Beyond entrenched discrimination, the Arabic-language novel explores what the author says is the victimization of Egypt’s Christians by a “politically engineered harmony” between the state and their own church, seeking to control their lives. “Ways of the Lord” is a rare example of an Egyptian work of fiction whose primary characters are Christian. The novel opens the world of Copts to both Copts and Muslims.”The novel, the author’s first, takes on added relevance because the Coptic Church leadership has adhered closer than ever to the government. The novel tells the story of a young Christian man in Cairo, Sherif, who has abandoned the church. He tells of his family’s past rebellions, like a grandfather who left the Coptic Church because the priest would not baptize his newborn child before her death.

Source: Egypt Independent December 13, 2018 10:57 UTC