Dr. Basma G. Moussa, a leading Egyptian Baha’i blogger, and Assistant Professor at the prestigious Cairo University, wrote an article for the left-leaning El Badeel Newspaper on the discrimination adherents of the faith are met with in Egypt. Entitled “The Department of Civil Status Leads the Discrimination Against Baha’is”, the article is a forceful and compelling reminder of the importance of protecting the individual rights of citizens, regardless of race, gender or beliefs. For, as Dr. Moussa eloquently states, not guaranteeing these rights can weaken feelings of citizenship, thus creating opportunities for sectarianism to surface, and a return to the ignorant tendencies of the past.

Despite the January 29 ruling, the Department of Civil Status has shown signs of willingness to alter its position, justifying it by resorting to fatwas (religious edicts) that claim there are only three divine religions.

We at the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights share Dr. Moussa’s amazement and confusion at the Department’s rationale, and strongly condemn this injustice.

Islamists in Egypt have long posed a hurdle to efforts aimed at granting Baha’i citizens equal rights. Now a more chilling development has ensued, with the news that the Ministry of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) has begun distributing a book titled “The Baha’i Faith and the Stance of Islam” to all mosques.

This publication has not strayed from its predecessors, with its reiteration of baseless claims of Zionist support and covert attempts at weakening Muslims.

The book further went on stress the importance of meeting the Baha’i faith and all similar “intellectual epidemics” that diverge from Islam with firmness, and called on the state to invest all its efforts in combatting and uprooting them from society.

We at the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights fervently condemn the publication of this book, that would lead to further violence and hatred against the innocent Baha’i minority in Egypt. It is incumbent on Muslims not only in Egypt, but across the globe to rise and say enough! Enough to all the hatred, enough to all the violence, enough to all the injustice.

Reach out and make an effort to educate yourself on the Baha’is and their faith, and most importantly, respect their humanity.

Baha’is in Egypt and Iran are being denied their right to education. Why? Simply because of their faith. On the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights, we have written about the discrimination that Egyptian Baha’is have been receiving, which right now is comparable to what Iran has been putting its Baha’i students through for decades.

Inspired by these human rights abuses we have created a comic to raise awareness on the absurdity of this crisis. Why do I call it a crisis? Because this is intellectual abuse. Baha’i youth are being victims of intellectual starvation, they are unable to acquire an education which is their given right as citizens. They are being isolated and humiliated on a daily basis. These governments, instead of protecting them, are denying them the chance to learn, which means that they are robbing them of their dreams, of having a career, a future, a life.

Don’t all children deserve an education no matter who they are? The Egyptian and Iranian authorities have no right to treat the Baha’is so differently.

This comic should make you laugh first. And then it should make you think. It’s available in four languages so far: Arabic, Farsi (below), French, and English (below).

In Farsi:

According to “The Egyptian Today,” a prominent newspaper in Egypt, schools in Cairo refused enrollment of Baha’i students after having received instructions not to accept applicants who are neither Muslim nor Christian.

Parents have filed a complaint with the Ministry of Education, but have yet to receive a response from any relevant officials. The deadline for school admissions was yesterday. Parents do not know the fate of their Baha’i children, who are being refused their education (despite them being citizens) simply because of their faith.

Yousef Labib, the child’s parent, said in a statement to al Masry Al Youm: “I went to admit my daughter to a school, but its administration refused to accept students who do not state their religion in their birth certificates.” Only Islam and Christianity are accepted as religions, without allowing Baha’i parents to discuss the matter further.

According to Labib, other Baha’i parents have already filed complains for the same purpose, but no action has been taken and these children do not know whether or not they will be able to receive a formal education during the next school year.

Iranian Baha’is have a similar problem, with citizens being deprived of their education due to their religion. We hope that Egypt will not be comparable with such extreme mistreatment, and that Baha’is will soon be treated as citizens with rights that the government is required to respect.

Why are Baha’is being the denied the right to education? For many years people have been asking this question, and yet still, not a single government official from either Iran or Egypt has offered a legitimate response.

Please leave a comment on this article and express your outrage on the absurdity of children being refused their education simply because of their faith. This is a clear abuse of the most basic human rights!

For further information you may also read this article by the Daily News Egypt. Quoting the source:

The Interior Ministry, however, has been slow in implementing the court decision and producing identity cards with a blank religious affiliation field.

We issued a comic inspired by this issue. You may view it again here.

In 1925, Egypt became the first Muslim-majority country to recognize the Baha’i faith as an independent religion. However, almost 80 years later, Baha’is in Egypt continue to face heinous discrimination, due to their failure to obtain identity cards. Identity cards are the key towards gaining access to education, health care, and economic opportunities. Without them, Baha’is cannot exercise their full citizenship rights. (See our video for more details.)

Although a landmark ruling in January decreed that Baha’is can obtain identification papers, the government has yet to implement the ruling, and recently, a lawyer for Egypt’s Islamic Research Council filed a challenge intended to stall the process.

…and in the meantime, thousands of Baha’is are left waiting.

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.

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.

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

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

Al-Ahaly, a newspaper published by the Progressive Nationalist Unionist Party in Egypt, featured an article on the persecution of Baha’is in Egypt.

الحكم.. لا ميلاد.. لا تطعيم.. لا علاج.. ولا حتي معاش!

!

صعبة هي الحياة في وطن لا يعترف بحرية اعتقادك ويخيرك بين التخلي عن دينك الذي تؤمن به وبين وطنك الذي لا تستطيع العيش إلا في ظله هذه كانت شكوي جموع البهائيين الذين أصبحوا بلا هوية بعد أن رفض السجل المدني إصدار بطاقة الرقم القومي لهم الأمر الذي جعل كل الجهات الرسمية لا تعترف بهم فسقطوا من حسابات الحكومة كما وقعوا في سلسلة من المشكلات لم تنته بعد لينتظروا دورهم في طابور المحاكم أملا في إنهاء وضعهم المعلق ليصبحوا مواطنين مصريين لهم جميع الحقوق وعليهم جميع الواجبات، لذلك كان علينا أن نتحدث مع بعض من البهائيين لنتعرف علي المشكلة من أصحابها.

البداية كانت من عند د. بسمة جمال موسي التي قالت إن المشكلة الحقيقية هي أن تشعر بالتمييز في وطنك فمثلا البهائي يقوم باستخراج جواز سفر بحوالي 65 جنيها ويجدد كل سبع سنوات في حين أن البطاقة تستخرج بـ 15 جنيها ولا يتم تجديدها، وفي الوقت نفسه نجد جهات كثيرة ترفض التعامل بجواز السفر منها الشهر العقاري وبالتالي لا يتم توثيق عقودنا سواء عقود الزواج أو غيرها ويفتح لنا بابا من المشاكل.

وتستكمل د. بسمة أن هناك تسجيلا لبعض البهائيين دون البعض الآخر فإذا كان أحد الأبوين أجنبيا يتم التسجيل أما المصريون فلا يتم تسجيلهم مما يعتبر تمييزا لصالح الأجانب وعلي حساب المصريين أيضا هناك تعنت من قبل بعض الجهات علي الرغم من صدور أحكام قضائية مثل بعض الجامعات التي ترفض قيد بعض الطلاب البهائيين الذين لم يتحدد موقفهم من التجنيد بسبب الرقم القومي.

ويستكمل المهندس رءوف إسحاق توفيق أن مشكلته هي عدم استطاعته استخراج شهادة وفاة لوالدته حيث رفض مكتب الصحة التابع له استخراج الشهادة لأن والدته بهائية كما أن البهائيين حكم عليهم بالموت المدني لكونهم بهائيين ليتم في النهاية تسجيلها حسب معرفتهم تحت ديانة أخري علي الرغم من أن شهادة ميلادها مذكور فيها بهائية والبطاقة بها شرطة في خانة الديانة.

ويضيف المهندس رءوف أنهم لم يحصلوا علي معاش لوالدته ولم يحصلوا علي مستحقاتها من أي بنك ولا حتي إعلام الوراثة.

وعن مشكلة «نير نبيل حمامصي» الطالب بكلية تربية رياضية جامعة قناة السويس الذي تم وقف قيده منذ سنتين بالجامعة بسبب بطاقة الرقم القومي وعدم استطاعته تحديد موقفه من التجنيد، وبعد أن لجأ إلي القضاء وحصل علي حكم بإعادة قيده في الجامعة لم توافق الجامعة بل تعنتت في إعادة قيده مرة أخري.

وهذا ما حدث أيضا مع حسين حسني طالب بالمعهد العالي للخدمة الاجتماعية ببورسعيد والذي ينتظر حكم القضاء لإنهاء مشكلته مع الجامعة.

ولم تقف المشاكل عند هذا الحد بل لا يملك معظم المواليد بعد عام 2004 شهادات ميلاد ولا يحق لهم التطعيم كما لا يحق لجموع البهائيين العلاج بالمستشفيات أو الحصول علي تصاريح عمل أو البيع والشراء أو التملك أو الحصول علي وظيفة وغيرها من المشاكل.

وليبق السؤال حائرا في حاجة إلي إجابة..

لماذا يعامل مواطنون علي أرض هذا الوطن تلك المعاملة.. لا بطاقة.. لا شهادة ميلاد.. لا معاش.. لا علاج.. لا عمل.. لأنهم يختلفون معك فقط في الدين..؟!

متي سنتخلص من هذه النظرة للآخر..

As Egyptian authorities only recognize Islam, Christianity and Judaism, Baha’is in Egypt are denied from obtaining any official documents, such as birth and death certificates, identity cards and work permits. As a consequence, many are denied health care, education and employment.

At the conclusion of the article, the author asks:

“Why are citizens of this country subjected to such treatment? Is it just because they hold different beliefs?

When will we abandon this perspective against ‘the other’?”