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This article aims to analyse the political and social services of non-Muslims during the Fatimid dynasty (909-1171 A.D.) and their impact. This era has a significant position in Muslim history regarding the development and stability in various fields including knowledge, thought, civilization and industry. The socio-political conditions of the Fatimids were so inclusive and harmonious, that not only there were opportunities of progress for the Muslims but also an encouraging environment was present for the non-Muslims as well. Although, the majority of Egypt's population was Muslim during this period, there were also Christians, Jews and the followers of other religions too. The Fatimid caliphs fully protected the rights of the followers of different religions, paid attention to the construction and repair of their places of worship and gave them freedom of expression. As a result of this practice regarding religious harmony, non-Muslims rendered valuable services in politics, finance, commerce, and academic fields. In this regard, many historians, including Yaqub Bin Yusuf, Isa Bin Nestorius, Abu Saad al-Tustari, Fahad Bin Ibrahim, Mansha Bin Ibrahim al-Qazzaz, Abu Saad and Abu Mansoor have highlighted the contributions of the non-Muslims. However, the roles of such non-Muslim ministers and advisors have been controversial and various serious allegations have been leveled against them, which need to be investigated. In this background, analyzing the political and social services of non-Muslims and their effects in the Fatimid period is an important issue in academic circles. This research article has been presented to fulfil this academic need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In June 2008, the 1938 Personal Status Regulations for the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt were amended to limit the grounds for divorce to adultery and change of religion. This revision followed a ruling of the State Council requiring Pope Shenouda III, the head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, to grant a divorced Orthodox Copt a license to remarry. The amendments ended a long-standing conflict between the Egyptian national courts and the Coptic Orthodox Church regarding the effects of judicial divorce: prior to the revision, thousands of couples divorced before the courts were considered by the Church to be still married. However, by restricting the possibilities for Orthodox Copts to obtain a divorce, the 2008 amendments may lead to an increase in conversions to other religious faiths to escape application of the revised 1938 regulations. In this essay, I analyze the 2008 amendments, the State Council ruling, landmark decisions of the Court of Cassation, comments by legal scholars and articles in newspapers, in an effort to assess the current status of divorce and remarriage among Orthodox Copts in Egypt and the problems generated by the application of conflicts rules between non-Muslim personal status laws in case of inter-religious marriages. At the end of the essay, I mention developments that took place in June 2010 after the release of a new ruling by the State Council. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]