About Us
The Australian Coptic Movement Association Ltd (ACM) is an Australian Public Company Limited by Guarantee. The ACM is a registered not for profit, tax deductible organisation.
The ACM was founded in January 2010 in response to the Nag Hammadi Massacre which saw three religious extremists attack a Coptic Orthodox Church and its congregation as they were exiting the Church on completion of Christmas Mass celebrating Orthodox Christmas. Despite the fact that attacks, persecution and discrimination have been all too common against Egypt’s Coptic minority in the last 1,400 years, Nag Hammadi was the last straw for a group of mainly young, savvy and passionate youth whom decided to stand against the injustices of their parents native homeland of Egypt.
The Australian Coptic Movement Association focuses on 2 key areas:
1. International Human Rights Advocacy
The ACM’s foundations lay in seeking justice for the Copts whom have been persecuted in their native homeland of Egypt. This persecution has existed for more than 1,400 years however it has only been since the 1952 Revolution that a real grasp of the situation has been most evident. From the confiscation of Coptic owned property by Nasser, the rise of extremism under Sadat and the inability to enforce justice under Mubarrak has seen events just as the El-Kosheh Massacre, Nag Hammadi Massacre, Alexandria Church Bombings and the multitude of documented accounts and reports of kidnappings, rapes, murders, discrimination and persecution by extremists factions in society, the legal system and certain institutions.
More recently, the January 25th Revolution has seen an Islamist leaning President take the reigns with absolutely no ability to enforce law and instead, turning a blind eye on the significant rise of attacks against the nations minorities. In addition, the Copts stand by their fellow Egyptian counterparts in demanding the Government implements a constitution representative of all beliefs and values in the nation and to immediately instill democratic values.
2. Local Community Development – ‘The Coptic Identity’
Due to the rise of militant extremism during the 1970′s and 1980′s, many Copts fled their native homeland of Egypt in search of a better life in developed nations around the world. The Coptic Diaspora in Australia now numbers between 80,000 – 100,000 people of Coptic decent. In amidst the chaos of their native homeland, Australian Copts now made numerous positive contributions to Australian society. Our Christian upbringing, strong belief in fundamental social values such as family, work and country and our respectful nature have allowed us to positively assimilate into Australian society.
In order to ensure that the community in Australia is represented and that their voices are always heard, the ACM in conjunction with many other NGOs, Businesses, Community Groups and the Coptic Orthodox Church Diocese will aim to promote a range of programs, initiatives and infrastructure to assist and celebrate our community and its role in Australia.
It is because of these beliefs and themes that we are representative of the community in Australia and we share their dreams, their concerns and their ambitions.
Please note: The Australian Coptic Movement Association is not affiliated with The Australian Coptic Association.
