Mr./Madam President,

The Baha'i community in Egypt is under siege by systematic, state-sponsored persecution. Discriminatory policies strip Baha'is of their basic civil rights and stifle the practice of their faith.

One clear example is the refusal to recognize Baha'i marriages which tears families apart, denies their children citizenship and residency, and complicates the issuance of birth certificates for Baha'i children, denying them essential medical and educational services.

Social discrimination and harassment are also manifest, with Baha’is not only being denied employment, but also seeing security agents pressuring Egyptians to cut ties with their Baha'i friends, fuelling both economic impoverishment and social alienation.

Even in death, dignity is being denied as the government repeatedly rejects requests for the allocation of cemetery land for Baha’i burials.

For over 150 years, Baha'is have been an integral part of the fabric Egyptian society, yet their wellbeing and livelihoods are increasingly threatened. Which is in contrast to the positive developments we see in many Arab countries. 

Despite repeated promises, Egyptian officials have failed to act. 

We demand the immediate restoration of the civil rights of the Baha'is and call on the international community to hold Egypt accountable for upholding the fundamental right to freedom of religion for all, including the Baha'is.