Archive for the ‘Religious freedom’ Category

Article By: Sandeep Singh Grewal

[Read this article in Arabic.]

Manama, Bahrain- A Bahraini activist is urging the government to recognise Baha’i Faith and allow the community to gather and worship freely.

Esra’a Al Shafei, whose work focuses on ethnic and religious minorities, said it was high time Arab and Gulf governments legally recognised the Baha’is.

“The community should be given a license to operate their place of worship by concerned authorities. Baha’i issue is not taboo and the society should accept them …

Article by: Sandeep Singh Grewal

Manama, Bahrain - 23 May is a day when Baha’is from different pockets of the world celebrates the 165th anniversary of the birth of the Baha´i faith. While in Iran, families of seven Baha´i leaders are having sleepless nights after authorities reportedly arrested and jailed the group. The Iranian deputy prosecutor said in February the group was charged with propaganda against the regime and insulting religious sanctities.

It’s not only in Iran but places like Egypt …

This is a translation of an article that recently appeared in Elaph.

Author: Majdi Khalil | Originally published in Arabic on: Friday, 15 May 2009

Struggles for freedom of faith in Egypt

It never occurred to Basma Moussa or Camliya Lutfi that they would become symbols for defending freedom of faith in Egypt when they both set out to defend a private matter or private affair. However, just because this private affair affects public interest, the Egyptian society was …

The following is a translation of an article by Alaa Al Aswany:

In 1982, I was appointed as resident doctor at the Department of Oral Surgery at the College of Dentistry, and a fellow doctor, named Basma, was appointed on the same day. I worked with Basma for a whole year, and a true friendship developed between us. She was a praiseworthy example of an Egyptian, both ethically and professionally. I left my work at the university and travelled to …

This is an English translation of an article that appeared recently on Al Waqt:

The Baha’i faith… Haven or deviation?

By: Ali Ahmad Al-Diri

Could a religion be an avenue for deviation?

I am addressing this issue in the wake of the campaign against the Baha’i faith in Egypt, which has, unfortunately, attracted the contribution of writers and journalists who have added fuel to the controversy. For example, the journalist Mahmoud Issa has made virulent observations about an incident related to …

Egyptian media outlets have reported on the attack against Baha’is in the village of Showraniya. The violence erupted after the journalist Gamal Abd Alrahim appeared on TV, and called for the murder of Dr. Basma Moussa. Abd Alrahim has been a vocal critic of Baha’is, and has routinely called for violence against them.

The following account appeared at “Al Gomhuria“:
Violence broke out in the island of Showraniyya in the province Sohag, after one of its residents appeared on …

A group of 60 prominent academics who specialize in Middle Eastern and Iranian Studies have released a statement in which they criticize the Iranian government for its violations against the rights of the Baha’i minority, and call on it to accord Baha’is their full rights.
A Call to Stop the Persecution of Baha’is in the Islamic Republic of Iran

We, the undersigned scholars and academic specialists in the fields of Middle Eastern and Iranian studies, call on the Islamic Republic of Iran …

Iran’s leaders lose no opportunity to remind the world of their painful efforts to show “respect” and “tolerance” the Baha’i community. The latest proclamation came from Najafabadi, Iran’s Prosecutor General who stated that “the Iranian government has provided the Bahai sect in Iran with all the facilities offered to other Iranian citizens” and has “always showed great kindness to the Bahai citizens in Iran”.

That the citizens of Iran have had their rights violated by the Iranian regime is a …

This is a translation of a report that was published by Human Rights Activists in Iran

Attacks with Molotov cocktails, burning properties and publishing names and information about the Baha’i are samples of the tough reception of this religious community in Iran.

On 13 Bahman (1st February), 3:00 AM, unknown people attacked the apartments of three Bahai families in Semnan with Molotov cocktails. This attack did not damage family members and did not damage their property seriously.

Previously on the 7th of …

The following article was written by Youssef Wardany for Al Waref Institute and offers an indepth analysis of the history of the Baha’i community in Egypt, the discrimination the community has faced and current problem they face in obtaining identification papers.
By Youssef Wardany
Exclusive for Al Waref

Freedom of religion and the right of religious minorities to believe, worship, and live in accordance with their    religious beliefs, without discrimination or persecution, has become a universally accepted right vested in every individual …