Baha'i Faith in EgyptBaha'i Faith in EgyptExamines the civil and human rights crisis facing the Baha'is of Egypt Articles
Amnesty International 2008 Report Critical of Iran & Egypt
2008-05-30 18:28:00 Amnesty International has just released its 2008 report regarding the state of the world's human rights.Concerning the repression of religious minorities, most prominent were the struggles of the Baha'is of Egypt and Iran .Regarding Egypt, the report states the following in reference to the identity documents matter:The legal requirement to specify religion on identity papers, and only religions recognized by the state, continued to have serious implications for some minorities. Baha’is, whose faith is not recognized by the state, cannot obtain identity papers without posing as a Muslim, Christian or Jew. Without the papers, they cannot enroll children in school, drive a car, or open a bank account. The lack of identity papers also leaves them vulnerable during police checks. Converts, especially from Islam to Christianity, also faced difficulties changing their papers.As to Iran, it reported a brief account of the current escalation of oppressive practices against the Baha'i po... More About: Report , Amnesty
Iran Detains More Baha'is
2008-05-29 07:02:00 IranVNC just reported the arrest of five [or six] more Baha'is following the detention of the seven leaders of Iran's Baha'i community less than two weeks before. Three of the recent detainees were arrested in the Isfahan area on the 24th of May. The news report writes:The arrest of the three men, Hooshmand Talebi, Mehran Zini, and Farhad Ferdowsiyan, was first reported yesterday by the Iran-based rights organization Human Rights Activities in Iran.The same organization also reported that three other Baha’is in Iran’s northern Mazandaran Province had been arrested in recent days.As to the additional three, the report indicates that a representative of the Baha'is of the United States told IranVNC: "We have learned that two Baha’is (not three) from Ghaemshahr, Mazandaran province, were taken into custody on May 19, 2008 to commence serving their prison sentences, following the rejection of their appeals last year."The whereabouts of the seven leaders of the Baha'i communit... More About: Iran
What is Behind the Escalation of Anti-Baha'i Activities in Iran?
2008-05-28 07:05:00 A very revealing and fascinating article, authored by Amil Imani, regarding the background of Iran 's president was published in the fall of 2007 in the daily American Thinker. The article carried the title "Who is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad?"In view of the current intensification of Iran's efforts to destroy and eliminate the Baha'i community of Iran, manifested by its most recent action in arresting the entire leadership of Iran's Baha'i community, it may be timely to point out the information contained in that article. It must be pointed out though that Amil Imani is not a Baha'i, but rather is a Muslim, native of Iran.Mr. Imani begins his article by writing:To understand Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's mindset and behavior require close scrutiny of the elaborate and intricate theology of Hujetieh Shiism, perhaps the most fundamentalist of the numerous Shiite sects.In the 1950s, a group of Islamic clergy led by Sheikh Mahmoud Halabi (a close associate of Ayatollah Khomeini... More About: Activities , Anti
Iran: Baha'i Leaders Held Incommunicado
2008-05-27 15:43:00 The fate of the seven leaders of the Baha'i community of Iran , who were arrested on 14 May 2008, is entirely unknown. According to a news release by the Baha'i International Community, the seven leaders are held by the Iranian government incommunicado.They have no access to lawyers and their families do not know their whereabouts. The Baha’i International Community is increasingly concerned about their fate.The article states:"Although initial reports indicated they were taken to Evin prison, in fact we don’t know where they are, and we are extremely concerned," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations.In a pointed appeal, Ms. Dugal also said:"We appeal to the international community, human rights groups, and people of conscience, as well as the news media, to continue their efforts to press the Iranian government so that the rights of these people as detainees be upheld and that they be allowed access to couns... More About: Leaders , Held
Systematic Oppression of the Baha'is of Iran (Episode-3)
2008-05-25 05:55:00 Mullah Falsafi supervising workmen in the act of destroying the dome of the National Bahá’í Center in 1955, Tehran, Iran .This is the third episode in the series "Systematic Oppression of the Baha'is of Iran". The first two episodes can be seen here and here.These posts are published in order to expose the actions of the government of Iran in its efforts to systematically harass, monitor and oppress the Baha'i population of Iran. They clearly show the government's intentions and predetermined plan in its attempt to annihilate the Baha'i community of Iran. Baha'is of Iran, numbered over 300,000 individuals, represent the largest religious minority in that country.A) ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS (continued)• On 28 December 2007, officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards entered four Bahá’í homes in the same neighbourhood complex in Shiraz. They searched the homes and seized Bahá’í books and materials. Mrs. Mándáná Kamálí (Dáná) [Mandana Kamali (Dana)] (the secr... More About: Episode , Episode 3
Iran Justifies Arrests of Baha'i Leaders With Sham Excuses
2008-05-22 23:20:00 Finally, the Iran ian government, through its spokesman Gholam-Hossein Elham, acknowledged the recent arrest of the leaders of the Baha'i community of Iran. Not surprisingly, Mr. Elham alleged two days ago in a press conference that they were arrested "for security reasons and not for their faith."The principal representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations, Ms. Beni Dugal, strongly refuted this allegation.A full coverage of this response was published yesterday on the Baha'i World News Service website.Ms. Dugal rightfully stated:"The allegations are not new, and the Iranian government knows well that they are untrue.... The documented plan of the Iranian government has always been to destroy the Bahá’í community, and these latest arrests represent an intensification of this plan.... The group of Bahá’ís arrested last week, like the thousands of Bahá’ís who since 1979 have been killed, imprisoned, or otherwise oppressed, are being persecut... More About: Arrests , Leaders , Excuses , Sham
Ayatollah Montazeri Decrees Baha'is Rightful Citizens of Iran
2008-05-21 16:55:00 A decree was just issued by Grand Ayatollah Montazeri declaring Iran ian Baha'is as rightful citizens.As background information:Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri (Persian: حسین علی منتظری), styled His Honourable Eminence, (born in 1922), was one of the leaders of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. He is best known as the one-time designated successor to the revolution's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini who fell out with Khomeini in 1989 over government policies that Montazeri claimed infringed on freedom and denied people's rights. He currently lives in the holy city of Qom, and remains politically influential in Iran, especially upon reformist politics. Montazeri is a senior Islamic scholar and a grand marja (religious authority) of Islam.Translation of the decree:In the Name of GodWith greetings,The congregation of Baha'ism not having the heavenly book like those of Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians in the constitution [of Islamic republic of Iran], are not cons...
Systematic Oppression of the Baha'is of Iran (Episode-2)
2008-05-21 01:23:00 Destruction of the National Baha'i Centre in Tehran, Iran by extremists (circa 1955)The following is the second episode of the series "Systematic Oppression of the Baha'is of Iran" which began in this previous post.The purpose of these posts is to expose the actions of the government of Iran in its efforts to systematically harass and oppress the Baha'i population of Iran who, numbered over 300,000 individuals, make up the largest religious minority in that country.A) ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS (continued)• Mr. Sháhridá ‘Abbásí [Shahreza Abbasi] of Hamadan, who had been detained for six days in 2006 and had been treated very harshly at that time, was arrested again on 13 December 2007. He was summoned to the office of the Ministry of Intelligence in Hamadan where he was held while officials searched his house and collected his Bahá’í books, compact discs, and portraits. After having been incarcerated for two days in a 1.5 by 1.5 metre chamber in the detention centre of ... More About: Episode , Episode 2
Systematic Oppression of the Baha'is of Iran (Episode-1)
2008-05-19 22:41:00 The following several posts will expose the actions of the government of Iran in its efforts to systematically harass and oppress the Baha'i population of Iran.These incidents are presented here in a chronological order, and are classified under several main headings, such as "ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS", "COURT JUDGMENTS HANDED DOWN", "AMASSING OF INFORMATION ON THE BAHA’IS", "CONFISCATION OF PROPERTY" etc....Because the material presented is quite extensive, each category, mentioned above, will be separately posted over several episodes, beginning with the summer of 2007 until the present time.A) ARRESTS AND DETENTIONS• In Shiraz, on 4 September 2007, officials from the Intelligence Ministry went to the home of Mr. Mas‘úd Muhibbpúr [Masoud Mohebbpour] with a warrant to search his house and an order for his detention, and they confiscated models of the House of the Báb in Shiraz and the barrack square in Tabriz.• On 20 October 2007, fourteen Bahá’í youth from a region o... More About: Episode , Episode 1 , Oppression
We Are One!
2008-05-18 22:35:00 Thanks to George Wesley Dannells who blogs "Baha'i Views" for making known this recent piece of news about Iran Visual News Corps (IranVNC), which produced a video two weeks ago about the Baha'is of Egypt and Iran.The video begins with an interview with an Egyptian-American Baha'i (Mr. Nabil Hanna) who spoke about the reasons behind his departure from Egypt about 40 years ago. It also interviews Mr. Joe Stork, Director of the Middle East Division of Human Rights Watch, who spoke about the legal aspects and the specifics of the ID card dilemma in Egypt. This is followed by another interview with Mrs. Kit Bigelow, the director of the Office of External Affairs for the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. Mrs. Bigelow spoke of the escalating recent waves of persecution of the Baha'is of Iran.This video is yet another example of the link between the struggles in Iran and Egypt...a video made by an Iranian company mostly about the Baha'is of Egypt, just two weeks befor...
The World Condemns Iran for Arresting Baha'i Leaders
2008-05-17 19:27:00 Please note that the title of this blog has been changed to: "Baha'i Faith in Egypt & Iran ". The changed blog description states:The Baha'is of Egypt and Iran have been subjected to extremes of persecution and systematic oppression. While the case of Egypt has been evolving over the past two years, with hopeful resolution of that struggle on the horizon, the human rights of the Baha'is of Iran are being increasingly violated by an extremist rule. Thus, while Egypt's case will remain to be actively pursued, from now on, there will be more emphasis in this blog on the case of the Baha'is of Iran.As to the current crisis, a simple "google" search will yield plenty of coverage that will reflect the world's outrage at the recent developments in Iran. The whereabouts or fate of the seven leaders of the Baha'i community of Iran remains unknown. Not surprisingly, there has not been a word uttered by the government of Iran explaining its most recent malicious act.Numerous blogs an... More About: World , The World , Leaders
As if Natural Disasters were not Enough!
2008-05-15 21:40:00 As the entire world wept for the tens of thousands of deaths and injuries caused by the recent horrific natural disasters in Myanmar and China, some human beings manage to show their cruelty--entirely oblivious to the suffering surrounding them--towards their fellow innocent humans.A case in point is the distressing news of the arrest of the entire leadership of the largest religious minority in Iran by the Iranian authorities in the early hours of 14 May 2008.The International Bahá’í Community announced today:Six Bahá’í leaders in Iran were arrested and taken to the notorious Evin prison yesterday in a sweep that is ominously similar to episodes in the 1980s when scores of Iranian Bahá’í leaders were summarily rounded up and killed.The six men and women, all members of the national-level group that helped see to the minimum needs of Bahá’ís in Iran, were in their homes Wednesday morning when government intelligence agents entered and spent up to five hours searching... More About: Disasters , Natural , Natural Disasters
New Domain for "Baha'i Faith in Egypt"
2008-05-14 20:14:00 This blog "Baha'i Faith in Egypt " has now acquired its own domain name: http://www.bahai-egypt.orgLinks to the previous URL http://bahai-egypt.blogspot.com will be automatically redirected to the new URL. More About: Domain
Egypt Placed on "Watch List"
2008-05-08 03:22:00 Egypt has been included by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in its "Watch List " for this year.Besides the 11 other "Countries of Particular Concern" (CPC) the Commission explained the watch list, in its press release of May 2, 2008, as follows:The Commission has also established a Watch List of countries where conditions do not rise to the statutory level requiring CPC designation but which require close monitoring due to the nature and extent of violations of religious freedom engaged in or tolerated by the governments. Countries on the Commission's Watch List for 2008 are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, and Nigeria.The full report was presented by the Commission to President Bush and the Honorable Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State, on May 1, 2008.The press release of May 2, 2008, describes the situation in Egypt as:In Egypt, the government has taken inadequate measures to stop repression of minority religious... More About: Egypt
Reuters Critical of "Official Foot-Dragging" in Egypt
2008-05-01 12:30:00 An article authored by Cynthia Johnston, just published in Reuters , underscores the continuing struggle of the Baha'is of Egypt in their attempts to obtain their government-issued official documents.It reports that, according to the human rights organization--Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), "official foot-dragging means Egypt's Baha'i religious minority is still struggling to get identity papers, despite a landmark court ruling...."The 29 January 2008 ruling allowed the Baha'is to obtain ID cards and birth certificates without having to lie about their true religious affiliation. The ruling fell short, though, of permitting the Baha'is to indicate their own religion on the required sections of these documents...instead, it allowed them to enter dashes "--" in the indicated fields. The Ministry of Interior accepted that solution without any challenge to the decision rendered by the court.The Baha'is of Egypt, however, have not been able to obtain their official... More About: Official , Foot , Critical
The Electoral Process Can Be Dignified
2008-04-29 23:25:00 Today, ballots were cast in Haifa for the election of the Universal House of Justice, supreme administrative head of the Baha'i religion. Every five years, members of all national administrative bodies of the Baha'i community, representing 166 countries, gather to elect the religion's Supreme Institution.This process begins at the grassroots level, when Baha'is from every region elect their delegates who gather annually to elect their national spiritual assemblies. Subsequently, every five years, these national institutions are the ones that elect the Universal House of Justice. No electioneering and no lobbying.Regarding the Baha'i electoral process, the following description was once given:"The fundamental difference between the system of candidature and the Bahá’í system is that, in the former, individuals, or those who nominate them, decide that they should be placed in positions of authority and put themselves forward to be voted into it. In the Bahá’í system it is... More About: Process , Electoral
The Electoral Process Can Be Dignified
2008-04-29 23:25:00 Today, ballots were cast in Haifa for the election of the Universal House of Justice, supreme administrative head of the Baha'i religion. Every five years, members of all national administrative bodies of the Baha'i community, representing 166 countries, gather to elect the religion's Supreme Institution.This process begins at the grassroots level, when Baha'is from every region elect their delegates who gather annually to elect their national spiritual assemblies. Subsequently, every five years, these national institutions are the ones that elect the Universal House of Justice. No electioneering and no lobbying.Regarding the Baha'i electoral process, the following description was once given:"The fundamental difference between the system of candidature and the Bahá’í system is that, in the former, individuals, or those who nominate them, decide that they should be placed in positions of authority and put themselves forward to be voted into it. In the Bahá’í system it is... More About: Process , Electoral
Mideast Youth Launches Global Village TV
2008-04-23 12:30:00 Mideast Youth network has just launched a beta version of Global Village TV. This is indeed an important and significant initiative intended to promote interfaith understanding and collaboration. Posted below is the formal announcement by Mideast Youth:MEY launches Global Village TV in beta!Author: Esra'a (Bahrain) - April 19, 2008After months of hard work, Mideast Youth, with the enormous help of ByteSense, finally launched Global Village TV (GVTV). I would especially like to thank Umar for making this opportunity for us much easier than it would’ve been without his help and guidance.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 othe... More About: Mideast
Mideast Youth Launches Global Village TV
2008-04-23 12:30:00 Mideast Youth network has just launched a beta version of Global Village TV. This is indeed an important and significant initiative intended to promote interfaith understanding and collaboration. Posted below is the formal announcement by Mideast Youth:MEY launches Global Village TV in beta!Author: Esra'a (Bahrain) - April 19, 2008After months of hard work, Mideast Youth, with the enormous help of ByteSense, finally launched Global Village TV (GVTV). I would especially like to thank Umar for making this opportunity for us much easier than it would’ve been without his help and guidance.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 othe... More About: Mideast
It is Time to Issue ID Cards to the Baha'is of Egypt
2008-04-23 00:44:00 International Herald Tribune (IHT)'s Daily News Egypt has just published another article regarding the status of ID cards in Egypt. The Baha'is of Egypt remain without ID cards and birth certificates, even though the administrative court had allowed them the issue of these official documents and the Ministry of Interior had decided not to appeal the ruling.Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), who has been acting on behalf of the Baha'is in their quest for their civil rights, is asking for the immediate implementation of the court's ruling.A couple of frivolous legal challenges, filed by extremist Islamist lawyers who are not party to the case, should not interfere with the swift implementation of the ruling, particularly when the Ministry of Interior showed no interest in objecting to this solution and had already announced its intention to use dashes "--" in place of "Baha'i" in the religion field on ID cards and birth certificates.Con... More About: Time , Cards , Issue
It is Time to Issue ID Cards to the Baha'is of Egypt
2008-04-23 00:44:00 International Herald Tribune (IHT)'s Daily News Egypt has just published another article regarding the status of ID cards in Egypt. The Baha'is of Egypt remain without ID cards and birth certificates, even though the administrative court had allowed them the issue of these official documents and the Ministry of Interior had decided not to appeal the ruling.Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), who has been acting on behalf of the Baha'is in their quest for their civil rights, is asking for the immediate implementation of the court's ruling.A couple of frivolous legal challenges, filed by extremist Islamist lawyers who are not party to the case, should not interfere with the swift implementation of the ruling, particularly when the Ministry of Interior showed no interest in objecting to this solution and had already announced its intention to use dashes "--" in place of "Baha'i" in the religion field on ID cards and birth certificates.Con... More About: Time , Cards , Issue
Freedom of Speech Versus Anarchy in Egyptian Society
2008-04-19 23:08:00 About two years ago, a group of concerned citizens in Egypt formed an organization called MARED, an acronym for "Masryoun [Egyptians] Against Religious Discrimination." The main goal of this group is to finally bring some sort of sanity to the current state of a deeply divided Egyptian society, a division rooted in religious discrimination and intolerance.This group (MARED) is made up of highly respected intellectual members of the Egyptian society, such as academicians, journalists, businesspeople, government officials, scientists, human rights activists, artists, philosophers, religious thinkers and many others. Most of them are Muslim, but the organization also includes Christians and representatives of other religious and secular groups in Egypt.A few months ago, MARED decided to make plans for holding its first congress, aimed at discussing the roots of and solutions for the crisis of religious divide and discrimination in the Egyptian society. The congress carried the slogan "... More About: Society , Freedom , Freedom of Speech , Versus , Anarchy
Freedom of Speech Versus Anarchy in Egyptian Society
2008-04-19 23:08:00 About two years ago, a group of concerned citizens in Egypt formed an organization called MARED, an acronym for "Masryoun [Egyptians] Against Religious Discrimination." The main goal of this group is to finally bring some sort of sanity to the current state of a deeply divided Egyptian society, a division rooted in religious discrimination and intolerance.This group (MARED) is made up of highly respected intellectual members of the Egyptian society, such as academicians, journalists, businesspeople, government officials, scientists, human rights activists, artists, philosophers, religious thinkers and many others. Most of them are Muslim, but the organization also includes Christians and representatives of other religious and secular groups in Egypt.A few months ago, MARED decided to make plans for holding its first congress, aimed at discussing the roots of and solutions for the crisis of religious divide and discrimination in the Egyptian society. The congress carried the slogan "... More About: Society , Freedom , Freedom of Speech , Versus , Anarchy
Baha'is of Egypt Still Waiting for ID Cards
2008-04-14 12:32:00 Since the 29 January 2008 court ruling and its subsequent acceptance by the Ministry of Interior, no Baha'i in Egypt has been able to receive an ID card or a birth certificate.The Ministry, through the media, has declared its decision not to appeal the ruling and its intention of allowing dashes "--" in place of "Baha'i" in the religion field of these official documents.Baha'is in Egypt continue to face a variety of hardships on a regular basis because of being deprived of holding these important official documents that are required for their daily living.It is expected and hoped that the Ministry of Interior will want to avoid all current distractions and proceed with the implementation of its decision expeditiously. After all, it is entirely up to the Ministry to proceed without delay in applying this--mutually acceptable--solution to all Baha'is in Egypt, and not only to those three individuals who were involved in the lawsuit. Clearly, the Ministry has the power and authorit... More About: Cards , Waiting
Baha'is of Egypt Still Waiting for ID Cards
2008-04-14 12:32:00 Since the 29 January 2008 court ruling and its subsequent acceptance by the Ministry of Interior, no Baha'i in Egypt has been able to receive an ID card or a birth certificate.The Ministry, through the media, has declared its decision not to appeal the ruling and its intention of allowing dashes "--" in place of "Baha'i" in the religion field of these official documents.Baha'is in Egypt continue to face a variety of hardships on a regular basis because of being deprived of holding these important official documents that are required for their daily living.It is expected and hoped that the Ministry of Interior will want to avoid all current distractions and proceed with the implementation of its decision expeditiously. After all, it is entirely up to the Ministry to proceed without delay in applying this--mutually acceptable--solution to all Baha'is in Egypt, and not only to those three individuals who were involved in the lawsuit. Clearly, the Ministry has the power and authorit... More About: Cards , Waiting
Egypt's Interior Ministry Decides on "Dashes" for Baha'i IDs
2008-04-03 01:59:00 In its 2 April 2008 edition, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported that the Ministry of Interior has just decided that the only option that will be given to the Baha'is of Egypt is to insert dashes "--" instead of leaving the religion field blank or writing "other" on ID cards.The Ministry clarified that "leaving the religion field blank might open the door to inappropriate manipulation of official documents."This decision was expected since the Ministry has been considering its options on what choice it would make following Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice ruling on 29 January 2008 to allow the Baha'is obtain ID cards and birth certificates.The court permitted three options for registering their religious affiliation. These options were: 1) "other," 2) dashes "--" or 3) to leave the field blank. As to which choice would eventually be used, the court had left the final decision for the Ministry of Interior to make.This announcement is an indication that progress is being mad...
Egypt's Interior Ministry Decides on "Dashes" for Baha'i IDs
2008-04-03 01:59:00 In its 2 April 2008 edition, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported that the Ministry of Interior has just decided that the only option that will be given to the Baha'is of Egypt is to insert dashes "--" instead of leaving the religion field blank or writing "other" on ID cards.The Ministry clarified that "leaving the religion field blank might open the door to inappropriate manipulation of official documents."This decision was expected since the Ministry has been considering its options on what choice it would make following Cairo's Court of Administrative Justice ruling on 29 January 2008 to allow the Baha'is obtain ID cards and birth certificates.The court permitted three options for registering their religious affiliation. These options were: 1) "other," 2) dashes "--" or 3) to leave the field blank. As to which choice would eventually be used, the court had left the final decision for the Ministry of Interior to make.This announcement is an indication that progress is being mad...
Egypt's Ministry of Interior Will Not Appeal Ruling on Baha'is
2008-04-01 12:38:00 Egypt's Ministry of Interior has announced, through its sources, that it will not appeal the 29 January 2008 administrative court ruling that allowed the Baha'is of Egypt the issue of ID cards and birth certificates.Based on its interview with sources in the Ministry of Interior, an article in Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper revealed the news today. It states that the Ministry has approved the ruling and decided not to appeal even though the law permits it to do so.Its opportunity for appeal had already lapsed since, under Egyptian law, the defendant is entitled a period of two months to file an appeal. The Ministry had elected not to do so based on its assessment of the merits of the case and that the ruling has provided the government with a reasonable option to solve this complex matter.The Ministry will issue ID cards without religious identification indicated, or with "--" in the religion field. The Ministry affirmed that "this does not imply that it recognizes the Baha'i religio... More About: Ruling , Appeal
Egypt's Ministry of Interior Will Not Appeal Ruling on Baha'is
2008-04-01 12:38:00 Egypt's Ministry of Interior has announced, through its sources, that it will not appeal the 29 January 2008 administrative court ruling that allowed the Baha'is of Egypt the issue of ID cards and birth certificates.Based on its interview with sources in the Ministry of Interior, an article in Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper revealed the news today. It states that the Ministry has approved the ruling and decided not to appeal even though the law permits it to do so.Its opportunity for appeal had already lapsed since, under Egyptian law, the defendant is entitled a period of two months to file an appeal. The Ministry had elected not to do so based on its assessment of the merits of the case and that the ruling has provided the government with a reasonable option to solve this complex matter.The Ministry will issue ID cards without religious identification indicated, or with "--" in the religion field. The Ministry affirmed that "this does not imply that it recognizes the Baha'i religio... More About: Ruling , Appeal
Egypt's NCHR Releases its Annual Report on Human Rights
More articles from this author:2008-03-31 23:22:00 Egypt's National Council for Human Rights (NCHR), the government-appointed human rights organization, has just released its fourth annual report and recommendations to Egypt's government.Among the many recommendations, it requested that it is important for the government to allow the entry of "Baha'i" as one of the choices in the religion field on ID cards.The announcement of the report was published today in Egypt's official national newspaper Al-Akhbar [The News] in its edition, dated 31 March 2008.Dr. Ahmed Kamal Abul-Magd, Vice-President of the Council was quoted in this article as he elaborated on several issues related to the status of human rights in Egypt. More About: Human Rights , Report , Annual 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
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