Part I. The story: 6. Fighting the Good Fight

Fighting the Good Fight

God’s Athletes in the desert waged an incessant war in the realm of the spirit ; they travailed mightily in prayer for the world. Meantime, their brothers who lived in the cities and the villages were striving daily keep the Torch of Faith aflame. From the Arab Conquest to the coming of Mohammad ‘Ali to power, twelve dynasties succeeded one another in ruling the Nile Valley. Naturally, each ruler had his personal method of holding the reigns, yet some dynasties are known to have been benevolent on the whole such as the Ayyubids whose greatest figure is Salah ed-Din (Saladin). Other dynasties ruled ruthlessly such as the Turks. In between, there were those during whose time benevolence alternated such as the Omayyads. Throughout the changes of dynasties, during wars famines and pestilences, or in the short lulls of peace, the Copts were convinced that they must face “the music”, be it harmonious or discordant. It must be added that the Crusaders were fierce and cruel to Muslims and Copts alike. Also, during the French expedition and the British occupation, all the Egyptians were sorely pressed, and we can feasibly state that the Copts were more so. True, there were the renegades who through fear or lust for power forgot their Saviour. Yet, if their majority had not tenaciously upheld their Faith through thick and thin, the Church would have ceased to be.