An (im)possible reconciliation: Copts, Gihadis and everyday peacebuilding in Provincial Egypt

This article explores everyday peacebuilding through the lens of an unlikely relationship between Coptic Christians and Gihadis (militant Islamists) in Provincial Egypt. Set amidst the tumult of 2011 Arab Spring, and based on over four years of ethnographic fieldwork, this article illuminates local forms of revolutionary politics, conflict and interfaith dialogue. First, the article surveys histories of interaction between Gihadi groups and Copts in Egypt. The second section examines the apparent political interests and calculations which brought Coptic and Gihadi leaders together for a June 2011 conference. It argues that, despite unfolding in a context of intense state-level instability, intrigue and uncertainty, Coptic and Gihadi leaders’ reflexive engagement resulted in meaningful and concrete relationships at the local level. This conclusion, in turn, speaks to how episodic, ‘non-eventful’ forms of local peacebuilding can still unfold amidst, and in relation to, more influential flows of top-down politics and power.