In the case of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Christians, the application of the minority label, especially by outside actors, is viewed as undermining. Labelling Copts a minority is not only resisted as running counter to Coptic discourses of identity but also by Egyptians in general as a threat to national unity (al-wahda al-wataniya). At the same time Christians are often targets for violence and suffer from weak representation in the political system. How to manage Coptic inclusion in conceptions of Egyptian national identity while securing Christians and Christian spaces is a dilemma that has evolved but persisted. Indeed, in the aftermath of Egypt’s January 25th uprising there has been an increase in violent attacks on Copts. As a result of the uptick of violence stemming from the rise of IS, Coptic church leaders in the diaspora have begun to tap into a broader discourse of genocide against Middle Eastern Christians. This has enabled them to bypass the dilemma over minority language while at the same time providing a framework with which to discuss and raise awareness of the violence against Copts in Egypt to an international audience.