Summary

The U.S. Embassy’s International Religious Freedom Report addressed the conditions of Baha’is in Egypt and the clear discrimination they face, whether in terms of documenting marriage contracts or allocating land for their own cemeteries. Additionally, the Supreme Administrative Court issued a recent ruling that prevents changing the religion field on national ID cards until a final decision is issued by the court.

Country:

Egypt

Date:

September 2024

Details

The U.S. Embassy’s International Religious Freedom Report addressed the conditions of Baha’is in Egypt and the clear discrimination they face, whether in terms of documenting marriage contracts or allocating land for their own cemeteries. Additionally, the Supreme Administrative Court issued a recent ruling that prevents changing the religion field on national ID cards until a final decision is issued by the court.

The report pointed out that the Egyptian Ministry of Interior issues national ID cards to citizens that include only the official religious categories: “Muslim,” “Christian,” or “Jewish.” Meanwhile, the U.S. government estimates the Baha’i population in Egypt to range between 1,000 and 2,000 people.

Additionally, the Supreme Administrative Court issued a recent judicial ruling, with its reasoning filed on July 15, which suspends a lawsuit filed by a citizen seeking to change his religion from Christianity to Islam on his national ID card. This suspension will remain in place until the Supreme Constitutional Court rules on a case it has been hearing since 2008, concerning the constitutionality of the provision allowing religious changes in the Civil Status Law. Based on this ruling, all requests for religious changes on national ID cards are on hold, pending the Supreme Constitutional Court’s decision.

In June, ARIJ published an investigation entitled “Baha’is in Egypt: Citizens Without Rights” documenting the sufferings of followers of Baha’is religion in Egypt. These begin from birth and continue till the day Baha’is die, when judicial rulings mean they have no assigned burial grounds. They are rejected by society, face difficulties in getting married, working and studying, and lose their rights to inheritance in what amounts to discrimination that violates both the constitution and the law.