Three months after the landmark ruling, allowing the minority Baha’i community to obtain official papers, Baha’is in Egypt continue to face difficulties in procuring the important documents.

Teenage twins Imad and Nancy Raouf Hindi, as well as other Baha’is have so far been unable to obtaining the documents, states the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights.

Hossam Bahgat, head of the EIPR, was optimistic because the government hadn’t appealed the ruling, but expressed disappointment that the process of change was taking long.

We are encouraged by the positive signal that they did not appeal. But we think that all the necessary changes should not take three months,”

To read the EIPR report, click here.

For decades, Baha’is in the region were (and still are) met with threats, imprisonment, death and the denial of their basic human rights. And in no place has the abuse been more pronounced as in Iran - the birth place of the faith.

In 1983, ABC produced a short documentary highlighting the perils facing Baha’is in Iran. That was a dark era in the history of Iran, marked with an oppressive crackdown on Baha’is and other religious minorities. Sadly, the repression continues to this day.

We at the MNBR have translated the video to Arabic, in an effort to raise awareness about the peaceful nature of the Baha’i faith, the abuse innocent Baha’is face, and promote dialogue.

Mideast Youth, which is the independent organization behind The Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights, has just launched Global Village TV (GVTV).

GVTV is a dynamic, educational platform, co-created by Baha’is and Muslims working hand in hand to cultivate an interfaith community.

For the past few months, we have been working diligently on this initiative, in hopes that it would contribute to improving and advancing serious interfaith.

We realized that in many forums, in the process of interfaith, the Baha’i Faith, Yezidi faith, and many other religions are left out. This community aims to change that.

Please help us spread the word about GVTV. The growth and success of this project relies on your support and participation!

www.globalvillagetv.org

After the recent news about the draft law in Iran that would lead to further discrimination against Baha’is and other religious minorities, yet more bad news emerges from Iran.

Baha’is in Shiraz are subjected to systematic persecution by a group that calls itself Sarbazan Gumnam Imam Zaman (the unknown soldiers of the Lord of the Age). On the 17th of March Baha’i living in Shiraz received accusing Baha’is of being infidels and spies for infidel. The letter (translated from Persian) further threatens him and 8 other Baha’is with public execution.

Therefore, in accordance with the research conducted by the Sarbazan Gumnam [the Unknown Soldiers] of the Imam Zaman, established in the city of the martyred at the altar, Ayatollah Dastghayb, you and eight other infidels [i.e. Baha’is] are condemned to revolutionary execution which will be soon carried out publicly.

Two days later, as he was opening the door of his car, he was approached by a man with a gallon size container, asking him for fuel for his vehicle. After providing the man with gas from his tank, the Baha’i (whose name is withheld) was surprised to find himself overtaken by two men.

[They carried] me to a nearby tree where they chained me and secured it with a lock around my neck. They then poured gasoline all over me.

The first person quickly went to his car and got in. The second person struck a match and threw it towards me. But it did not light. The second match died when struck. The third match struck my clothes and extinguished. The fourth and final match fell near my foot and while it was lit, I put it out with my shoe.

At that point, he too ran away and got into the car and together they disappeared.

After his numerous requests for help from passersby were ignored, the man managed to reach for his cell phone and call for the emergency services. Half an hour later, the police arrived and he was taken to the station a report was filed.

Unfortunately it seems that Egypt is following the footsteps of Iran.

From the Baha’i Faith in Egypt blog:

Kholoud Hafez Abdou is a 17 years old Egyptian student who, like all other students in her stage of education, must sit for the final exams that allow her to graduate from high school and enter university education.

Students are required to enter their religion on the application form necessary for admission to the examination. Based on the documentation in her birth certificate, Kholoud entered “Baha’i.” The high school system’s admissions administrator located in the central office rejected her application because she entered “Baha’i” and prevented her from sitting for her final exams.

Read the full entry here.

This should be strongly condemned by us Muslims. There’s really no good reason why such minorities are allowed to suffer simply because of who they are. The Baha’i community in Egypt are harmless, accepting, and willing to coexist. To discriminate against them because of their different faith is unjust.

This is sad to hear after this uplifting news that human rights for Egyptian Baha’is were finally being recognized after many years of struggles, humiliation and abuse. Unfortunately it seems that Baha’is still have a long way to go in Egypt until they are finally accepted and treated as normal citizens in the country.

Dear Baha’i friends, we’ll be with you every step of the way until your rights are fully achieved! Please stay strong and hopeful.

We received an unfortunate e-mail this morning:

Last night, Feb 25, the Dana family in Shiraz, which consisted of four believers, came together for the evening meal. As they began dinner, the sound of breaking glass and then a loud explosion rocked the house. Soon the entrance of the house was engulfed in flames and the roar of a motorbike speeding away was heard. The Dana family immediately started bringing buckets of water and pouring it over the fire, while the glass in all windows were being shattered because of the intense heat. Meanwhile, the family called the police and reported the terrorist attack. After some time, despite broken glass throughout the house, the fire was brought under control and by midnight the police arrived. Evidences of a Molotov cocktail were evident and collected.

Attached report in Persian includes pictures of this firebombing and the shameful and coward act of terrorism.

Please download the report here.

Here are relevant pictures of this brutal incident:

This site hasn’t been updated not due to lack of interest or awareness on recent Baha’i cases but rather because we are working on a big and time-consuming project relevant to this website and hope to be announcing it here soon. Please stay tuned!

In a breakthrough verdict, Cairo’s Administrative Court issued a ruling to allow Baha’is to leave their religious affiliation field blank on official documents. This in effect would allow them access to education, health care and allow them to enjoy their rights as citizens.

The verdicts were handed down in the cases of the teenage twins Imad and Nancy Raouf Hindi, who have been prohibited from obtaining birth certificates, and Hussein Hosni Abdel-Massih who was suspended from university due to his inability to obtain military service postponement letters.

Baha’i Faith in Egypt has provided a roundup of coverage on this landmark ruling.

Let us hope that this is the beginning of a new chapter for human rights in Egypt

It is with great disappointment and outrage that we republish the news of the 54 Baha’is who were arrested, simply for being Baha’i!

According to RTTNews:

Iran has sentenced three members of the Bahai faith to four years in jail and 51 others to suspended prison terms in the southern city of Shiraz for propaganda against the Islamic Revolutionary system, a judiciary spokesman said, without giving details.

The authorities said the defendants were proselytizing in the southern city of Shiraz under the cover of helping the poor when they were arrested early last year.

Helping the poor is apparently propaganda!

This is horrible and deeply threatening news for the Baha’i community in Iran. Our thoughts and prayers are with these innocent prisoners and their families.

It is imperative that we Muslims, Baha’is, Christians, Jews all alike protest this great injustice that has occurred in the name of interfaith, tolerance, justice, and coexistence. Please do what you can to spread the word and help out.

From the European’s Parliament’s official website:

The Copts, the Baha’i, the Shiites, the Koranists and members of other religious minorities are still sadly crippled by sectarian isolation.

Current media coverage:

- EU lawmakers adopt text criticising Egypt’s rights record

- Cairo rejects EU resolution on human rights in Egypt

- Egypt calls in European ambassadors over rights resolution

- Egypt summons EU envoys over rights motion