I have spoken in several articles before about the shameful position of some of our religious leaders in relation to our Coptic language: one can’t see any one yet who is willing to do something for the Coptic language to revert the process that started in the Middle Ages by using Arabic instead of Coptic even in the altar and our various sacred space
The above photo shows a saying by Saint Antonios (Anthony), written in Arabic, and posted at the Red Sea mountains where St. Antonios lived and practised his asceticism, prayed and read the Gospels and Psalms in Coptic, gave his sermons in Coptic, and fought the Devil, one would imagine, in Coptic too. The quote of Saint Antonios stands there looking very odd – it is at odd with all the sacred background of the place, which was stamped with Coptic by thousands of saints worshiping the Christ in Coptic. It demonstrates that Coptic religious leaders have submitted completely to Arabic: there is no attempt to write the Saint’s saying in Coptic (at least the saint uttered his wise words in Coptic) beside the Arabic: it’s all in Arabic and Arabic only. It seems that there is no national or cultural consciousness or responsibility.
Of course there is nothing wrong with Arabic save it was the language of those who occupied our land, oppressed and persecuted us. How can we not take it as our language?!
Our responses to the challenges that face our nation continue to be wrong.
We are not saying stop using Arabic all together for Copts speak it now – all we are saying is to have some healthy pride in your language; to be responsible and try to spread its knowledge; and to make an effort to use it first, particularly in sacred places.
