A PROFESSOR OF ORTHOPEDIC surgery at Loyola University in Chicago and international expert in his field, Kamal Ibrahim is a frequent visitor to Egypt and lobbyist for both better treatment of Christians in Egypt and improved Egyptian-American relations.

A member of the board of the US Copts Association, Ibrahim spearheaded the drive to raise $1 million to endow a chair in Coptic studies at AUC.

Each year, he holds charity clinics in Cairo to treat patients regardless of their religion. Recently, he took a break from his post-graduate studies in international affairs at Tufts University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy to lead a multi-faith team of specialists to treat Palestinian refugees.

I do not claim to speak on behalf of the Coptic diaspora, but I believe, after having lived in North America for more than 30 years, that I have a good understanding of their beliefs, their vision, and their future. I can thus envision the state of the Coptic diaspora in 25 years.

Christian Egyptians emigrated for different reasons: some to seek a better future and career, others looking for the opportunities they believed they would not have had in Egypt given the climate of religious discrimination. Another group left because they faced specific and personal incidents of discrimination.

This last group continued for a long time to feel the pain of their personal experiences, which affected their relationship with and their view of Egypt. Their approach was confrontational and aggressive in dealing with the Egyptian government. This kind of approach will not be as strong in the coming years. With the rise of the moderate Copts in the diaspora and with the maturation of the next generation of Copts, aggressive tactics will disappear very soon.

They will be replaced, as is the case already with many organizations including the US Copts Association, with an open dialogue with the Egyptian government. The struggle will shift toward legal means through governmental systems as well as international organizations.

I can see channels opening in the coming years between the Copts and moderate Muslims in Egypt, as well as in immigrant countries, to work together to influence the system in Egypt, to seriously address issues of discrimination.

Coptic immigrants are different from other immigrants in that most of them are highly educated professionals. The majority succeeded in their adoptive countries and achieved remarkable careers. They became involved in the political process of their adopted countries. Many in the US, for example, have access to members of the House and the Senate, as well as strong ties with the executive branch. I believe this involvement will significantly increase in the coming years.

The next generation of Copts, who were born or grew up in the countries to which their parents migrated, will carry on the middle-class Egyptian-Christian traditions of hard work, higher education and successful careers. In turn, this generation will be influential with their further participation in the political process.

At the same time, they are being raised to love and preserve their Egyptian heritage. They will continue to build bridges with Egypt and carry on the dialogue for equality.

Finally, the Coptic Church in the diaspora will mature and will continue to grow. It will maintain its ties with the mother church in Egypt, but will have more independence in dealing with its own specific issues.  et