Egypt: Ministry of Interior Tries to Explain Delays

Cairo's Al-Badeel Newspaper (7 June 2008 edition)

Egypt's National Council for Human Rights held a round-table discussion on 6 June 2008 to examine various pressing human rights violations in Egypt. Among which was the case of the Baha'is and the lack of progress in issuing identity documents. Several prominent activists and government representatives participated in this session.

One of the participants, General Ali Abdel-Mawla, first assistant to the Minister of Interior, stated that "the Ministry wants to implement the ruling of the administrative court [granting the Baha'is the right to obtain ID cards], but the challenge filed by the Islamists prevents [the Ministry] from doing so." He further affirmed that "in case these challenges were turned down [by the court], the Ministry will expeditiously implement the administrative court ruling."
N.B. These statements were made a day before the most recent court hearing that addressed the procedural challenge by the Islamists. The Ministry of Interior's lawyers asked for a postponement in order to prepare their memorandum supporting the Baha'is. The court postponed the case until 1 November 2008.

So, it is clear, according to these statements, that the Ministry of Interior has no hesitation in applying the court ruling in favor of the Baha'is. It should be also understood that the fact a challenge was filed by a third party--who was not even a party to the lawsuit--should not prevent the Ministry from implementing the ruling. A further delay (until 1 November 2008) can only lead to further extreme hardships for the Baha'is of Egypt.

Another important point is that this challenge was not an "appeal" of the ruling itself, but rather a challenge to the judge's competency--a strategy that has been frequently used by this particular Islamist extremist lawyer (Hamed Saddiq) to obstruct many other--irrelevant--cases.

My questions to General Ali Abdel-Mawla are: if the court upholds the Islamists' challenge on the first of November, what would the Ministry do then? Would it ask for another postponement? Would it sue the Islamist challenger? Would it not implement the ruling? Would it implement the ruling?

The real issue here is: what are the true motives of the Ministry of Interior? Supposing that the motives are sincere and intended to solve this crisis, then the Ministry should do so without any further delays.

Allowing such illegitimate procedural challenges--whose malicious intentions are very clear--to interfere with the due process of the law can only lead to anarchy. The Ministry knows what is needed to be done; using these frivolous challenges as an excuse to explain such unrealistic delays cannot be justified.

Egypt's Interior Ministry Decides on "Dashes" for Baha'i IDs

In its 2 April 2008 edition, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported that the Ministry of Interior has just decided that the only option that will be given to the Baha'is of Egypt is to insert dashes "--" instead of leaving the religion field blank or writing "other" on ID cards.

The Ministry clarified that "leaving the religion field blank might open the door to inappropriate manipulation of official documents."

This decision was expected since the Ministry has been considering its options on what choice it would make following Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice ruling on 29 January 2008 to allow the Baha'is obtain ID cards and birth certificates.

The court permitted three options for registering their religious affiliation. These options were: 1) "other," 2) dashes "--" or 3) to leave the field blank. As to which choice would eventually be used, the court had left the final decision for the Ministry of Interior to make.

This announcement is an indication that progress is being made by the Ministry in its efforts to proceed expeditiously with granting the Baha'is of Egypt their identity documents and birth certificates.

In a related case involving Egyptians who have returned to Christianity after having been declared Muslims at some point in their lives, the Ministry has decided to enter "formerly declared Muslim" on their ID cards that will be issued stating that they are currently "Christian."

Egypt's Ministry of Interior Will Not Appeal Ruling on Baha'is

Egypt's Ministry of Interior has announced, through its sources, that it will not appeal the 29 January 2008 administrative court ruling that allowed the Baha'is of Egypt the issue of ID cards and birth certificates.

Based on its interview with sources in the Ministry of Interior, an article in Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper revealed the news today. It states that the Ministry has approved the ruling and decided not to appeal even though the law permits it to do so.

Its opportunity for appeal had already lapsed since, under Egyptian law, the defendant is entitled a period of two months to file an appeal. The Ministry had elected not to do so based on its assessment of the merits of the case and that the ruling has provided the government with a reasonable option to solve this complex matter.

The Ministry will issue ID cards without religious identification indicated, or with "--" in the religion field. The Ministry affirmed that "this does not imply that it recognizes the Baha'i religion."

At this point, the responsible government agency will start issuing ID cards to those whom the ruling applies to. It did not research yet the possibility of granting ID cards to others who request no mention of religion in their documents.

The same article reported also on the issue of religious identification on official documents required for high school graduation exams. The Ministry of Education source stated that the students will be given the choice to be either examined on Christianity or Islam. The question of what the students will be allowed to enter--as religion--in the application forms remains to be resolved.

Egypt's Ministry of Education Allows Baha'i Student into Exams

As the Baha'is of the world celebrate today the end of their yearly "fast" and the advent of their new year, the case of Kholoud, the young Egyptian student who was--because of belonging to the Baha'i religion--prevented from registering for her exams by the head of "Examination Control" in Cairo, captured the outrage of the Ministry of Education as well as the public opinion in Egypt.

As a result, Egypt's Ministry of Education overruled the administrator's decision and allowed Kholoud admission to the examination process for graduation from high school. Dr. Rida Abou Sareeyh, First Deputy Minister of Education, confirmed the right of Kholoud to admission to the examination. And that the initial decision to deprive Kholoud of her right to the exam had neither legal nor procedural basis.

Kholoud during a TV interview (Cairo)

Kholoud's colleagues in her school were also outraged by the decision of the "head of control" describing his behavior as "prejudiced." The entire student body was taken back by the way Kholoud was treated and they stated that she was wronged by that decision. They indicated that "no one has the right to interfere with another's religion." One of the students stated that they all knew that Kholoud is a Baha'i and that they all admire her, love her and respect her. They were indeed shocked by the way she was treated by this administrator.

The school's headmaster and teachers were also highly supportive of Kholoud's case and promised her father that they will ensure the prompt procession of her application and acceptance into the examination process.

This case garnered extensive media coverage, including a major television interview and newspaper coverage in Cairo's Al-Badeel and Egypt's semi-official Al-Ahram newspapers.

Officials in the Ministry of Education described the behavior of the administrator as "his own doing and not--in any way--in accordance with the policies of the Ministry." Based on the recent (29 January 2008) administrative court decision allowing the Baha'is of Egypt the right to obtain official documents, the Ministry of Education resolved the matter by asking Kholoud to fill-out another application form with dashes "--" entered in the religion field of the application.

On another front, since Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice decision to allow the Baha'is of Egypt to leave the religion field on official documents vacant, or to enter dashes "--" or "other" instead of identifying their religion, several Egyptian Baha'is attempted to obtain ID cards. In all cases, they were asked to return in ten days. When they returned as requested, they were told again to return in ten days! Thus far no Baha'is in Egypt have been issued ID cards since the court's verdict.

To this date, the Ministry of Interior has not shown any intention of appealing the administrative court's verdict to the Supreme Administrative Court of Egypt.

It is indeed refreshing to note that, unlike Iran's treatment of its Baha'i religious minority, Egypt is quite different--and one can be sure that it will remain so--not because of its sense of responsibility towards its citizens and towards the rest of the free world, but because of its basic nature as a civilized society that cannot overstep certain boundaries in human relations and decency.

Egypt: Television Coverage of Verdict Allowing Baha'is ID Cards

The following is some of the television news coverage on 29 January 2008 immediately after the announcement of the verdict by Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice which allowed the Baha'is to obtain birth certificates and ID cards without forcing them to enter one of the three recognized religions in Egypt (Islam, Christianity & Judaism).

With this verdict, as one can watch the judge explaining in the courtroom, the Baha'is cannot enter their religion either, but can leave that section of official documents vacant, enter a dash (-) or enter "other." Therefore Baha'is can obtain ID cards and other official documents without being forced to lie about their religious affiliation. Consequently, Baha'is in Egypt will be in a position to enjoy all their citizenship rights such as employment, health care and education.

Without ID cards, Egyptian citizens would face "civic death," thus the government has no options but to fulfill its obligations to its own citizens by allowing them to be identified.

The contemplated appeal by the Ministry of Interior would be entirely pointless and would not serve any purpose but to disrupt "public order" and to continue to isolate and disfranchise a group of law-abiding Egyptian citizens, to whom the Ministry has the obligation and the charge to protect. Before deciding on such ill-advised appeal, the Ministry of Interior must think first of what other options would it have to solve this complicated crisis.

First video: Cairo's Dream-2 Channel


Second Video: Cairo's Al-Muhawar Channel

While Al-Azhar Supports Egypt's Court Ruling on Baha'is, Ministry of Interior Contemplates Appeal!

In a statement published in today's (31 January 2008) edition of Cairo's Rose al-Yousef newspaper, Al-Azhar, represented by its Islamic Research Council, expressed its support of the 29 January court ruling that allowed the two Baha'i litigants to be issued birth certificates and ID cards with no religious classification entered in the required section of these documents.

The statement indicated that the members of the council affirmed that the Administrative Court ruling allowing these Baha'is to leave the religion section vacant or to enter the word "other" does not violate the prior decision of the Islamic Research Council in which it did not recognize the Baha'i Faith.

The article further explains, "Member of the Council, Dr. Muhammad El-Shahaat El-Gendy, clarified that the ruling is in agreement with the decision of the Islamic Research Council because the ruling did not recognize the Baha'i Faith as a congregation, a societal, political or religious entity."

On the other hand, the article also reports that Dr. Hamed Sad'diq, a professor in the National Centre for Research [?], has filed an argument with Cairo's Administrative Court requesting the annulment of the court's verdict based on his opinion that "the Baha'i Faith is not recognized in Egypt as one of the three divine religions." He then went on with the usual falsehood and arguments being propagated by Egypt's extremists regarding their views of the Baha'i Faith. It is neither clear who this person is nor whom, exactly, he speaks for!

Another article in today's edition of Al-Masry Al-Youm reported on the verdict and that it has been welcomed and hailed by Human Rights Watch, the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights and the Baha'i International Community. It also reported that "a responsible security source from Egypt's Ministry of Interior revealed that the Ministry's section on legal affairs is studying the ruling [just] issued by the Court of Administrative Justice in preparation for [the Ministry's] appeal before the Supreme Administrative Court."

ID Cards in Egypt: Yet Another Unusual Statement

Ministry of Interior Instructs Egyptian Citizens to Lie

Today, the Ministry of Interior blamed the Baha'is for the so-called "crisis of the religion section on ID cards" and denied that there is a problem documenting "official religions."

In Akhbar el-Youm newspaper, the deputy minister of interior Essam el-Deen Bahgat stated that 38 Million ID cards have been issued and 5 Million more are on their way. When he was asked about the matter raised by human rights organizations regarding the inability of some of the citizens to obtain ID cards because of the religion section, he responded by blaming the Baha'is for that crisis.

He affirmed that "there are no problems for anyone to obtain an ID card, and that the group which caused these difficulties are those calling themselves Baha'is. Their request to document their religion violates the Egyptian law which recognizes only three divine religions, namely Islam, Christianity and Judaism, and we stand by this based on clear court decisions."

When asked how this matter should be dealt with, he responded by stating "we will enter the religion of the father whether he was Christian or Muslim in the religion section for the Baha'i applicants. If he [she] refuses, then we will not issue an ID card, and he will have to deal with the consequences."

This appears to be the latest stand of the Ministry of Interior on the matter of the ID cards for the Egyptian Baha'i citizens. It clearly states that a Baha'i must either accept the denial of his or her religion and convert to one of the three recognized religions in Egypt, or live without an ID card and suffer the consequences.

Since the ministry stated that they will assign religions to people according to their fathers' religion, one would wonder how could this be applied to the majority of the Baha'is in Egypt who are a fourth or fifth generation Baha'is! How many generations are they intending to go back to?

Is this a responsible answer from a respected deputy minister of interior, to simply state convert or else?

Furthermore, how could they blame the Baha'is for creating this problem? The Baha'is have always been peaceful and law-abiding citizens who, all of a sudden, became confronted with laws depriving them of their citizenship rights. The Baha'is were not the ones who limited ID cards to only three religions with no other options. They did not create these new rules, nor did they request the recognition of their religion.

The Bahá’ís simply want to co-exist with their fellow citizens and continue to contribute to the advancement of the Egyptian society as they have always done.

The travesty of this new development is that Egypt's Ministry of Interior is instructing Egyptian citizens to lie on official documents on which, the application form clearly states that any false statements are punishable by imprisonment and large fines!

Official Egyptian Press Examines the Baha'i Case

The following is commentary on an extensive article authored by Ahmed Zaki Osman that appeared in Al-Qahera (a weekly published by Egypt’s Ministry of Culture) on Tuesday, 16 January 2007. Issue #353, p. 24. A pdf image of the article can be viewed at this link.

In the attached page that carries a fairly large picture of Abdu’l-Bahá (the son of Baha'u'llah, Founder of the Baha'i Faith), Al Qahira investigates the possible reasons behind the attack on Baha’is after the ruling of the first administrative court of 4 April 2006 that gave Baha’is the right to official documents required by the state for all transactions whether with various state departments or social institutions, banks, schools, universities etc…. The verdict was overturned by the Supreme Administrative Court, on 16 December 2006, to much jubilation from Islamist extremists both inside the court and in the papers, and to the amazement of Osman who points out in his article the confusion in self perceived roles on the part of members of parliament in particular.

The article is entitled: "Why was not the home of Islam big enough for all people, including the Baha'is...recognizing their rights to believe in whatever pleases their hearts?" In one of its subtitles the article points out that "Egypt's citizenship laws have never stated that adherence to divine religions should be a condition for citizenship."

Ahmed Zaki Osman, the author of the article, chooses as starting point what he calls the "geography" of the Baha’is' case. He quotes the famous geographer Gamal Hamdan who in his magnum opus "The Character of Egypt," has specified Egypt as the land most likely to manifest in all matters the rule of the 'golden means' and contrast, due to the rich variety of its demographic and historical heritage. Ahmed Zaki Osman carries this metaphor to its conclusion by highlighting the paradoxes in discourse that were rampant while the case for the Baha’is was being made public, albeit to underscore the underlying paradoxes rather than to demonstrate the positive aspect in Hamdan’s initial statement.

He scrutinizes the discourse of hegemony in a way that underscores what he suggests is a national ailment that he sees as fairly novel to the Egyptian scene, and arrives at the conclusion that Muslims are passing through an unprecedented phase of oppression, weakness and humiliation whereby it is difficult for the adherents of that faith to point to any achievement worth their while except in those societies where the preponderance of the population is not Muslim. He points to the fact that there are Muslim members of parliament in France, Britain, Germany and other countries and cites the fact that there is a Muslim woman judge in the United States; this however does not seem to impress Muslims at home with any message. They remain according to Ahmed Zaki Osman the victims of a monocular vision, unable to appreciate the invigorating elements in a healthy debate that rests on rational premises instead of vainglory and pride that derives its raison d’etre from an imagined threat in which all that is not Muslim is targeted for its own sake.

Ahmed Zaki Osman is not out to describe a persecution complex...far from it. What he is trying to do is to put in perspective the difference between handling a situation rationally or resorting to inflamed emotional rhetoric which is how he describes the responses that occurred from members of parliament who are otherwise noteworthy citizens. What he seems to be saying is that, in the absence of true democracy, frustration is taken out haphazardly without resort to either decency in dialogue or indeed an understanding of the roles designated by society to its judiciary, its executive and its representative bodies.

He describes a confusion of issues that allows members of parliament to draw their comments from their own personal leanings and feelings on a matter that falls within the realm of the courts and the institutions of justice and nothing else. To the extent that those members of parliament who raised the issue as intolerable, have addressed their request for questions in the house to the wrong minister! The minister they needed to address in order to voice a grievance such as their intention to deny a group of citizens the right to hold national ID cards with all what that implies, should have been the Minister for Interior and not the Minister of Religious Endowments!

This situation bespeaks, in the opinion of Osman, a degree of frustration and intolerance that stems both from annoyance with the political atmosphere as much as it is a manifestation of the confusion of issues that allow those politicians to play on the emotions of the public and to instigate their fears...though he does not accuse the parliamentarians who stand guard on Islamic pseudo issues--as was the case when the minister for culture made a denigrating remark (off the record) to a journalist about the veil, or when the Pope of the Vatican made his ill-advised references to history--of anything less than a misconception of their role in parliament.

The other reason Osman attributes the anger to is the lack of a mind educated to accept diversity and difference. He cites a famous dialogue between the Imam Muhammad Abdu and Sheikh Rashid Reda on the issue of the Baha’i faith. In the quotes he chooses, it is more than apparent that there was a steady and stable ground of enlightenment that ensured the rationality of the debate without either of the clerics condescending to haphazard accusations of the faith, its proponents or its leading figures. Indeed, Muhammad Abdu is quoted as saying of Abdu’l-Bahá that he is a very Great man. But then we must recall--says Othman--who the parties to that dialogue were, in a clear reference to their excellence, and thus the relative mediocrity of the current commentators and players.

Osman stresses what he calls "the geography of paradoxes" to indicate the clear schism between what a Nation thinks of itself, and what the reality of its discourse reveals. He describes the jubilations (Allah'u-Akbar!) that were loud in the court on the 16th of December, as an indication of a moral bankruptcy. As a matter of fact, he puts that scene under the subtitle: "The psychological defeat of the nation." He ends his article by posing a number of salient questions that all address the issue of the times when diversity is viewed as a threat and hopes that Egypt will overcome its current narcissistic, introvert outlook in order to regain its sense of dignity, rights for all its citizens whether poor or rich, Muslim or non Muslim, weak or strong.

To conclude, this writer challenges all the dogmas, delusions and illusions of the Islamist fundamentalist establishment which has triggered the government's appeal of the administrative court's ruling that had granted the Baha'is their rights. This challenge was introduced in the Egyptian parliamentary debate more than a month after the court's judgement and following several sessions during which the matter was never brought up. To make matters worse, these extremist individuals addressed the wrong minister regarding their issue. The article also points out the fact that the task of the parliament is not to police the judiciary and challenge court decisions, but rather act as a watch-dog to the executive branch of the government to ensure that the rights of individuals, whom they represent, are protected.

Furthermore, a secular member of the parliament, Dr. Zainab Radwan, a well known academician supported the recognition of the Baha'is, not because it is their right, but for a sinister reason--that is "to identify them so that the society can be protected from their influence"...not far removed from the Nuremberg Race Laws! Then, all of a sudden, the issue of "public order" was brought in, which in fact has absolutely nothing to do with this case, particularly when the disruption of public order, so rampant in the Egyptian society recently, has been caused by the exact same society elements which have been attacking the Baha'is....

Thus this whole matter which had emerged through the parliament, challenging a court decision that granted citizenship rights, has been illegal and out of jurisdiction all along. Even worse, the Supreme Administrative Court avoided the question at hand, and instead of ruling on the civil and personal status questions in front of it, resorted instead to take shots at the legitimacy of the Baha'i Faith!

Egypt: Baha'is Refuting Slander

An Egyptian newspaper entitled Al-Mesryoon (The Egyptians) published an article on 22 December 2006 in which it reports on impending legal action by Egyptian Islamist groups intended to strip the Egyptian Baha'is of their citizenship. The article appears to advertise their intention and it repeats the slanderous accusations used by the extremists in their case.

This post is intended to accomplish two objectives:

1) The article: expose the slander by reporting the accusations made by the Islamists and published in the article.
2) The Response: to refute these accusations by using quotes from the Baha'i sacred writings.

1) The Article

The newspaper article begins with a catching title stating "They refuse fasting Ramadan and pilgrimage to the Kaaba, and they permit exchanging wives: Islamist activists litigate the Ministry of Interior to force it to strip off Egyptian citizenship from Baha'is."

It continues by stating that the newspaper "has learned that a number of Islamist activists decided to file lawsuits against the Ministry of Interior to strip off the Egyptian citizenship from the so-called Baha'i congregation in Egypt. These activists--who belong to more than one Islamist group--within the next week will resort to the Administrative Judiciary to produce a verdict forcing the Ministry of interior to strip the Baha'is of their citizenship, confirming that [the Baha'is] have excluded themselves from the law and the official constitution of the land, and stating that Islam is the official religion of the State and that Shari'ah is the principal source of legislation. Additionally since the Egyptian constitution does not recognize but the three divine religions, proving that those calling themselves Baha'is have violated the constitution and the law."

"The lawsuit confirmed--a copy of which was acquired by Al-Mesryoon--that the Baha'is permit adultery in the general sense and the forbidden adultery in the specific sense, which is a cause resented by the righteous, additionally they destroy the fundamental Islamic cornerstones as they refuse to fast Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca like all Muslims do, but instead their pilgrimage is to Iran, and Haifa in occupied Palestine. Also, their prayer rituals are completely the opposite of Muslim prayers, as they shortened it to only three prayer sessions per day."

"The lawsuit also stated that the presence of 2,000 Baha'is in Egypt threatens the security of the country and points to spreading "fetnah" Sedition [sectarian strife], depravity and debauchery within the society, especially that they are the first to invent the decadent exchange of wives."

"It is also worth mentioning that the Ministry of Interior was successful in winning a legal verdict last week in the Supreme Administrative Court overruling the previous verdict which was given by the Administrative Court granting the Baha'is the right to enter their religion in identification cards and official documents. This verdict [by the supreme court] was regarded by a number of secular society organizations and human rights organizations as an assault on freedom of belief, and they announced that they will exercise all sorts of pressure on Egyptian authorities to recognize the rights of Baha'is, and that these affirmations were interpreted by the political circles that they indicate that these organizations will recruit the assistance of the American and Israeli embassies for that purpose."

2) The Response:

In refuting these slanderous allegations, it would be futile to descend to their level, or get engrossed in their mire. Instead, it will suffice to simply present only a couple of quotes from the vast ocean of Baha'i sacred writings that will clearly show the essence of the Baha'i Faith and its teachings regarding behavior, character and conduct. This will help elevate the standard by which such unfortunate and ill-advised attacks can be refuted.

"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility. We pray God to protect thee from the heat of jealousy and the cold of hatred. He verily is nigh, ready to answer." Thus hath My tongue spoken unto one of My Branches (sons), and We have mentioned it unto such of Our loved ones as have cast away their idle fancies, and clung unto that which hath been prescribed unto them in the day whereon the Daystar of Certitude hath shone forth above the horizon of the will of God, the Lord of the worlds. This is the day on which the Bird of Utterance hath warbled its melody upon the branches, in the name of its Lord, the God of Mercy. Blessed is the man that hath, on the wings of longing, soared towards God, the Lord of the Judgment Day.
(Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 93)

"...Apart from these provisions Bahá'u'lláh exhorts His followers to consort, with amity and concord and without discrimination, with the adherents of all religions; warns them to guard against fanaticism, sedition, pride, dispute and contention; inculcates upon them immaculate cleanliness, strict truthfulness, spotless chastity, trustworthiness; hospitality, fidelity, courtesy, forbearance, justice and fairness; counsels them to be "even as the fingers of one hand and the limbs of one body...."
(Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 214)

These accusations and slanderous assaults presented by the extremist Islamist groups and propagated by fringe segments of the Egyptian media have no basis in fact or in reality. They only serve one purpose: to betray the nature and intent of those who propagate them.

Egypt: No ID Card = You Are Fired!

Early Casualties: The Firing of Baha'is Without IDs Began

Among several articles regarding the recent court verdict concerning the Baha'is, published on 23 December 2006 in Egypt's Sawt al-Umma [Voice of the nation] newspaper, was this one regarding a young Egyptian man who was fired from his university teaching position simply because, as a Baha'i, he was unable to obtain the new national number ID Card.

Bassem Wagdy Nassif is a 24 year old physics junior faculty member recently hired by one of Cairo's universities. He graduated from Cairo's Ein-Shams University with honours and was one of the top three graduates of his class. He had a very promising career as a university professor of physics. He had just begun his academic career when he was hired by the German University in Cairo as a junior teacher of physics. When it was time for him to receive his first salary cheque, he was required by the university to open a bank account in order for his employer to deposit his salary installments.

When he went to the bank he was refused to open a bank account because the bank would only accept the new computerised national ID cards, and not the old paper ones which expire on 31 December 2006. His efforts to explain to the bank his inability to obtain the new ID card because of being a Baha'i fell on deaf ears.

As he was so disappointed, having been deprived of his first earned salary of which he was so proud, he approached his university employer in his attempts to find a solution to his problem. The university administration, considering his circumstances, finally agreed to hand him a cheque based on his old paper ID card.

A month later he was surprised with his sudden firing from the university based on the order of the Ministry of Higher Education under whose authority the university operates. Subsequently, this intelligent and promising young man found himself with no employment and of no use to a country that had already invested so much in educating him for the purpose of serving and advancing his society.

His only "fault" is that he was born into a Baha'i family. Children born into Baha'i families have the freedom to choose their religion by age 15, at that age after having been exposed to the teachings of the Baha'i Faith as well as other religions, these youth are supposed to be mature enough to make their choice of religious denomination they would want to adopt. As many other youth end up doing, this young man has decided to remain in the Baha'i Faith despite all the obstacles anticipated in his path by living in the Egyptian society.

This case represents a flagrant violation of human rights and all forms of decency. The reason given for his firing cannot be justified.

The facts are: He is a law abiding Egyptian citizen, he is highly educated, he is one of the brightest young minds in the Egyptian society, he holds the highest moral and ethical standards, he has not deviated a hair from any regulation, he was formally hired by a university who had known his religious affiliation, he was refused to acquire the new computerised ID Card because he would not lie about his religion on official documents. He was then fired as a result of the orders of the Ministry of Higher Education, a government agency parallel to another government agency who had refused him an ID Card, namely the Ministry of Interior.

There is no humanly possible justification for such an act, and this Ministry who claims to uphold the standards of learning and public education, has failed its citizens by acting in direct opposition to the standards of enlightenment it is charged with promoting.

This is a perfect example of how a misguided segment of society can fold on itself and an example of a civilization depriving itself of its own promising bright minds. With such acts, the ultimate loser will be Egypt!

Egypt: An Example of Objective Journalism

The following article is reprinted from Al-Ahram Weekly issue of 21-27 December 2006. Al-Ahram is the leading Egyptian newspaper with its Arabic version published daily and its English counterpart published weekly. The article is self explanatory and presents the Baha'i case very clearly.

Rendered faithless and stateless

The Supreme Administrative Court's ruling intensifies the fight for Baha'i Egyptian citizenship rights, writes Gamal Nkrumah
____________________________________________

Egypt's Baha'is won a historic victory when their right to be certified as Baha'is on official documentation was recognised by a ruling of the Egyptian Administrative Court on 4 April 2006. This week, the country's Baha'is suffered a disastrous setback. The Ministry of Interior appealed against the April ruling, which was overturned by the Supreme Administrative Court last Saturday, 16 December. Baha'is and human rights activists, both at home and abroad, argue that last Saturday's ruling was a gross human rights violation.

The conservative approach has disappointed the hopeful expectations of both secularists and religious minorities. In the months leading up to last Saturday's ruling, the law was increasingly interpreted by the courts to suit the more conservative elements. That law is intended to discriminate against Baha'is, Buddhists, agnostics or atheists alike. An Egyptian national can only be a Muslim, a Christian or a Jew. No other religious affiliation is officially admissible.

After months of speculation, historians may see 2006 as the year that civil liberties in Egypt took a giant leap backwards. The insistence on the recognition of the Baha'i is not a modish secularist fad, but a fundamental human right.

"Did the constitution change? Did the Islamic Sharia change? I cannot understand," Iskandar sighs in palpable despair. "We do not want the state to recognise our religion, we only want to be able to go about our business in peace and without red tape and bureaucratic hassles."

"Inability to produce an ID card entails a five-year prison sentence. Still, we have faith in the legal system," Basma Moussa, a dentist and an assistant lecturer at Cairo University, yet another outspoken Egyptian Baha'i concurred.

"The court ruling appears to be based solely on a public rejection of the Baha'i faith," Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights told the Weekly.

"The court didn't respond to a single legal argument by the defence," he added. "The civil status law makes it compulsory for every Egyptian citizen to carry on his or her person an ID card." He said that the court ruling was prejudiced by religious scholars and Al-Azhar, the country's Sunni Muslim religious institution, the most important in the world for that school of Islam.

"The civil status law prohibits students who don't have an ID card from enrolling at universities and other institutions of higher learning. This is an especially problematic issue for young Egyptian Baha'is who can be suspended from studies and may not even acquire a university degree. Baha'i men are barred from conscription which is compulsory for Egyptian males. This failure to undertake National Service is a serious offence unless waived because of health or other specifically- stated reasons," Bahgat explained.

He singled out the Baha'i youth as especially susceptible to persecution because of their religion. They face discrimination when applying for jobs -- the Egyptian legal system criminalises both employers and employees who do not have computerised ID cards and other personal documentation like birth or marriage certificates, all of which must clearly state the religion of the individuals concerned.

Last Saturday's court ruling effectively bars Baha'is from enjoying fully-fledged Egyptian nationality status. "We do not particularly care if the Baha'i faith is not recognised as a religion. What we do need is the right to have a valid identity card -- either the authorities state on the card that we are Baha'is or they leave the space where one's religion is specified vacant," Iskandar explained.

The government may not recognise the Baha'i faith in official personal identification documents, but the pretense of the law at present is that the Baha'is are not able to obtain necessary documents such as birth or death certificates and identity cards.

"I am 60 years old and it is stated in my birth certificate that I am a Baha'i. My eldest sister is 80 years old and she also is stated as a Baha'i in her birth certificate."

Another sister, Salwa Iskandar Hanna, passed away last year and it was sheer hell trying to issue a death certificate, let alone get permission for burial.

The problem was exacerbated in 2000 when computers were introduced at the general registrar office at the Ministry of Interior.

Iskandar explained that officials refused to leave the space allotted for the registration of one's religious affiliation blank. Some said one can only state Muslim, Christian or Jewish as his religion -- other religions such as Baha'is, Buddhists or Hindus cannot be registered, for example. In other words, Egyptians can only be religiously affiliated to one of the three revealed religions -- Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

"Don't force us to state a wrong religion in my ID card," Iskandar protested. "Neither of my sons Ragy, 25, nor Hady, 20, have an ID card. In their birth certificates it is stated that they re Baha'is, however. We cannot have a valid driver's license, we cannot register our cars, we cannot be employed in the public sector, or much of the private sector for that matter."

Iskandar hails from a Coptic family, but his great grandfather converted from Christianity to the Baha'i faith, and the family has been Baha'i ever since. They have no intention of reverting to Christianity.

A presidential decree promulgated as Law 260 in 1960, closed down Baha'i public places of worship, confiscated Baha'i property and banned the public worship of Baha'is in Egypt.

The Baha'i faith is not recognised in Egypt as a religion. With one accord, and with an anxiety that wrenches their hearts with cruel fears, the Baha'is of Egypt are bracing themselves for a long period of trials and tribulations. They are often denounced as heathens and apostates by a public that is by and large ignorant of the tenets of their faith. "We are not concerned whether we are acknowledged as a heavenly revealed religion. This is not the legal question before the court."

The ruling also reversed the position of the Supreme Administrative Court which had found in 1983 that Baha'is had the right to have their religious affiliation included in official documents.

"Today's regrettable decision throws the ball back in the government's court," Bahgat explained.

Egypt Plunges Deeper into the Abyss

A sad day for human rights: A sad day for Egypt

In the midst of media frenzy, Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court ruled in favour of the Ministry of Interior’s appeal, and to reverse the lower court’s ruling of 4 April 2006 that favored the Baha'is right to being identified as such for the purpose of official documents. It also ordered the Bahá’í couple who had initiated the original lawsuit against the Ministry of Interior--demanding to be granted the right to obtain identification documents--to pay all court costs.

Present in and outside the courtroom were those who support the Bahá’ís in their plight. They were carrying large signs of blown-up old ID cards of Egyptian Bahá’ís—highlighting the word "Bahá’í" and the word "Egyptian" written on the cards. Another man was carrying a sign stating that he is a Muslim, believing in Muhammad, but that he also supports the rights of the Bahá’ís to be recognized and be granted equal civil rights. There were many bloggers, human rights activists and free thinkers who had come for a stand-in outside the courthouse in solidarity with the Bahá’ís.

Also present in and about the courtroom, were extremist Islamists and their attorneys voicing their hatred and resentment of the Baha'is.

National and international major television and radio news agencies as well as all newspapers, and news service agencies were present in the courtroom filming, interviewing and reporting on this event.

There was tight security. Barriers were placed, armed national security anti-riot troops were deployed and surrounded the courthouse.

After the verdict was announced, several Bahá’ís were interviewed by the news agencies present for this event.

Al-Jazeera news channel asked one of the Baha'is for an interview before the court session indicating to her that they already knew the verdict (being against the Bahá’ís). She declined stating that she would rather hear the actual judgement in the courtroom before she can discuss any such verdict with Al-Jazeera.

When the verdict was announced, many of those present in the courtroom shouted “Allah’u-Akbar,” and “Long Live Justice!"

Naturally, the Baha'is are a bit disappointed, but do understand that this crisis will ultimately lead to many victories, many of which can be seen already--a direct result of their suffering.

As a direct consequence of this verdict, the Baha'is continue to have no rights in their own homeland. They cannot obtain ID Cards, they cannot obtain birth certificates, they cannot obtain death certificates, they cannot obtain marriage or divorce certificates, they cannot obtain passports, and they cannot obtain any other official documents.

Without all this, Egyptian Baha'is cannot be employed, cannot be educated, cannot be treated in a hospital, cannot travel, cannot obtain any social services, cannot be legally married, cannot be declared dead, cannot open a bank account, cannot obtain a driver's license, cannot vote, cannot purchase a property, and the list goes on.... And, yes they can be arrested on the spot for not carrying an ID Card!

It is now up to the Egyptian government to step in and end this atrocious violation of all known values, all known civil and human rights. It is time for it to recognize its own law-abiding citizens according to its own constitutional guarantees.

Press Release:

Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights
Right to Privacy Program
Press Release- 16 December 2006

Government Must Find Solution for Baha'i Egyptians

Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court today found the government may not recognize the Baha’i faith in official identification documents, leaving Baha'i Egyptian citizens unable to obtain necessary documents that must include a citizen's religion, such as birth or death certificates and identity cards.

"Today's regrettable decision throws the ball in the government's court," said Hossam Bahgat, Director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), which represented the Baha'is in the case. "The government must find a solution now for the hundreds of citizens who used to be able to obtain official documents recognizing their faith for more than five decades until the government decided recently to change its policy and force them to choose between Islam and Christianity."

The EIPR said the press release issued by the Chief Judge of the Court today did not respond to any of the legal arguments and evidence submitted by the EIPR in the case. The press release only discussed the tenets of the Baha'i faith, which fell outside the scope of this lawsuit. The question before the court was about the legality of forcing Egyptian citizens to falsely adopt Islam or Christianity in order to obtain official documents that are necessary in their daily lives.

Today's decision overturned an April 2004 ruling by the lower Administrative Justice Court in favor of Baha'i Egyptians. The decision also reversed the position of the Supreme Administrative Court which had found in 1983 that Baha'is had the right to have their religious affiliation included in official documents even if the Baha'i faith was not "recognized" in Egypt as a religion.

The EIPR will wait for the written decision to be issued in the coming days before determining its new legal strategy in the fight for Baha'i Egyptians citizenship rights.

Home Support for Egyptian Baha'is

Today, in Manal & Alaa's Egyptian blog, a post was also prominently featured calling for support of the Egyptian Baha'is in their landmark case which is to be ruled on by the Supreme Administrative Court this coming Saturday, 16 December. As one of the world's most popular blogs Manal & Alaa ranks in "Technorati" between 1,000 and 3,000 out of millions of blogs.

The post is entitled "A stand in solidarity with the Egyptian Baha'is for the purpose of their right to document their religion, or writing-in 'other' in the religion section of official documents."

Then it states:

Location: The State's Judicial Assembly--Giza street--next to Cairo Sheraton.

Organizer: The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights + Egyptian Bloggers and Individuals Against Religious Discrimination.

Description: The Egyptian Ministry of Interior requires the citizens to acquire and carry identification cards and legal documents such as birth certificates and others...it also requires that the religion section be filled-in, and refuses leaving it blank...but at the same time it prevents the Egyptian Baha'is from documenting their religion in official documents, or obtain birth certificates for their children who are born to Egyptian Baha'i parents, and does not leave them a choice but to lie [deceive] in choosing between Muslim or Christian...even though these are religions that they do not belong to, and they demand to enter the word "other" in the religion section.

Join us in the stand in solidarity on Saturday, 16 December in front of the State's Judicial Assembly from 10 to 11 in the morning for the right of all Egyptians to a just homeland for all its sons.

Several other independent Egyptian blogs continue their campaign in publicizing this event and in proclaiming their support for the Baha'is, such as the one by "3arabawy" and another one in a blog named "Arabist." A simple search will divulge several other Egyptian blogs with the same message of solidarity and support.

On Saturday, the panel of senior judges sitting at Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court will have to reach a just decision based on constitutional guarantees for all Egyptian citizens. Any judgement they make will have an enormous impact on the cause of civil liberties in Egypt for decades to come, impacting many other Egyptians.

The Baha'is are simply asking to be able to exercise their rights to citizenship, to be able to obtain employment, get educated, travel, register their children when they are born, open bank accounts, drive their vehicles with a valid license, have their marriages recognized and legalized, be able to obtain pensions due to them, be able to vote and contribute to society, have their dead buried with dignity and obtain their death certificates, be able to obtain passports, and simply become recognized as human beings...none of this can be accomplished without being permitted to obtain ID Cards as well as all other required official documents. The case is not about recognizing the Baha'i Faith, it is simply about citizenship!

Egypt: Is It Time to Return to Its Known Civility?

Another article appeared in "al-Masri al-Youm" Egyptian newspaper on 9 December 2006 reviewing the upcoming Supreme Court Case.

The article is entitled "The Supreme Administrative [Court] determines the fate of Baha'i-yyah [Baha'i Faith] this coming Saturday." It is subtitled "Report of the State's Commissioners and Islamic Scholars concurred that it is not a recognized religion [in Egypt]."

It opens with:

The Supreme Administrative Court of the State Assembly will determine in its session, that will convene this coming Saturday, the fate of Baha'i-yyah in Egypt...specifically in regards to its recognition by official and governmental agencies as a religion, and whether or not it can be written in official papers and documents such as identification cards, birth certificates and passports.

The Supreme Administrative Court (first circuit) will produce its judgement on the "matter" of the appeal submitted by the Ministry of Interior, the Civil Affairs Agency, and the Passport and Immigration Agency regarding the judgement of the Administrative Court issued this past 4th of April, in which it ruled to cancel the decision of the Minister of Interior forbidding the entrance of the word "Baha'i" in the religion section of official documents. The court also ruled to enforce the right of the [Baha'i] plaintiffs to obtain official documents with Baha'i written in the religion section.

The lawsuit was initially filed in the Administrative Court on 10 June 2004, and in which Hessam Ezzat Muhammad Moussa and his wife Ranya Enayat Abd'el-Rahman Rushdi have stated that, as subjects of the Arab Republic of Egypt who are in possession of Egyptian citizenship, when they requested the Passports and Immigration Agency to include the names of their daughters in their two passports, the president of the agency confiscated their identification cards without any legal cause. That religion was the reason given for the refusal of registering their daughters in the passports, this in violation of the State's laws and the Egyptian Constitution which guarantees freedom of belief. And that this--illegal--refusal causes their daughters to be deprived of freedom of movement [travel] accorded to them by law. They demanded at the end of their lawsuit the cancellation of the administrative agency's ruling that forbids documenting "Baha'i" in the religion section of these official documents which were requested to be issued.

The rest of the newspaper article described the State Commissioners' report (previously posted here) and included the names of the eight judges involved in writing the commissioners' report opinion. Three of whom pictured in the article are: president of the State's assembly Justice Say'id Nofa'l, member of the assembly Justice Essam el-Din Abd el-Aziz and the State's commissioner Justice Abd el-Qader Qandil.

This newspaper report neglected to discuss the real substance of this landmark case. The essential crux of this case which must be dealt with is the right of any legal citizen of Egypt to obtain official documents, including ID Cards, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, passports, etc.... This case is not about whether or not Egypt should recognize the Baha'i Faith as an independent religion--it has already done so in the 1920s--this case is about the rights to citizenship. The Baha'is were asked by the governmental agencies to lie about their religion in order to obtain any documents they wish to obtain, forcing them to violate the law and commit a felony in doing so just to obtain their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Furthermore, lying on official documents would violate their own personal convictions and moral dictates.

Now it is up to the Supreme Court to uphold the lower court's ruling to grant the Egyptian Baha'is their rights to citizenship as written in the Constitution.... Is it time for Egypt to return to its tolerant, just and civil society it had been known for?

Egypt: Supreme Court Postpones Decision

Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court held its session today in Cairo to decide on the Ministry of Interior's appeal of the lower court's ruling that granted the Egyptian Baha'is their rights. The judges were in full control of today's session--preventing any interruptions or chaos--and after receiving a Memorandum prepared by Mr. Labib Moawad, the lead attorney representing the Baha'is, the court decided to postpone its decision until 16 December 2006.

The panel of judges declined the government's lawyers request and urging to receive a final decision on their appeal today.

Some of the Baha'is present were interviewed by television stations covering the court's session.

More to come....