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Africa: North
Christian Fish, Muslims Shark Swimming Through Cairo Traffic in War of Stickers
2003-12-02
Tip o’ the hat to the Volokh Conspiracy.
First came the fish bumper stickers, imported from the United States and pasted on cars by members of Egypt’s Coptic minority as a symbol of their Christianity. Before long, some Muslims responded with their own bumper stickers: fish-hungry sharks.
Of course they did!
It’s not exactly war at sea, but the competing symbols that have cropped up on Cairo streets are a tiny reminder of the tensions between Egypt’s Copts and majority Muslims. Some Christians are annoyed at the Muslim response.
But be careful in how you say you’re annoyed.
"All I wanted to say is that I am a Christian, kind of expressing my Coptic identity," said 25-year-old Miriam Greiss, who has a fish sticker on her car. "I think choosing a shark doesn’t make sense, as if someone is saying, ’I am a violent, bloody creature, look at me.’"
Which means it made perfect sense.
Emad, a Muslim, laughed when asked about the competing symbols but was unapologetic about the two shark stickers on his car. "The Christians had the fish so we responded with the shark. If they want to portray themselves as weak fishes, OK. We are the strongest," said Emad, who would give only his first name.
Because he’s such a strong, confident lad, you know.
Sociologist and rights activist Saad Eddin Ibrahim, a Muslim who has studied discrimination against Copts, called the sticker symbols "superstitions" but said that in Egypt’s climate of religious fundamentalism, people with bad intentions could use them to ignite tensions between Muslims and Christians. "There are people who want to make use of the decay we live in," he said.
But enough about the al-Ghamdis!
Relations are generally calm between Copts, an estimated 10 percent of Egypt’s more than 70 million people, and the Muslims who make up virtually all the rest. But tensions do occasionally erupt into violence, and Copts complain of job discrimination and being shut out of a share of political power.
Other than that things are generally calm, yep yep.
The complaints, though, are spoken softly. Copts - who trace their history to St. Mark’s bringing Christianity to Egypt soon after the death of Christ - didn’t survive Roman persecution and Arab conquest by being overly assertive.
Who told you that? Alexandria used be be noted for the length, duration, and violence of its riots.
Copts often wear gold cross pendants or have tiny bullseyes crosses tattooed on the inside of their wrists, but the stickers seem a more public step. Karl Innemee, a specialist in Coptic studies at the American University in Cairo, said the arrival of the fish could reflect a new desire by Egyptian Christians "to express a death wish themselves openly." Still, the Coptic businessman who began importing the fish stickers two years ago refused to give his name when contacted by The Associated Press at the Maria Group - the company name on the stickers. He said discussing religion could be asking for really big trouble.
That's because it's the Islamists who picked up the tradition of rioting in the streets against the dhimmis...
The fish stickers are sold in churches or Christian bookstores for about 8 cents. The Maria Group owner said sales of the fish, which come plain or with mustard sauce the word "Jesus" inside, have picked up in recent months - soon after the shark stickers first appeared in August. Muslims apparently copied or adopted the symbol of an Egyptian sporting goods company to create their shark symbol. The stickers are sold in Islamic bookshops and also come plain or shriveled fancy - some with the Arabic phrase "No god but Allah" printed in the shark’s body.
"... and no religion but Islam. Or else."
While the fish stickers came from America, the symbol has roots in Egypt. In their earliest days, Copts used the fish - perhaps the emblem is from the biblical story of the loaves and fishes - as a way to identify themselves to each other without letting their Roman rulers know.
And the Romans never figured it out. Shrewd, those early Christians.
Brilliant, those later Romans. That's what happened to the Empire, y'know. The Vandals and Visigoths showed up and somebody hollered, "Whoa! Over there! Is that Elvis?" All the Romans looked, and the barbarians stole the Empire away while their backs were turned. Some of the Romans even asked for an autograph.
Medhat Mahrous, a Coptic scholar, noted that the Coptic church still uses the fish symbol today on altar curtains and religious objects. The fish vs. sharks on Cairo streets are reminiscent of how proponents of the theory of evolution responded to fish stickers in the United States with depictions of fish with tiny legs, sometimes with the word "evolve" or the name "Darwin" printed inside the fish.
Except the Darwinists don’t help things along by exploding bombs and shooting people up. Other than that it’s exactly the same!
Posted by:Steve White

#19  #10 I've always wondered where the use of the fish as a symbol for the early Christians came from.

As you said, the loaves and fishes is one. Another is that the fish, as commonly drawn, resembles the lower-case alpha, referring to "the Alpha and the Omega".

Actually I think the 'fish' came from the command to be 'A fisher of men' when Jesus called Peter (who was a fisher of fish at the time).
Posted by: CrazyFool   2003-12-3 12:25:17 AM  

#18  What if some of the Egyptians started putting a stuffed Garfield doll attached by suction cups inside their rear window?

Then we could print up some yellow triangles with the arabic for "Baby Onboard" .... zzzzzzz
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-12-2 5:49:20 PM  

#17  A depiction of the female genitals.

Damn, now I'll NEVER get that smell out! *rimshot*
Posted by: pleasetrytheveal   2003-12-2 5:45:11 PM  

#16  Turn the fish symbol 90 degrees so the tail is directly down. Look at it a little while and try to figure out what it looks like. Yup, you got it. A depiction of the female genitals. Taken from the old goddess fertility cults. Bet the born agains wouldn't be happy with that interpretation, but it's as good as any
Posted by: Slumming   2003-12-2 5:06:38 PM  

#15  Fish = ICTHYS
Iesous Christos THeou Yios Sotir
Jesus Christ, God's Son, Saviour

"Christos" (Christ) by itself means "Annointed One" - the Messiah.
Posted by: Aris Katsaris   2003-12-2 1:20:46 PM  

#14  #11 I always heard that the phrase that spelled icthyos was "Jesus Christ Son of God Savior"
Posted by: Chris Smith   2003-12-2 12:58:11 PM  

#13  What the Copts need is to modify their fish design to represent a Lionfish - common in Red Sea waters, and extremely deadly, even to a shark. THEN I'm sure we'd see some true craziness erupt from the Muslim side...
Posted by: Old Patriot   2003-12-2 12:48:55 PM  

#12  Finally come across one that doesn't work for an SUV.
Posted by: .com   2003-12-2 12:45:56 PM  

#11  I'm pretty shaky on Greek, but I thought the letters (not the Alpha Omega ones) spelled "Icthyos" for fish.

And I think Jesus Fish is a great name for a band.
Posted by: BH   2003-12-2 12:39:26 PM  

#10  I've always wondered where the use of the fish as a symbol for the early Christians came from.

As you said, the loaves and fishes is one. Another is that the fish, as commonly drawn, resembles the lower-case alpha, referring to "the Alpha and the Omega".
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2003-12-2 12:36:08 PM  

#9  Greek - "Christos"...
Posted by: mojo   2003-12-2 12:25:14 PM  

#8  I've always wondered where the use of the fish as a symbol for the early Christians came from. The miracale of the loaves and the fishes is one good choice. Another is the fact that the period of the the birth of the church is also the start of the Age of Pisces.
Posted by: Cheddarhead   2003-12-2 12:09:05 PM  

#7  I wanna get one with a lizardman holding a harpoon labeled "LGF".
Posted by: BH   2003-12-2 10:36:58 AM  

#6  i like the witty rivalry here in the states.

Christians have the fish.
Darwinists have the Amphibians with the word darwin.
Some witty christians reply with a big fish labeled truth eating the amphibian labeled darwin.
And the Jews respond with a fish labeled "gefilte" (yup, i wanna get one)
Posted by: liberalhawk   2003-12-2 10:14:40 AM  

#5  If you're Muslim and your stupid little martyr-ass is shredded/incinerated by an A-10 Warthog, are you forbidden going to heaven? Sounds like psy-ops time
Posted by: Frank G   2003-12-2 8:38:08 AM  

#4  If the Coptics are fish and the slick guys are sharks then let the US be the Jets.

Naw its... Fish---Shark---SeaWolf
Posted by: Shipman   2003-12-2 7:34:58 AM  

#3  It might be better if the Coptic community continues to keep a low profile until the war on terror i done.
Posted by: Super Hose   2003-12-2 4:47:20 AM  

#2  How about head-scarf vs. pig-skin cap/scarf with miss piggy printed in new moon in US streets?
Posted by: SK   2003-12-2 4:08:40 AM  

#1  If the Coptics are fish and the slick guys are sharks then let the US be the Jets.
Posted by: Lucky   2003-12-2 1:20:35 AM  

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