Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/312

 260

THE BRITISH EMPIRE

-EGYPT

Religion and Instrnction.

In 1917 the population consisted of 11,658,148 Moslems; 854,773 Orthodox; 59,581 Jews. Christians: 47,481 Protestants; 107,687 Roman Catholics; 14,416 other Christians ; 8,827 others. Thus Moslems formed 91'43 per cent, of the population; Christians, 8 '03 per cent.; Jews, 0'47 per cent. ; others, 0*07 per cent. The principal seat of Koranic learning is the Mosque and University of El-Azhar at Cairo, founded year 361 of the Hegira, 972 of the Christian era. In 1914 it had 405 professors and 9,749 students of Islam and subjects connected therewith. The Mosque of El-Ahmadi at Tanta had 113 professors and 2,860 students at the end of 1914. The Mosque of Damietta had in the same year 16 professors and 411 students, that of Dessdqi (Tanta), 16 professors and 280 students, and the Meshiakhat Olama of Alexandria 75 professors and 1,854 students. All these institutions are under the supervision of the Council of the University of El-Azhar.

There are in Egypt large numbers of native Christians connected with the various Oriental churches ; of these, the largest and most influential are the Copts, the descendants of the ancient Egyptians ; their creed is Orthodox (Jacobite), and was adopted in the first century of the Christian era. Its head is the Patriarch of Alexandria as the successor of St. Mark. There are three metropolitans and twelve bishops in Egypt, one metropolitan and two bishops in Abyssinia, and one bishop for Khartum ; there are also arch-priests, priests, deacons, and monks. Priests must be married before ordination, but celibacy is imposed on monks and high dignitaries. The Copts use the Diocletian (or Martyrs') calendar, which differs by 284 years from the Gregorian calendar.

The following table shows the proportion of illiterates in the various religious communities (1917 census) : —

Religion

Population

Number illiterate per

1000 *

Males

Females

937 |

920

556

642

955

Total

Moslems Orthodox Christians Jews.

11,(558,148

854,778

155,168

59,581

23,243

901 739 505 482 912

919 830 531 562

Others

934

Total

12,750,918

888

982

933

1 Provisional figures.

Subject to certain adjustments for purposes of comparison, it appears tk; the proportion of the native Egyptian population able to read and write in 19] ! as compared with the returns of the previous census in 1907,' was as follows :-

1907

1

1917

Mules

Females

Males

Females

85 per 1000

3 per 1000

120 per 1000

I

18 per 1000

Until 1897, Government initiative in the matter of education was limiteil to supplying a Europeanised course of education designed to fit Egyptians for various branches of the public service and for professional careers. This system of schools, which owes its origin to the Europeanising zeal of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the first viceroy, consists of Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, and Professional Colleges (Law, Medicine, Engineering, Veterinary, Military, Teaching, Accountancy and Commerce, and Agriculture), in addition to a number of special schools.