fatimid al-hakim and dhimmi copts: conversion to islam and apostasy the

the phenomenon of conversion to islam in the territories conquered by the muslim arabs, is one of the ambiguous and controversial topics in the studies of islamic history. major part of the social transformation of copts in islamic egypt returns to their conversion from christianity to islam. gradual changing of the majority to a minority group under muslim rule was a complex process, because muslims not with expulsion of the copts but with their conversion to islam were to become the majority in this country. the fatimid al-hakim era, saw the conversion of a large number of coptic christians to islam. coptic conversion, in this period, in the political, social and religious pressures and constraints, were imposed by the caliph on the coptic community. however, the process was not complete because, after the forced conversion was removed many of the converts returned to their past religion,ie christianity