo Saxon. Some people consider anyone from North Africa to be in this broad category. When I look at myself in the mirror, I don't see a white person staring back at me. I don't consider myself to be anything remotely related to white.
Why not just call yourself an Egyptian? Well, there is a problem with that too. Egyptian doesn't really refer to my ancestry. Egypt, at this present time, is primarily an Arab country. Just because Arabs control the country doesn't mean that I am one of them. That's like telling a Native American that they are white because white people came and conquered their country. My last name means "The Egyptian" and I don't think that name got to me because I am descendant of an Arab that took over Egypt. I have that name because I descended from the original inhabitants of Egypt that later converted to Christianity and are now known by the name Copts. Egyptian has a connotation of being Arab and Islamic. I am neither of those things. I am a Christian Egyptian and the word that best describes who I am is Coptic.
Now you might be asking, why does this matter? The Census requests that you choose a race. Since the United States consists of pretty much every race on the planet, this is useful information. Let's say for example that the US government after the census now knows that there are 10 million Copts living in the United States. (10 million is just a made up number that I chose for this example) Now let's say that something happens in Egypt and 7 Copts are gunned down after the Nativity Liturgy. Normally, the US government wouldn't give a crap about any human rights violations toward Copts in Egypt. But if they knew that there was a fairly significant Coptic population in the US, they might take some action.
Another problem that I have is the idea of coming out and saying that the 3 leaders of the Coptic church in the US are wrong by creating a petition. These men didn't get to be leaders of the church by chance. They were chosen by God and should be granted some level of respect. By coming out and saying that they are wrong, a line is crossed.
Some people believe that since Egypt is part of Africa, that we are African American. I think a lot of people used this to their advantage when there was affirmative action order to take advantage of the situation. If I stand in a group of African Americans, I will not blend in or be mistaken for a fellow African American.
Another possibility is to consider myself to be White, Caucasian, or Anglo Saxon. Some people consider anyone from North Africa to be in this broad category. When I look at myself in the mirror, I don't see a white person staring back at me. I don't consider myself to be anything remotely related to white.
Why not just call yourself an Egyptian? Well, there is a problem with that too. Egyptian doesn't really refer to my ancestry. Egypt, at this present time, is primarily an Arab country. Just because Arabs control the country doesn't mean that I am one of them. That's like telling a Native American that they are white because white people came and conquered their country. My last name means "The Egyptian" and I don't think that name got to me because I am descendant of an Arab that took over Egypt. I have that name because I descended from the original inhabitants of Egypt that later converted to Christianity and are now known by the name Copts. Egyptian has a connotation of being Arab and Islamic. I am neither of those things. I am a Christian Egyptian and the word that best describes who I am is Coptic.
Now you might be asking, why does this matter? The Census requests that you choose a race. Since the United States consists of pretty much every race on the planet, this is useful information. Let's say for example that the US government after the census now knows that there are 10 million Copts living in the United States. (10 million is just a made up number that I chose for this example) Now let's say that something happens in Egypt and 7 Copts are gunned down after the Nativity Liturgy. Normally, the US government wouldn't give a crap about any human rights violations toward Copts in Egypt. But if they knew that there was a fairly significant Coptic population in the US, they might take some action.
Another problem that I have is the idea of coming out and saying that the 3 leaders of the Coptic church in the US are wrong by creating a petition. These men didn't get to be leaders of the church by chance. They were chosen by God and should be granted some level of respect. By coming out and saying that they are wrong, a line is crossed.
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