US Congress: Briefing on Religious Freedom in Egypt

Nina Shea, Vice Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom has recently presented a Briefing on “Religious Freedom in Egypt: Recent Developments” before the Task Force on Religious Freedom Of the United States House of Representatives. The Commission's Annual Report was published on 2 May 2007. The section on Egypt is on pages 203-211 of the report. The testimony was presented by Ms. Shea on 23 May 2007.

As the briefing went into great details in describing the violations of religious freedoms of the various minorities in Egypt, and because of the known focus of this blog, this post will point mainly to the sections of the briefing where it mentioned the crisis currently facing the Baha'is of Egypt.

In the introductory paragraphs it states: "...These violations include continued prosecution in state security courts and imprisonment of those accused of “unorthodox” Islamic religious beliefs or practices, including those who are not militants; discrimination against, restrictions on, interference with, and harassment and surveillance of members of non-Muslim religious minorities, particularly Christians and Baha’is, by the Egyptian state security services...."

Later on it states: "...Under the Emergency Law, the security forces are given license to mistreat and torture prisoners, arbitrarily arrest and detain persons, hold detainees in prolonged pretrial detention, and occasionally engage in mass arrests. Thousands of persons have been detained without charge on suspicion of illegal terrorist or political activity; others are serving sentences after being convicted on similar charges. Non-Muslim religious minorities, particularly Christians and Baha’is, report discrimination, interference, harassment, and surveillance by these same state security services."

It also describes the specific issues facing the Baha'is in the following two paragraphs:
"Life in Egypt is particularly difficult for members of the Baha’i faith, whose institutions and community activities have been banned since 1960 by a presidential decree, leaving them unable to meet and engage in group religious activities. Over the years, Baha’is have been arrested and imprisoned because of their religious beliefs, often on charges of insulting Islam. Al-Azhar’s Islamic Research Center has issued fatwas (religious edicts) in recent years urging the continued ban on the Baha’i community and condemning Baha’is as apostates.

The Egyptian government’s requirement that religious affiliation be included on national identity cards especially affects the Baha’i community. Since only Islam, Christianity, and Judaism are protected under the Constitution, these are the only choices for religious affiliation, effectively preventing Baha’is from obtaining identity cards, which are needed for many basic transactions, such as opening a bank account, buying a car, or obtaining a driver’s license. There was a glimmer of hope in April 2006, when a lower Egyptian administrative court ruled that a Baha’i couple should be permitted to identify their religious affiliation on official government documents. However, this positive development proved short-lived, as the Interior Ministry appealed the ruling following the advice of religious authorities and some parliamentary members. A higher court suspended the original decision in May, creating a sense of insecurity in the Baha’i community. In December of last year, the Supreme Administrative Court ruling upheld the government’s discriminatory policy of prohibiting Egyptian Baha’is from obtaining a national identity card. When the Commission visited Egypt in July 2004, we met with representatives of the Baha’i community who expressed to us in very stark terms the ramifications for their lives in Egypt without identity cards—they would essentially be shoved to the perimeters of society and prevented from pursuing normal, everyday functions needed to sustain themselves."

Regarding Egypt's National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), the briefing states the following:
"On a positive note, the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), a government-appointed advisory body which was formed in 2003, has emerged as an important entity in Egypt. The Commission met with a representative of the NCHR just yesterday, and was encouraged to hear of some of its new efforts in addressing religious freedom concerns. In November 2005, the NCHR announced the formation of a sub-group, the “Citizenship Committee,” to focus on religious freedom issues. As a result, the NCHR’s 2006 annual report contained increased reporting on religious freedom concerns, including on the situation of Baha’is; problems facing Jehovah’s Witnesses; violence targeting Christians; and the need for the government to pass a law on the construction of new places of worship for all religious groups."

The briefing concludes with the following recommendations:
"The Commission has made several specific recommendations for U.S. policy which are included in our Annual Report, which was just released three weeks ago. I would like to highlight a few of those recommendations if I may.

The Commission has recommended the U.S. government should establish a timetable for implementation of political and human rights reforms; if deadlines are not met, the U.S. government should reconsider the appropriate allocation of its assistance to the Egyptian government. Finally, in the context of the annual congressional appropriation for U.S. assistance to Egypt, Congress should require the State Department to report to it annually on the extent to which the government of Egypt has made progress on the issues described here and in my written testimony.

The Commission also recommends that the U.S. government urge the Egyptian government to:
. repeal the state of emergency, in existence since 1981, in order to allow for the full consolidation of the rule of law in Egypt, but ensure that the emergency decree is not replaced by other legislation that allows security forces to continue such actions as arbitrary arrest, pro-longed detention without charge, and torture and other ill-treatment;
. remove de facto responsibility for religious affairs from the state security services, with the exception of cases involving violence or the advocacy of violence;
. repeal Article 98(f) of the Penal Code, which “prohibits citizens from ridiculing or insulting heavenly religions or inciting sectarian strife”; allow for full access to the constitutional and international guarantees of the rule of law and due process for those individuals charged with violating Article 98(f); and release Internet blogger Abdel Karim Suleiman and any individuals convicted under Article 98(f) on account of their religion or belief;
. implement procedures that would ensure that all places of worship are subject to the same transparent, non-discriminatory, and efficient regulations regarding construction and maintenance;
. repeal a 1960 presidential decree banning members of the Baha’i community from practicing their faith and ensure that every Egyptian can obtain a national identity card by either (a) omitting mention of religious affiliation, or (b) making optional any mention of religious affiliation;
. cease all messages of hatred and intolerance, particularly toward Jews and Baha’is, in the government-controlled media; and
. more actively investigate religious-based violence against Egyptian citizens, particularly Coptic Christians, prosecute perpetrators responsible for the violence, and ensure compensation for victims.

Conclusion
Mr. Chairman, only a few years ago, our government was an outspoken advocate of democratic reform and human rights in Egypt. Yet, in the past year or so, U.S. policy has shifted and there have been missed opportunities by U.S. officials to express publicly their concerns regarding religious freedom. The U.S. government has become seemingly reluctant to condemn developments in Egypt that clearly signal a backsliding in human rights protections. Yes, Egypt is an important country—to the United States and in the world today. Yes, the Egyptian government appears to be making great efforts to combat extremism; yet, these same security services that work actively against extremists seem unable—or unwilling—to find the perpetrators of extremist violence against religious minorities and hold them to account.

Egypt also receives a substantial amount of U.S. assistance. It is critical that our government hold the Egyptian government accountable for its policies and practices that violate the human rights, including religious freedom, of so many Egyptians.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. I welcome any questions that you might have."

Grand Mufti of Egypt on "Freedom of Religion"

The Washington Post has published a collection of articles, on 21 July 2007, under a section entitled "Muslims Speak Out" that featured, among others, Ali Gomma'a, the Grand Mufti of Egypt. One third of his statements were specific to the question of "Freedom of Religion in Islam."

Coverage of this article was also published in Arabic in Egypt's Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper and Al-Arabiya website.

The Washington Post describes the Grand Mufti as follows: "Since 2003, Dr. Ali Gomaa has served as the Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt, a position of religious authority second only to the Sheikh al-Azhar. As one of Islam’s most respected scholars of Islamic law, Dr. Ali Gomaa oversees Dar al-Ifta, Egypt’s highest body for delivering opinions on religious law. Details"

In that section of the Washington Post the Grand Mufti stated the following when he addressed religious freedom question:

Freedom of Religion in Islam

The essential question before us is can a person who is Muslim choose a religion other than Islam? The answer is yes, they can, because the Quran says, “Unto you your religion, and unto me my religion,” [Quran, 109:6], and, “Whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve,” [Quran, 18:29], and, “There is no compulsion in religion. The right direction is distinct from error,” [Quran, 2:256].

These verses from the Quran discuss a freedom that God affords all people. But from a religious perspective, the act of abandoning one’s religion is a sin punishable by God on the Day of Judgment. If the case in question is one of merely rejecting faith, then there is no worldly punishment. If, however, the crime of undermining the foundations of the society is added to the sin of apostasy, then the case must be referred to a judicial system whose role is to protect the integrity of the society. Otherwise, the matter is left until the Day of Judgment, and it is not to be dealt with in the life of this world. It is an issue of conscience, and it is between the individual and God. In the life of this world, “There is no compulsion in religion,” in the life of this world, “Unto you your religion and unto me my religion,” and in the life of this world, “He who wills believes and he who wills disbelieves,” while bearing in mind that God will punish this sin on the Day of Judgment, unless it is combined with an attempt to undermine the stability of the society, in which case it is the society that holds them to account, not Islam.

All religions have doctrinal points that define what it is to be an adherent of that religion. These are divine injunctions that form the basis of every religion, but they are not a means for imposing a certain system of belief on others by force. According to Islam, it is not permitted for Muslims to reject their faith, so if a Muslim were to leave Islam and adopt another religion, they would thereby be committing a sin in the eyes of Islam. Religious belief and practice is a personal matter, and society only intervenes when that personal matter becomes public and threatens the well-being of its members.

In some cases, this sin of the individual may also represent a greater break with the commonly held values of a society in an attempt to undermine its foundations or even attack its citizenry. Depending on the circumstances, this may reach the level of a crime of sedition against one’s society. Penalizing this sedition may be at odds with some conceptions of freedom that would go so far as to ensure people the freedom to destroy the society in which they live. This is a freedom that we do not allow since preservation of the society takes precedence over personal freedoms. This was the basis of the Islamic perspective on apostasy when committed at certain times and under certain circumstances.

After reading this, one must ask the following questions:

1) What is the definition of a "religion other than Islam?"
2) It is a known fact that Egypt recognizes three religions only (Islam, Christianity & Judaism). What is the status of other religions then? Are these teachings and interpretations applicable to them? How about Hindus, Buddhists and Baha'is?
3) As the quotations from the Qur'an, included by the Grand Mufti, give no reference whatsoever to which religions a person is free to choose, Who is to decide then that only certain religions are to be acceptable for the individual choice of belief--without falling into the trap of being accused of "a crime of sedition against one’s society?" Why should there be any restrictions on personal freedom of belief in this age? Don't these restrictions violate the individual freedoms guaranteed by all international declarations of human rights, including those of Egypt's own constitution?
4) As 51% of the world's population does not belong to any of the three recognized religions in Egypt, what is the proportion of these world adherents that would be considered "to undermine the stability of the society" as stated by the Grand Mufti?
5) Who would make that judgement, i.e. a determination that a group of adherents is attempting "to undermine the stability of the society" and what criteria are to be used to make that determination?
6) Do his statements imply that Egyptian Muslims are free to convert to Christianity, Judaism or any other religions that are deemed not "to undermine the stability of the society" without any fear for their civil and human rights, or without a threat to their life?

I am sure that there are many other questions to ask, and I suspect that the readers would be eager to express their opinions and questions regarding this in the comment section of this post.

Egypt's Project for Law Against Discrimination

In the 17 July 2007 issue of Egypt's Nahdet Misr newspaper, an article was published describing Egypt's new project for a law that will prohibit discrimination between its citizens.

The article explains that Egypt's National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) was charged by the government with the responsibility of proposing a law that would eliminate all forms of discrimination in Egypt, including "the official resolution of the situation of the Baha'is, the inclusion of Copts living abroad in their deliberations, and addressing the prevailing trend of torture."

The NCHR will hold a convention on "citizenship" next November, which will address the matter of equal opportunity for all Egyptian citizens. Its recommendations will be passed on to the Egyptian Parliament in its forthcoming session that will address the elimination of all forms of discrimination between the citizens of Egypt.

In preparation for the November convention, the Council will hold several workshops/symposia. The first of which will be held on 30 July to discuss several issues regarding the ratification of the status of citizenship in Egypt, as well as preparing a law on equal opportunity and the elimination of discrimination between citizens.

A second session will be held on 18 August that will examine the problems facing Egyptians living abroad. It will address several issues of importance affecting that segment of citizens.

A third workshop will focus on the apparent prevalent trend of torture in Egypt and compensation for victims of torture.

A fourth workshop will address the crisis of official identity documents for adherents of religions that are not recognized in Egypt as "divine." Muhammad Fa'eq, Secretary General of the Arabic Network for Human Rights and chairman of the civil and political rights committee of the Council stated that this does not imply the official recognition of these religions, but its main goal is to guarantee the rights of these citizens to acquire official papers and identity documents that would allow them to have a normal life. This will also include those who have changed their religion.

Fa'eq confirmed that the Council will use examples of laws from Australia and Sweden in its efforts to find "a radical solution" for the elimination of discrimination and the implementation equal opportunity. He also asserted that Copts living abroad will be provided with the opportunity to participate in this project.

This is a huge step forward for Egypt in its efforts to find "radical solutions" for the civil and human rights crises that have plagued the country recently. The intentions of this project clearly conform to the high standards expected from such a nation that is endowed with the world's most ancient great civilization. If Egypt embarks and remains on such a path, its future will definitely be brighter and it can become again a beacon of light for the rest to admire.

Boutros Ghali Concerned With Egypt's Image in the World

Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and currently the President of Egypt's National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) was interviewed recently by Egypt's government-owned weekly magazine Al-Mussawar. The article was published in the Magazine's 6 July 2007 issue.

The interview revealed Ghali's deep concern for the status of the Baha'is in Egypt. He pointed out that Egypt recognizes three religions only: Islam, Christianity and Judaism; that 51% of the world's population does not belong to any of these three religions. This creates a huge problem for Egypt when confronted with matters concerning some citizens of Egypt, such as the Baha'is, other residents of Egypt such as the Chinese, and visitors in Egypt such as Japanese tourists. He stressed that Egypt's current position implies that it does not recognize the religions of 51% of the world's population.

He also indicated that Baha'is in particular face major challenges in Egypt because of their inability to obtain ID cards, and that he has been in close contact with three attorneys from California who are working with him on finding a solution to the Baha'i case. This has led to his negotiations with Egypt's Minister of Interior Habib El-Adly. One solution would be the elimination of religious classification from Egyptian ID cards.

He expressed his concern with Egypt's image in the outside world because of its treatment of Baha'is, whose "large numbers in America cannot be ignored." It appears that he was misquoted when the magazine reported that he said that there are "about 6 million Baha'is in Chicago."

This appears to be a significant development regarding the Baha'i case in Egypt. Ghali's views, however, have been the same since this crisis began approximately a year ago, and that opinion did not seem to influence the government's position thus far. Egypt's National Council for Human Rights is a consultative body appointed by the Egyptian government, but it is not empowered with decision-making authority. It advises the government and the President who subsequently have the final say in whatever recommendations are put forth by the Human Rights Council.

Defense of Baha'is: New Site Up, Running & Active

The authors of the new site named "The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights" have fixed the technical error with Internet Explorer (IE), which was encountered when clicking on any one of its links or comments tabs that caused the link to hang and not to respond. Partly because of that issue, apparently many readers were unable to make comments on the posts so they resorted to make comments on the parent site "MIDEAST YOUTH" instead, which thus far has 62 comments on the post announcing the initiation of the new site. In order to read these comments, which are quite interesting, you may click here.

Furthermore, in order to know more about the authors, the background and the motives behind this new site, you may want to read the FAQ section at this link.

In it, they write: "This network is composed of Arab and Iranian Muslim students and interfaith activists who do not approve of Baha’i human rights abuses within the Arab and Muslim world. We took it upon ourselves to do something about it, and we accept the risks and responsibilities behind setting up such a network to help and support our Baha’i brethren."

With the technical error now fixed, accessing the comment page is quite smooth, regardless of the type of browser one uses. The authors of the site are to be thanked for their efforts in maintaining and upgrading their site, which is now drawing heavy readership that includes strong support as well as some attacks and opposition from Islamist extremists. Their work demonstrates their unrelenting dedication to righteousness and justice, and it confirms their tenacity and courage in carrying out what they believe to be the right path.

Egypt: the Other Side of the Coin!

Yesterday, I received a comment on one of the videos posted on my YouTube site. The comment is about a news report by AlHurra Television regarding Egypt's National Council for Human Rights' symposium that examined the issue of ID cards for Egyptian Baha'is. The symposium was reported on last August in this blog and in this previous post.

The comment on YouTube, even though is insulting, can be seen to be quite amusing because it clearly betrays the sentiment of some extremists in the region and serves to expose the serious challenges facing Egyptian Baha'is in their homeland. For that I thanked the person making the comment!

The comment, submitted by a person named Abosooka, is quoted below in its entirety:

"Does tatooing a seen cross or wearing one, and writing "Christian" in religion-entry in an ID card differ?
Blow in ashes,plan evil,try to divide our nation, yet growth of non-muslim minorities centuries ago is an enough witness.
Game of Bahais and others,game of no-religion-entry in ID cards,use of weak faiths and disloyals, no rational beliver accepts that about muslim Egypt. Try in Iraq through "Horra" and your american servants ... Your end is the bottom of the sea!"

After reading this and comparing it to the material posted on the new site named The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights, one can clearly see what this new Muslim Network is up against and get to truly appreciate how courageous and righteous this group of enlightened Muslims is!

Twin Children Must Wait Longer Without Birth Cretificates

The case of the twin children Nancy and Emad got postponed until 4 September 2007 for a court decision on their fate. The question at hand is whether or not these Egyptian 14-year-old twins can obtain Egyptian birth certificates.

On 2 July 2004, Seeking Justice blog has posted a very well argued article regarding this case.

The children's Father, Dr. Raouf Hindy Halim is requesting, as a compromise, that in place of entering "Baha'i" in the religion section of the certificate, he would be content with entering "dashes" or leaving it blank.

Here is a piece of the "Seeking Justice" article:

"Several legal principles are at issue here. At the international level, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Egypt is a signatory, states in Article 15 that “everyone has a right to a nationality.” Moreover, Article 2 provides that this right is guaranteed irrespective of one’s religious belief. The denial of birth certificates to these children, solely on the basis of their family’s religious affiliation, effectively denies them of their Egyptian citizenship and nationality, and the rights that accompany it, all in violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

One of the internationally-recognized human rights that these children are being denied because they cannot obtain birth certificates is the right of access to public education. More specifically, Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights guarantees that “everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.” Without their birth certificates, Emad and Nancy are unable to attend public school, thus depriving them of a right that is clearly guaranteed to them through Egypt’s ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The enlightened principles regarding education contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights are directly echoed in Egypt’s own Constitution, Article 18 of which states: “Education is a right guaranteed by the State.” More generally, Egypt’s Constitutional Proclamation states:

The dignity of every individual is a natural reflection of the dignity of his nation, for each individual is a cornerstone in the edifice of the homeland. This homeland derives its strength and prestige from the value of each individual, his activity and dignity.

Emad and Nancy were born and raised in Egypt. Their parents and grandparents are Egyptian. What clearer example of a cornerstone of the edifice of the homeland could there be? What effect might the erosion of this cornerstone, through the denial of access to basic rights of citizenship, including education, have on the development and ultimate dignity, strength, and prestige of Egyptian society? Let us hope that the Egyptian Court rectifies this injustice on July 3."

It appears that, rather than expect another postponement on 4 September, there will be indeed a decision rendered by the court on that date. Hopefully this court will be inspired by its duty and responsibility to do justice to innocent children.

Iran Examined by the Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights

In its latest post today, The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights addresses the persecution of the Baha'is of Iran. In its post titled "Iran must end its mistreatment of Baha’is," the Network states the following:

"On behalf of all the other Muslims who allowed for this to happen, by either being silent or by directly contributing to this human rights abuse, we would like to apologize. The Baha’i Faith in many ways remains to be a forbidden one in our societies until we officially recognize it as a religion, which its members should be able to practice as a right to religious and individual freedom. We stand by our Baha’i brothers and sisters through this struggle, and demand that this right be recognized by our governments, our people, and our school systems. We would like to see the day that our friends can say “I am Baha’i” with pride without facing any consequences or discriminative behavior. Muslim activists within Iran in particular must help the Baha’is within the country take this much needed step forward."

The post is accompanied by a video of the 20/20 TV program, regarding the systematic persecution of the Baha'is of Iran, which was broadcast in 1983 on ABC television. It also links to a 110 page report compiled by the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center.

To read the full article, please click here....

New Site: The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights

A new site, still in a draft form, has just been created. It is titled "The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights." It's authors are "Muslim interfaith activists who are deeply concerned with the treatment of Baha’is within the Middle East." The authors host the well-known MIDEAST YOUTH and the ME Faith websites. In this site's first post, it states the following:

Why this website?
June 29th, 2007 by Admin

Many of you are probably wondering why a Muslim network in defense of Baha’i rights exist. The answer is very simple - the best way to promote tolerance, human rights, religious freedom and respect is to rally for a cause that doesn’t necessarily affect you. When you strongly believe in a value, you should apply it to all people equally regardless of their faith, cultural differences, political stance or nationality. If within your country this doesn’t happen, as a loyal citizen you should actively enforce that such rights be met for the sake of a better and more productive society.

In this network, there are a few things that one should keep in mind:

. The authors are Muslim interfaith activists who are deeply concerned with the treatment of Baha’is within the Middle East.
. We don’t believe in the Baha’i faith. But there are minorities within our societies who are practicing Baha’is and for that, their rights are very rarely recognized, simply because of their religious differences.
. We created this site to demand that the rights of Baha’i minorities is recognized by not only people, but by law.
. We respectfully demand that all governments within the Arab and Muslim world allow Baha’i citizens to have equal opportunities in all fields and to practice their faith freely without facing any threats or discrimination whatsoever.
. We would like to make the general public of the region be aware of Baha’i human rights abuses in order to take effective action against it. We can only successfully achieve the goals of this website if we move our citizens towards real action, no matter what our religious differences are. We are all civilians in need of basic rights, and thus we should join forces regardless of our differences and unite in a celebration of our diversity. Join us in this worthy struggle and make our goals a greater possibility in the name of freedom.

These authors are to be recognized and appreciated for their courage, clarity of vision, audacity and intellectual honesty. They truly reflect the pure essence and nature of Islam.

On another note, this blog "Baha'i Faith in Egypt" celebrates its one year and one month anniversary. The first post, entitled "Independent Religion," was published on 1 June 2006. One might ask: why one year and one month? the answer is quite simple: as I am not much into celebrations, it was simply forgotten to commemorate the one year anniversary, but was reminded today that this landmark had already passed, hence the anniversary is remembered now....

Rising Interest in the Egyptian Baha'i Struggle

The award-winning "Global Voices Online" website has been following closely, in its recent publications, Egypt's Baha'i story.

It has been also reporting on several other pressing human rights issues in Egypt. This site is world-embracing and is hosted by several prominent media experts.

The most recent report can be seen here. Another story published by Global Voices Online regarding the banned documentary film on the Baha'is of Egypt can be seen here.

Also, the leading "Egyptian Blogs Aggregator" site now hosts a link on its Custom List section that includes several Baha'i blogs, links and official sites. This link can be seen here.

Another site named "ME Faith", which is sponsored by a diverse group of Middle East youth, has been following the Baha'i story with earnest. This group, of mostly youth of Muslim, Jewish and Christian backgrounds, promotes tolerance and acceptance. It also calls for peaceful resolution to all political, social, ethnic and religious conflicts afflicting the Middle East and holding back its progress. The site can be viewed here.

Baha'is of Egypt: Update on One of the Lawsuits

URGENT UPDATE!
Please see this post published on 2 July 2007 at "Seeking Justice" regarding the 3 July court case.

In a previous post, the case of the twin children of Dr. Raouf Hindy Halim was discussed in details. This case was on the court's docket on 7 May 2007 when it was postponed again to be heard in the upcoming 3 July 2007 administrative court session for a decision. The 14-year-old Egyptian twin children continue to try to thrive without Egyptian birth certificates.

The attached newspaper article, republished previously on this blog, states: ...the children's parents and grandparents are Egyptian. Even after the passing of more than three years of court battles, Dr. Raouf has not been able to obtain birth certificates for his children. Since Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court has prevented Bahá’ís from documenting their religion as “Bahá’í” in the religion section on all official documents—in violation of citizenship rights to freedom of belief—Dr. Raouf in collaboration with a team of attorneys, was forced to amend his request to insert dashes or leave the religion section vacant on his children’s birth certificates.

Dr. Raouf Hindy said that this amended request was caused by the fact that he must not be forced to insert incorrect statements in official documents [that is if he enters one of the three allowed religions]...if he did so, it would have given rise to more forgers and liars in the society. He stated that his elder son (the brother of the twins) is in possession of an Egyptian birth certificate with a dash inserted in place of religion, that is why he is requesting that his twin children (Emad and Nancy) be treated in the same way.

Of note, children in Egypt that are not in possession of an Egyptian birth certificate cannot attend public schools.

The website of the Baha'i International Community, which provides up-to-date information on the Egyptian Baha'i case, stated the following in its May 2007 update:

Recent court rulings in Egypt have highlighted the dire human rights situation facing the Bahá'í community there. The rulings in turn have touched off a significant debate between human rights organizations and major Islamic groups about freedom of religion and belief.

Deprived of all rights as an organized religious community since 1960, Egyptian Bahá'ís are facing an immediate crisis over government efforts to deny them all-important identification cards. The ID cards are required by law and are essential for access to employment, education, and medical and financial services, as well as freedom of movement and security of property.
(View August 2005 Report by the Bahá'í International Community)

At the heart of the current situation is a government policy that forces Bahá'ís to either lie about their religion and illegally falsify their religious affiliation—or go without ID cards, which currently require that a person choose either Islam, Christianity, or Judaism, which are the three officially recognized religions in Egypt.

The crisis facing the Bahá'í community gained international attention after a 4 April 2006 ruling by a three-judge Administrative Court which held that Government efforts to deprive Bahá'ís of ID cards were illegal, and upheld the right of the Bahá'í plaintiffs to state their religion on official documents.
(View Court Ruling: English/Arabic)

While Egyptian human rights groups immediately hailed the decision, conservative Islamic organizations—including scholars at Al Azhar University and representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood—urged the government to file an appeal. Media attention on the case has been intense, and more than 400 articles, stories, commentaries and programs have appeared in the Egyptian and Arabic news media about the case or its fallout since the initial ruling.

On 16 December, the Supreme Administrative Court upheld the government’s position in the case, issuing an 11-page ruling that focused largely on the theology of the Bahá'í Faith rather than on legal issues surrounding the rights of Bahá'ís to be treated like other Egyptians citizens under international law.
(View the Supreme Administrative Court Ruling: Arabic/English)

The controversy promises to continue unabated, despite the Supreme Administrative Court’s ruling. A number of groups, inside and outside of Egypt, have continued to raise questions about the situation of Egyptian Bahá'ís. In March, for example, the US State Department released its annual human rights report, and the section on Egypt noted that members of the Bahá'í Faith have "experienced personal and collective hardship" in the absence of religious freedom for them.

As well, several other legal cases concerning ID cards for Bahá'ís are working their way through Egypt’s administrative court system. One such case, for example, concerns a twin brother and sister who have been denied birth certificates, necessary for enrollment in school, because their parents refuse to falsely identify them as Muslims. Lawyers working on their behalf have asked the courts for a ruling that would allow them merely to leave the religious affiliation field blank, or to adopt some similar measure. The next hearing on that case has been set for 3 July 2007.

Here follows a chronology of events since last April, when the ground-breaking ruling by the administrative court brought widespread attention to the situation of Egyptian Bahá'ís and their struggle for religious freedom. Cont....

Banned Film Gets Prominent Media Coverage in Egypt

Yesterday, 16 June 2007, AlMasry AlYoum Egyptian newspaper reported on the banning of a documentary film that has exposed the human rights crisis facing the Baha'is of Egypt.

The article, written by Muhammad Abd El-Khaleq Mussahel, states the following:

Banning of Documentary Film Regarding the Baha'is in Egypt

[State] Security authorities banned the release of a new documentary film regarding the Baha'is in Egypt. It prevented attempts of spreading its viewing and advertising it. The forbidden film is entitled "Identity Crisis Between My Religion or My Country: The Baha'i Quagmire in Egypt."

The Film's promotional clips, which were posted on the "Baha'i Faith in Egypt" site, begin with a thickly bearded man, referred to in the film as one of the opposing Islamist lawyers, who was present at the 16 December 2006 session of the [Supreme] Administrative Court that issued a ruling against the Baha'is. This was when [he] was talking about the special punishment reserved for those that tarnish the land, requesting its application on the Baha'is, represented in death, Crucifixion, amputating their hands and legs, or exiling [them from earth].

Following the publication of this newspaper article, several sites reported on its content, including "U.S. Copts Association" and "Misryon [Egyptians] Against Religious Discrimination (MARED)."

The promotion for the film, produced by the independent documentary film maker, Ahmed Ezzat, which was posted previously on 6 June 2007, is included again below. As soon as the entire film becomes available, an announcement to that effect will be posted here.

Canada an Advocate for the Baha'is of Iran & Egypt

A recent article published on the website of "the Baha'i Community of Canada", on 30 April 2007, describes a recent meeting between two officials representing the Canadian Baha'i Community and the Honourable Peter MacKay, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding the critical situation currently facing the Baha'is of Iran and Egypt. The Canadian Community's website is linked here, and a copy of the article is reprinted below:

Bahá'í representatives meet with Foreign Affairs Minister on serious situation in Iran and Egypt

OTTAWA, ON, 30 April 2007 (CBNS) -- The Honourable Peter MacKay, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with two Bahá'í representatives on 16 April 2007 to discuss the deteriorating situation of the Bahá'ís in Iran and Egypt.

Karen McKye, Secretary-General of the Bahá'í Community of Canada, and Susanne Tamas, Director of the Bahá'í community's Office of Governmental Relations, briefed the Minister on recent developments that point to systematic attempts on the part of Iranian and Egyptian authorities to suppress the rights of their countries' Bahá'í communities.

The meeting followed on efforts by local Bahá'í representatives in the past year to inform their Members of Parliament of the accumulating evidence of the Iranian government's strategy to slowly suffocate its country's largest religious minority.

Recent developments include actions on the part of Iranian officials to expel the few Bahá'í students registered to attend university this year (see story), the harassment of Iranian Bahá'í schoolchildren in classrooms (see story), and a ruling by Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court that makes it impossible for Bahá'ís to receive identification cards without lying about their faith (see story).

These development follow in turn on other indicators of increased persecution to the Bahá'í community of Iran, including short-term arrests (see story), the official listing and monitoring of Bahá'ís and their activities (see story), and a wave of spurious attacks on the Bahá'í Faith in government-controlled media (see story).

Yet Another Documentary Film on Egyptian Baha'is

Al Fanar for Media Production, an Egyptian commercial film company has just completed a full feature documentary, in Arabic, on the Baha'is of Egypt. This objective film, entitled "Baha'is and Egyptians" deals with the principles of the Baha'i Faith, its origin, its history and introduction into Egypt, as well as all the challenges it faced in that land. It also investigates and reports the recent crisis facing the Egyptian Baha'is, being deprived of government-issued ID cards, with the punitive consequences affecting their daily living. The film also covers in great detail the Baha'i teachings for humanity, its laws and its independent distinguishing features.

An obviously somber short promo for the film is posted below. It depicts the sense of suffering and oppression currently experienced by the Egyptian Baha'is. In it, one can see some Egyptian Baha'is chanting a prayer in dignity, clips of interviews with individual Baha'is, with some who support them and with some of those who oppose and insult the Baha'is of Egypt. It ends with an Egyptian Baha'i praying in the privacy of his home.

In spite of the oppression, these citizens clearly remain firm in their belief and resolute in their determination to ultimately obtain all the rights due to them, according to the guarantees of Egypt's constitution.

As soon as information on how to obtain the full feature film (DVD) become available, it will be posted here.



The Promotional segment can also be seen here....

UC Berkeley: Resolution on Human Rights in Egypt

The ground breaking legal blog "Seeking Justice" has just published a post entitled "UC Berkeley Graduate Assembly Passes Resolution About Human Rights in Egypt."

The post reads, In May of 2007, the UC Berkeley Graduate Assembly passed a resolution expressing serious concern regarding the denial of basic human rights to religious minorities in Egypt. In a letter to the Ambassador of Egypt to the UN, the president of the Graduate Assembly, Mr. Joshua R. Daniels, writing on behalf of the graduate students, expressed its hope that “the government of Egypt, a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will afford all its citizenry the basic civil rights all people deserve, including the right to education, irrespective of religion.” The text of the letter is included below:



Dear Mr. Ambassador:

I write to inform you that the Graduate Assembly at the University of California, Berkeley recently passed a resolution expressing its deep concern regarding the situation facing religious minorities in Egypt.

It has come to our attention that religious minorities in Egypt, due to their inability to obtain state ID cards, are denied access to rights of basic citizenship, including the right to education. Since Egypt requires all citizens to list their religious affiliation on state ID cards only offers three officially recognized religions—Islam, Christianity or Judaism—as options, members of religious minorities, including members of the Bahá’í community, are effectively forced to go without ID cards. These ID cards are the key to accessing most rights of citizenship such as education.

The Graduate Assembly, in support of all graduate students in Egypt, extends its hopes that the government of Egypt, a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, will afford all its citizenry the basic civil rights all people deserve, including the right to education, irrespective of religion.

Sincerely,

Joshua R. Daniels, President of the Graduate Assembly

This is indeed a righteous and courageous call for justice issued by the graduate assembly of the University of California Berkeley, a preeminent educational institution that is known for its tradition of academic superiority and activism in favour of free and just society.

Just Released: Documentary Film on Baha'is of Egypt

An independent Egyptian film maker, named Ahmed Ezzat, has just released a documentary on the struggle of the Egyptian Baha'is. The film, banned by the Egyptian authorities, is entitled "Identity Crisis [My Religion or My Country]: The Baha'i Quagmire in Egypt."

Below is the promotional segment for the film. The fully bearded man at the start of the promo was one of the hostile Islamist attorneys present at the 16 December 2006 Supreme Administrative Court session which ruled against the Baha'is. Others in the promo, in addition to a couple of Baha'is, are: prominent sympathetic bloggers and human rights activists, and another Islamist calling for killing the Baha'is. Details as to how to acquire the film in its entirety will follow.

Update:
Award winning Global Voices Online picks up the story here....

Egyptian Blogger & Activist Releases Video on Human Rights

The well-known Egyptian blogger and human rights activist Nora Younis has just published a video regarding human rights violations in Egypt (produced by free kareem campaign). The video also specifically referred to the imprisonment and torture of bloggers and the violation of religious freedoms of the Baha'is in Egypt, giving the example of Baha'is paying taxes but deprived of their rights. She published the video on this site and this site. You may also view the video here as well.

One Country: Award-Winning Magazine

ONE COUNTRY, the award-winning newsletter of the Bahá'í International Community, first appeared in English in 1989 and is now published in five other languages - French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and German. Each issue contains two or three in-depth feature stories on the United Nations, noteworthy social and economic development projects, environmental efforts or educational programs, along with an editorial that addresses world problems from a Bahá'í point of view. In 1997 One Country launched its Web site which contains all the English issues of the newsletter published over the past three years. A French online version can also be viewed at this link....

In its printed format, ONE COUNTRY is published quarterly. Each 16-page issue contains two or three in-depth feature stories on the United Nations, noteworthy social and economic development projects, environmental efforts or educational programs, along with an editorial that addresses world problems from a Bahá'í point of view. It is published in English, French, Chinese, Russian, German and Spanish, and is currently mailed to more than 30,000 readers in more than 170 countries.

If you are affiliated with the United Nations or another international organization, are involved in government or international development work, are an academic or a researcher, or are a representative of the news media, you may qualify for a free subscription to ONE COUNTRY.

The magazine includes topics such as: development, education, environment, global prosperity, human rights, perspectives, profiles, reviews, women and the United Nations. It exemplifies some of the main goals of the Baha'i Faith with its contributions to socioeconomic development and active involvement in substantial world affairs that promote the progress and prosperity of humankind.

During the past year ONE COUNTRY featured several major stories regarding the progress of the struggle of the Baha'is of Egypt. In this post links to four of these important articles are provided. In order to read the full stories, simply click on each picture of the articles shown here.

Subscription Information
To subscribe to the printed version you can write to our main address:

ONE COUNTRY Bahá'í International Community
866 United Nations Plaza
Suite 120
New York, NY 10017 USA
Phone: 212-803-2543
Fax: 212-803-2566
email: onecountry@bic.org

ONE COUNTRY Editorial Staff
The editorial staff of ONE COUNTRY is composed of:

Executive Editor: Douglas Moore

Editor: Brad Pokorny

Associate Editors:
Vladimir Chupin (Moscow)
Christine Samandari (Paris)
Kong Siew Huat (Macau)
Arezu Braun (Germany)

Production Assistant: Veronica Shoffstall
Information Systems: Thane Terrill

Amnesty International 2007 Report Cites Baha’i Case

In its 2007 report released on 23 May, Amnesty International (AI) cited the discrimination against the Baha'is of Egypt and Iran in three components of its report. Under the section on “Middle East and North Africa” in the paragraph entitled "Discrimination," it stated: “In Iran, members of the Arab, Azerbaijani, Kurdish and Baluchi minorities were increasingly restive in the face of continuing discrimination and repression, while members of religious minorities - Baha'is, Nematollahi Sufis and Christians - were detained or harassed on account of their faith. Baha'is were also subject to discrimination in Egypt, where they were required to present themselves as members of other faiths in order to obtain official documents such as identity cards and birth certificates.”

Under the section on “Egypt” in its introductory paragraphs entitled "Background" it reported the following: “In December, the Supreme Administrative Court overturned an earlier decision by an Administrative Court in April 2006 which recognized the right of Egypt's Baha'is to be certified as Baha'is on official documentation. This followed an appeal by the Ministry of Interior. The decision of the Supreme Administrative Court meant that Baha'is must register themselves as Muslims, Christians or Jews if they wish to obtain official documents such as birth and death certificates and identity cards.”

In the section on "Iran" under the heading entitled "Religious minorities" it stated: "Sixty-five Baha'is were detained during 2006 and five remained held at the end of the year. In March Mehran Kawsari was released early from his three-year prison sentence imposed in connection with an open letter sent to the then President in November 2004.

In March, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief expressed concern about an October 2005 letter instructing various government agencies to identify, and collect information about, Baha'is in Iran."

At the conclusion of the report on "Egypt" under the heading "Visits" it describes the investigations and actions taken by Amnesty International as follows: "AI delegates visited Cairo in July and December to attend conferences and in September an AI delegation, headed by the Secretary-General, had meetings in Cairo with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and with the Minister of Interior and other Egyptian government officials."

This annual report caught the attention of Egyptian media. Cairo's Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, in its attached 24 May 2007 issue, published an article with photographs describing in details the violations documented by Amnesty International. The article included all the violations cited in the AI report. The 2007 Amnesty International report in Arabic can be seen here.

To my knowledge, this is the first time the struggle of the Baha'is of Egypt is addressed by Amnesty International in its investigative reports. It did report on the Baha'is of Iran before as can be seen in its 2006 report linked here. It is hoped that this initiative will assist those affected in obtaining all their rights due to them by their own government, and that violations of individual rights continue to be brought out in plain sight for the whole world to witness and be conscious of. This organization is to be congratulated on its efforts on behalf of those who are persecuted, their dignity violated, tortured or treated unjustly.

The UN & Human Rights: "You Can't Blame the Institution...."

Louise Fréchette, a former UN deputy secretary-general, says that the UN's members, rather than the world body, are creating the farcical situations.

"You can't blame the institution, you have to look at its international dynamics," says Fréchette, a distinguished fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

The above statements were published in the Toronto Star on 18 May 2007 in an article discussing the recent election of Egypt, along with other nations, to the newly formed 14 seats, Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council, replacing the politically-charged UN Human Rights Commission.

The article, quite eloquently, shows that instead of blaming the institution of the United Nations, such outcome merits a closer look at its membership and that: the Human Rights Council election "shows we don't have a strong international consensus on human rights."
For the full story, please click here....

Egypt & Human Rights: Is the Fox Guarding the Henhouse?

Yesterday, the General Assembly of the United Nations announced the election of 14 countries to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Among these nations Egypt was elected with 168 votes. According to the sixty-first General Assembly Plenary, 97th Meeting public information release: out of the 192 member nations of the General Assembly, a minimum of 97 votes are required for providing a "majority" vote necessary for election to the Council.

As this blog has been illustrating since it was introduced approximately a year ago, Egypt has clearly shown its violation of the human and civil rights of its Baha'i religious minority by depriving this group of its citizens of their identity documents necessary for their essential needs of daily living, thus grossly violating their citizenship rights.

Just a few days before that vote, 19 Egyptian Human Rights NGOs have written a letter to the United Nations protesting the inclusion of Egypt in the upcoming vote for the UN's Human Rights Council. It is interesting though to note that this has been entirely ignored by the voting nations, and Egypt got elected to the Council by many more votes than the required minimum for a majority vote. The full text of this letter can be seen at this link in English & (Arabic) and is quoted below:

19 Egyptian Human Rights NGOs Appeal to the United Nations: Egypt is Not Fit for Membership of the UN Human Rights Council
14/5/2007

The undersigned NGOs would like to express their surprise that the Egyptian government is applying for membership of the United Nations Human Rights Council and their amazement at the falsifications of the government’s true stance on human rights included in such application. This is especially true in the light of the infringement the Egyptian government in the last few years on legislative and constitutional safeguards of human rights, as well as their practices that fly in the face of the most basic human rights principles and values.

The undersigned call on the Member States of the UN General Assembly to uphold their commitments expressed upon the establishment of the Human Rights Council, which require that they take into consideration the human rights record of the nominated states when electing its members.

The undersigned assure that the credibility and competence of the Council depend on electing members with a sense of responsibility towards the international human rights standards and commitments. Incorporating states that are known for their severe hostility towards human rights, their blatant flouting of international standards and non cooperation with the UNHR treaty bodies and its special Rapporteurs would undermine the credibility of the Council. It would hamper its role in improving human rights conditions, not only in the Arab region but also worldwide.

The undersigned would like to point out the reports by local NGOs in Egypt, as well as those by regional and international organisations, by United Nations committees and UN human rights rapporteurs. All such reports place Egypt among the worst states for disregarding human rights. The Egyptian government’s record is full of serious human rights violations that have been practiced widely for long years. Moreover, Egypt is internationally recognised as a “not free state” and is deemed to “have a not free press.”

Despite the Egyptian government’s effort in the last few years to improve their image before the world, hard facts belie these efforts; they even indicate more deterioration in the last two years. It suffices here to point out the following:

First: the persistence of brutal torture in the various places of detention, and the impunity of perpetrators of torture especially in political cases. Both local and international organisations (including the United Nations CAT) have previously reaffirmed that torture in Egypt has become a systematic and routine practice.

Second: the persistence of arbitrary detention, given the continued state of emergency since 1981. The numbers of detainees are considered to be in the thousands, some of them have been detained (without being charged or tried) for more than ten years.

Third: trying civilians before military courts and denying them their right to be brought before a competent judge. This included referring a member of parliament of the opposition to military trial and sentencing him for one year in prison because of his expressed opinions.

Fourth: harassing non-governmental organisations and restricting their activities. The latest of such instances took place a few days ago when the offices of the Centre for Trade Union and Worker Services were shut down. Previously, the office of the El-Nadim Centre for the Psychological Rehabilitation of Victims of Torture and Violence were broken into and searched. This is in addition to the daily and heavy-handed interventions by the government in the affairs of NGOs. Such interventions include vetoing nominees to their boards of directors, denying them permission to receive foreign grants or accept local donations, and refusing to register new NGOs. Lately the Ministry made public their intention to make yet more restrictive amendments to the authoritarian Law on Associations currently in force.

Fifth: widening the scope of criminalisation in cases involving opinion and publication, and upholding the custodial penalties in such cases. This has led lately to issuing a prison sentence against an Egyptian producer at Al-Jazeera channel who made a documentary exposing torture in Egypt. Also, an Egyptian blogger was sentenced to four years in prison under the charge of derision of religion and insulting the President, in the context of a wider harassment of bloggers carried out by the security services. This is in addition to a number of newspaper editors who currently stand before court for their alleged insult of the President.

Sixth: the continued rigging of elections and doctoring the returns of representative elections and popular referendums, as well as punishing judges who exposed the rigging. Moreover, the constitutional amendments passed by the government last month will enable more of the same manipulation of the will of the electorate.

Seventh: suppressing the right to peaceful demonstration and assembly, which was epitomised in the savage massacre of the Sudanese refugees who had organised a sit-in in one of the squares of Cairo in December 2005. The attack on the refugees claimed the lives of around thirty of them. The United Nations has recently called for an inquiry into this massacre, and the government refused. There is also the example of the physical assault and blatant sexual harassment used against female demonstrators and journalists who were protesting against the amendments of the constitution in 25 May 2005. These events, documented by human rights NGOs, constitute the basis of a case that is currently being examined by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Eighth: amending the constitution last March in a way as to allow the security services to free their hands from the constitutional guarantees that protect the rights to freedom and security of person, prohibit breaking into and searching homes without a judicial warrant, protect the right to privacy, and prohibit surveillance of mail and tapping phone calls. In this way the new amendments entrench the foundations of the police state.

Ninth: increasing pressures on the freedom of belief, and the rise in discriminatory practices based on religion that are sometimes based on constitutional or legislative provisions or court rulings.

Tenth: increasing pressures on the independence of the judiciary and widening the scope of exceptional courts, especially military courts, which are accountable to the executive.

Finally, the undersigned NGOs realise that the chances of making an objective choice for the membership of the UN Human Rights Council from among the Arab countries are almost nonexistent, given that most of the governments of those countries, perhaps with the exception of Morocco, Lebanon and Mauritania, are considered among the worst in the world in their disregard of human rights standards.

Despite the difficulties that this will involve for the UN General Assembly, we believe that voting for the Egyptian government would imply an encouragement for it and similar governments to persist in their practices against human rights.


1. Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
2. The Human Rights Center for the Assistance of Prisoners
3. Arab Penal Reform Organization
4. Hisham Moubarak Law Center
5. Association for Human Rights Legal Aid
6. the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
7. The Egyptian Association For Community Participation Enhancement
8. The New Woman Association
9. The Center for Trade Union and Workers' Services
10. Al-Nadim Centre for Psychological Therapy and Rehabilitation of the Victims of Violence
11. Egyptian Organization Against Torture
12. Habi Center for Environmental Rights
13. The Arab program for Human Rights Activists
14. Land Center for Human Rights
15. Shumuu For Human Rights and Care of disabled and Community Development
16. Andalus Institue for Tolerance and Anti Violence Studies
17. Egyptian Association for Supporting Democratic Development
18. The Center for Alternative Development Studies
19. the Group for Democratic Development

Exactly...That's What Freedom of Belief is All About!

Brian Whitaker of the Guardian newspaper wrote a very interesting column on 18 December 2006 regarding the case of the Baha'is in Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court that was ruled on two days before.

The article, entitled "Losing their religion: In Egypt, computerised ID cards are providing the latest source of discrimination against members of the Baha'i faith" described the history of the case very clearly and objectively, it spoke of the judgement itself and its consequences. He then quoted the words of an Egyptian blogger who described the scene at the court when the ruling was read. In order to read this accurate and vivid account, please click to see the column on this link....

Whitaker concluded his column, under the section named "comment is free," by quoting Muhammad Abdel Hafez, a columnist on Egypt's al-Gomhouriya newspaper, who has also been fulminating against the Baha'is, wrote: "If Bahaism is officially recognised, worshippers of cows, the sun and fire will want to jump on the bandwagon." Addressing this comment, Whitaker wrote: "Exactly. That's what freedom of belief is all about."

Bahá’ís in Egypt Pay Taxes—But Are Deprived of Civil Rights

On 9 may 2007, Al-Ahaly Egyptian newspaper published an interview with Dr. Basma Moussa, a professor at Cairo University’s Faculty of Dentistry and an Egyptian Baha’i.

Instead of translating the article, the following are my conclusions based on the information provided in that interview:

There must be separation between citizenship and belief—they cannot be interconnected. Each Egyptian citizen must be entitled to ALL citizenship rights. Presently, all Egyptian Bahá’ís are deprived of their citizenship rights simply because of their belief. They are denied government-issued ID cards which are a necessity in order to continue to live in Egypt as a human being. Nothing in normal daily living can be accomplished without these ID cards.

Egyptian Bahá’ís have always served their country and fellow citizens with absolute loyalty and sincerity. As law-abiding citizens, they have always had contributed to their society in professions, sciences, commerce and fine arts. One of the members of the community, Mr. Hussein Bikar has been recognized as a national treasure and awarded the highest prize in the land: President Mubarak’s Prize in Fine Arts.

In Egypt, it appears to be perfectly acceptable for the government to force the Bahá’ís to pay taxes like all other citizens, but seems to have no hesitation in depriving them of all their civil rights and all services due to them. The authorities cannot demand taxation from Bahá’ís with nothing in return. Is there any justice in this? This fact alone raises a very big question! One would expect that ID cards (and the national ID number) must be used in order to pay taxes!

Meanwhile, a misguided Human Rights Committee of the Egyptian Parliament just announced the outcome of its deliberations regarding the ID card issue. In an article published in the front page of Al-Dostour Al-Youmy Egyptian newspaper on 8 May 2007, the decision of that committee of the parliament was revealed, announcing that it has denied the entry of any religion on ID cards other than the three recognized “divine” religions in Egypt, i.e. Islam, Christianity & Judaism. It also refused to eliminate religious classification from Egyptian ID cards, quoting the usual baseless reservations and rhetoric regarding personal status laws (addressed in the previous post dated 9 May 2007). Thus affirming the denial of ID cards to the Bahá’ís and any other “unrecognized” religious groups in Egypt.

Here again, is another blow to human and civil rights in Egypt, disrupting hopes for progress and tolerance and depriving Egypt from a stable, more humane and progressive society.

It is worth noting that one’s religion is only in one’s heart and is the individual’s private and personal affair. Simply stating the religion of a person on a piece of paper or a plastic card cannot truly reflect the person’s true feelings, conscience or beliefs. On the other hand, no one should ever be placed in a position to have to lie about his or her own belief or religion in order to satisfy some arcane laws that dictate the religions which can be the only ones entered in ID cards and official documents.

Egyptian Newspaper on ID Cards & Religious Classification

On 8 May 2007, Al-Dostour Al-Youmy (The Daily Constitution) Egyptian newspaper published a very well thought out and researched article on the crisis of religious classification in Egyptian ID cards, written by Ihab Abdel-Hamid. The article had the heading of “Why Does the Government Want to Know the ‘Religion’ of its Citizen?” It addresses issues affecting the Bahá’ís as well as Christians who had converted to Islam and want to return to Christianity, particularly in cases when a father did so (convert to Islam) without the knowledge of his son and as his son—who considers himself a Christian—reaches the age of 16 at which he is required to obtain an ID card, he is suddenly confronted with rejection and losing legal battles. Recently the Egyptian Administrative Court ruled in favor of the Ministry of Interior, disallowing the entry of “Christian” on ID cards for Egyptians who wanted to return to Christianity.

The writer also indicates that even Sudan, who follows Shar'iah law, does not have religious classification on ID cards. He describes how religious and ethnic identification on ID cards had led to genocide as happened in Nazi Germany and in Rwanda, when nearly one million individuals were killed in one week, by the “Hutu,” just because their ID cards showed “Tutsi.” Also in Lebanon when killing was based on religious identification until 1997 when all fighting factions of the civil war finally realized that there must be an end to such discrimination and removed religious classification from ID cards altogether, thus their entire population became as equal citizens. Even when some authoritarian elements in Pakistan wanted to add religion to their ID cards in 1992, the opposition turned that initiative down.

Egypt has always defended its policy of including religion in ID cards as a necessity for personal status laws regarding marriage, divorce and inheritance. He referred to this as a week argument and excuse since marriage is never a simple matter, in which each party gets to know the other very well before going through with it. It is not such an irresponsible act in which one party easily deceives the other as to his or her religious identity. ID cards are not the “simple” answer to such commitment. In this case he also gave the example of the millions of Muslims living in a country such as France (with no religion on ID cards), surrounded by millions more of Christians…that does not seem to pose any difficulties in going through with any of the required arrangements, and the parents of Muslim women do not seem to have any problem in identifying appropriate suitors for their daughters.

He indicated that having religious classification in ID cards violated the Egyptian laws and the constitution. He referred (according to Attorney Mamdouh Nakhla) specifically to Personal Status Laws # 260 of 1990 and # 142 of 1994—neither of which has any clauses requiring religious classification on ID cards, nor was there any mention of such requirement in the Egyptian constitution. He then referred to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which states “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

The author presented a very well argued case for finding a solution for this very critical situation. He asks the question: “what do we do with the Bahá’ís and what do we do for the Christians who want to return to Christianity?” He referred to the absurd statements made by some radical Egyptian legislators who said that Bahá’ís should be thrown into the sea [the Nile]! He then stressed the need to continue dialogue [not to forget this problem while absorbed in the many other serious problems facing Egypt] and find a solution for this important citizenship right. He asked at the conclusion of the article: “or is it the right of the Christian majority in America, for example, to throw all Muslims into the sea?”

Another Insightful Post in "Seeking Justice"

A critical legal question was just raised yesterday in a post published on "Seeking Justice" blog. It addresses Egypt's legal responsibility to uphold its obligations to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which it is a co-signatory. The post quotes articles 2 & 18 of the Covenant and analysis their meaning. It then emphasizes Egypt's obligations of being a party to that Covenant and the impact of such obligations on the current Baha'i crisis in Egypt. In order to learn more about this particular issue, please click here....