Parliamentarians from across Europe are “deeply concerned by the treatment of Baha’is” in Egypt, according to a joint statement signed by 115 members of European Parliament (MEPs) and national parliaments across Europe. The signatories also called on Egyptian authorities to “fully uphold the freedom of religion or belief” in the country for Baha’is, Coptic Christians, and all religious minorities. 

In the joint statement, the legislators note that Baha’is in Egypt “face extensive state-sponsored discrimination and persecution”. They echo concerns recently raised by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Special Rapporteurs regarding the denial of fundamental civil rights, including the fact that Baha’is are “denied burial rights, depriving them of their rights both in life and in death.” It also highlights barriers to obtaining mandatory identity cards, the prohibition on registering Baha’i marriages, and surveillance and harassment by security services.

“We welcome this further show of support from parliamentarians throughout Europe and from across party lines,” said Alessandro Benedetti, Representative of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) to the European Institutions. “This statement is all the more powerful because of its timing, as the European Union and Egyptian government deepen their connection. Baha’is in Europe and around the world hope the Egyptian government will understand that the Baha’is are a peaceful community, loyal to their country, and that they seek only the same rights as their fellow citizens to contribute constructively to their society.”

While Egypt’s Constitution guarantees freedom of belief, the statement notes that persistent failures in implementation leave both recognised and unrecognised religious minorities without effective legal protection or the ability to freely manifest, change, or adopt their religion or belief. 

Earlier this month, Member of the European Parliament Nikos Papandreou, who met Egyptian Baha’is during an EP delegation visit to Egypt, wrote in a Euronews op-ed that Baha’is in Egypt “fall outside [legal] recognition altogether”, depriving them of fundamental civil rights and the ability to live normal lives. He called on the Egyptian government to ensure that peaceful religious groups enjoy equal legal rights, arguing that protecting minorities “strengthens social cohesion.”

The EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Ms. Kajsa Ollongren, has also repeatedly raised concerns about the situation of Baha’is in Egypt, stating that conditions had “deteriorated” as authorities had “tightened restrictions”, including by refusing to recognise Baha’i marriages.

For more than sixty years, since a presidential decree in 1960, Baha’is in Egypt have been barred by Al-Azhar fatwas and government policy from securing new cemetery lands. Members of the Baha’i community also face grave challenges in acquiring digital ID cards, needed to conduct every aspect of life, because they cannot list their religion on the cards. A prior policy to place a dash (-) on the card, in place of religion—which, in theory, should have helped Baha’is avoid discrimination—instead became a marker leading to even more severe forms of persecution. And Baha’i couples cannot register their marriages—an unjust policy that has led to some families facing forcible separation.

“Egypt’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion and belief, and even President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has said that the rights of all minorities in Egypt must be protected. Yet the Baha’i community continues to face restrictions that are difficult to reconcile with these commitments. This comes at a time when leading countries in the region are steadily advancing policies that promote coexistence, tolerance, and respect for diversity,” Mr. Benedetti said.

He added that “Egyptian Baha’is seek only the same rights as their fellow citizens: to bury their loved ones with dignity, register their marriages, obtain valid identity documents, and live in peace. Ending these restrictions is not difficult and would not even require Egypt to change its laws. It simply requires the government to honour its commitment to equality for all citizens and to translate its leadership’s vision into tangible action.”

For more information, please contact:

• Alessandro Benedetti, Representative, Brussels, [email protected], +32 494 745 632 (English & Italian)

• Saba Haddad, Representative, Geneva, [email protected] , +41 78 308 2219 (English & Arabic)