Bahai Faith in Egypt

Baha'i Rights Day: 11 July 2009

2009-07-08T20:21:00.014-05:00

The Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights named 11 July 2009 as the first "Baha'i Rights Day." On that day, the ad hoc group of seven Baha'is, who were attending to the minimal needs of Iran's largest religious minority, will face trial in Iran's Revolutionary Court. They were wrongly accused of a variety of false and absurd charges that include "spreading corruption on earth," punishable by death according to Iran's penal code. They have been incarcerated for over a year in Iran's notorious Evin...

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The New York Times on the Baha'is of Iran

2009-07-03T10:42:00.009-05:00

In a story published in The New York Times on 26 June 2009, and entitled "For Bahais, a Crackdown Is Old News," its author Samuel G. Freedman writes: The Bahais have long served as the proverbial canaries in the coal mine of Iran’s theocracy. Their persecution, as documented over nearly 30 years in numerous human rights reports, has contradicted all the näively hopeful predictions that the hard-line surface of Iran obscures a deeper wellspring of moderation and tolerance. In 1983, the Iranian...

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And Then They Came for Me!

2009-06-24T18:24:00.008-05:00

Here is an award-winning video on the plight of the Baha'is of Iran. It was put together by Bobby Aazami and became the overall winner of a contest conducted by the external affairs office of the Bahá’ís of the United States. In light of the video's context, one cannot help but contemplate the following poem by Martin Niemöller (1892–1984): In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist; And then they came for the trade unionists, And I...

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Baha'i Spokesman Interviewed on NPR Regarding Iran

2009-06-20T15:50:00.010-05:00

A spokesman for the Baha'i International Community was interviewed two days ago by the US National Public Radio (NPR). On its website, NPR writes the following: Iran's Religious Minority Speaks Out On Elections Listen Now [5 min 26 sec] June 18, 2009 · Members of the Baha'i faith, Iran's largest religious minority, have long been discriminated against and persecuted by the Islamic Republic of Iran government. Farhad Sabetan, an official within the Baha'i faith community, offers a reaction to...

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Remarkable Words for a University Graduation

2009-06-10T19:28:00.010-05:00

This is an actual video recording from the opening remarks by the Chaplain of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. These remarks were made during the graduation ceremonies, given seven times this year for a total graduating class of approximately 4,900 students. The Chaplain uses the words of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, the son of the founder of the Baha'i Faith--who had visited Montreal in August 1912--in her description of the beauty of diversity in these young graduates and of their hopes and dreams...

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Egypt Moving Forward With its Commitment to Human Rights

2009-06-04T20:06:00.011-05:00

Based on recent developments and reliable reports, the Egyptian Government should be acknowledged for its efforts in treating its Baha'i religious minority, as well as other minorities, with dignity and respect. Among several examples, related recently and reported by some Egyptian media outlets, Baha'is are increasingly being recognized for their positive role in their society and for being an integral part of its fabric. As a first step in the Government's efforts to improve the civil rights...

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Congressman Frank Wolf on Human Rights & Dialogue With Iran

2009-05-27T19:33:00.014-05:00

The following was published on an official website of the Baha'is of the United States: Congressman Frank Wolf urges Obama administration to make human rights a key component of dialogue with Iran Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia expressed concern that seven Baha’i leaders who have been in prison for more than a year may face death on charges of “spreading of corruption on earth,” a capital offense in Iran. “Human dignity and freedom must not be made a sidebar as the Administration seeks to engage...

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Condolences to the Mubarak Family

2009-05-21T20:50:00.010-05:00

All Egyptians are in a state of shock and grief over the untimely and unexpected death of the grandchild of President Hosni Mubarak. According to Al-Ahram Weekly, "twelve-year-old Mohamed, the child of Mubarak's eldest son 47-year-old Alaa, died suddenly on Monday." The newspaper adds: A presidency statement said that Mohamed died after a "two-day health crisis", while other reports elaborated that he had suffered a brain haemorrhage on Saturday and was flown to Paris for emergency treatment,...

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Signs of an Enlightened Phase in Egypt's Parliament

2009-05-13T20:28:00.016-05:00

More details regarding the retraction of a proposed parliamentary law criminalizing "Baha'i thought" in Egypt appeared in yesterday's edition of Egypt's Al-Youm Al-Sabe'h newspaper. These details clearly illustrate a progressive and enlightened trend in the Egyptian legislative branch of government. The following is not a word by word translation, but rather a synopsis of the newspaper story: The released Parliamentary report was surprisingly contradictory to the recommendations of the Joint...

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The Egypt We All Miss is Coming Through!

2009-05-11T21:37:00.011-05:00

The following is a TV program on Egypt's Nile Life Channel aired on 10 May 2009. The two program hosts have invited Dr. Mohammad Farahat, constitutional expert and Professor of Law at Cairo University, Mr. Adel Ramadan, attorney for the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), and Dr. Raouf Hindi, an Egyptian Baha'i who has been at the center of the litigations regarding identification documents for the Baha'is. This program is by far the most well presented, civil and balanced...

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A Futile Attempt to Criminalize "Baha'i Thought" in Egypt Falls on its Face

2009-05-02T11:20:00.038-05:00

A number of Middle Eastern news outlets reported last week that the Egyptian Parliament's Joint Commission on Defense, National Security, Arab Affairs and Religious Endowments has demanded that the Egyptian Parliament expedite the issuance of "a new law criminalizing Baha’ism...." [see links here, here & here] As expected, these attempts were armed with the usual absurd fabrications about Baha'i beliefs and intentions. They were initiated by extremist elements in the Egyptian Parliament...

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Hope for Showraniyah: Hope for Egypt

2009-04-26T19:46:00.021-05:00

There appears to be some imminent positive prospects for the displaced Baha'i families of Showraniyah, the southern Nile village in the province of Sohag recently known for the burning of Baha'i homes. According to an article in yesterday's edition of Al-Youm Al-Sabe'h [the Seventh Day] Egyptian newspaper, village elders, community organizers, State security agencies and the authorities are in the process of finding ways to solve the crisis surrounding the Showraniyah burning. The strategy of...

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Progress on Egypt ID Status

2009-04-19T22:54:00.018-05:00

The document that many have been waiting for was finally published in the 14 April 2009 edition of Al-Waqa’eh Al- Massreyah [The Egyptian Gazette/Chronicles], which is the long-standing official journal where all laws must be published before their actual implementation. [see EIPR/Human Rights Watch joint press release here, also see story in BWNS here] This decree by the Ministry of Interior is of profound historical significance, mostly because it contains a vital amendment of an older order...

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Unprecedented Flood of Egyptian Press Articles Supporting the Baha'is

2009-04-10T06:49:00.019-05:00

Between 2 April and 9 April 2009 there were 81 Egyptian newspaper articles (all in Arabic) expressing outrage at the arson attack on Baha'i homes in the southern village of Showraniyah. Egypt has never seen before the likes of this wholehearted support in its mainstream media for such a cause. It reflects the indignation felt by the multitudes of Egyptians who were labeled, at some point in the past, "the silent majority." This reaction is only natural, only because Egyptians by nature abhor...

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Why Is There More Than One Religion?

2009-04-08T10:08:00.006-05:00

An ongoing serious point of discussion that is frequently raised by so many has been, why humanity needs continued Divine guidance? A line of reasoning as to this need is clearly expressed in the words of Baha'u'llah, the prophet founder of the Baha'i Faith; He contends the following: “All the Prophets of God,” asserts Bahá’u’lláh in the Kitáb-i-Íqán, “abide in the same tabernacle, soar in the same heaven, are seated upon the same throne, utter the same speech, and proclaim the same Faith.”...

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Egypt: Instigator & Perpetrator Summoned to Court for Inciting Against Baha’is

2009-04-06T09:08:00.007-05:00

The MidEast news source, The Media Line has just published a story that reports that an Egyptian journalist and a member of parliament from the ruling party are being summoned to court for allegedly inciting against the Baha’i minority in the country. The article, titled Egyptians Face Trial for Incitement Against Baha’is, and published on 6 April 2009, goes on to state: The journalist, Jamal ‘Abd A-Rahim from the pro-government daily Al-Gumouriyya, and the MP, Muhammad Yusri from the ruling...

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Denials & No Apologies: the Instigator Still on the Loose

2009-04-05T20:47:00.017-05:00

In an attempt to hide his tracks, Gamal Abdel-Rahim, the journalist who has been inciting violence against the Baha'is in Egypt, removed his article (blogpost), also published in al-Gomhoriyah newspaper, and in which a person from the Egyptian province of Sohag* claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Baha'is of Showraniyah and the torching of their homes. *.... This story was reported in a comment by the leader of that mob on Gamal Abdel Rahim's blog, which has been dedicated to attacks...

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Egypt: TV Program With Details of Attacks on Baha'is

2009-04-04T23:59:00.007-05:00

Please see this Orbit TV program called al-Qahera el-Youm [Cairo Today], which presents in great details the attacks and the burning of Baha'i homes in the Egyptian village of Showraniyah. Several guests are participating, including a teenager from the village who gives a minute by minute account of the attacks. Also present is Mr. Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). A Muslim clergy invited to the program does his part in the usual rhetoric against the...

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The Storm of Religious Strife Lingers in Egypt

2009-04-03T14:58:00.021-05:00

Al-Hurra TV channel aired on its news program an extensive interview with Mr. Hossam Bahgat, the director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR). This organization has been taking the lead in defending the rights of the Baha'is of Egypt, particularly during the past five years. There is not enough credit that can be attributed to the unrelenting and courageous work this young activist organization has undertaken, particularly doing so while faced with a very strong national...

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Graphic Details on the Burning of Baha'i Homes in Egypt

2009-04-02T15:55:00.048-05:00

Below is a video showing the burning of Baha'i homes in the village of Showranyiah in the province of Sohag in Upper Egypt (You can hear at the end of the video someone shouting for the person taking the video "el hokooma gaya" (The government [police] is coming): The following is an account of the events surrounding the violence perpetrated against the Baha'is of Egypt and the burning of their homes in a southern village located in the province of Sohag. This information was related by a...

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A Mob Burns Baha'i Homes in a Southern Egyptian Village

2009-04-01T08:55:00.047-05:00

al-Ahram article (burning of 5 homes), dated 1 April 2009 Even though there have been glimpses of hope for peaceful resolution to the struggle of the Baha'is of Egypt, supported by the judiciary as well as the government, a sickening undercurrent of activity is being propagated and stirred by an Egyptian journalist, named Gamal Abdel Rahim, who writes for Egypt's Al-Gomhoryiah [the Republic] newspaper. His activities can easily be regarded as plots that are leading to sedition, intended to...

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A New Book in Arabic About the Baha'i Religion

2009-03-30T15:45:00.026-05:00

A very informative book about the Baha'i Faith by Drs. Wendi and Moojan Momen, first published in 2007 by Dunedin Academic Press, was recently translated to Arabic and is now available for orders from bookstores. This is indeed a very welcome addition to the growing range of materials in the Arabic language about the Baha'i religion. The English title of the book is Understanding the Baha'i Faith and the Arabic translated title is Fahm ad-Din al-Baha'i. It was translated by Mr. Ramsey Zeine...

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Elimination of Religion From ID Cards Being Studied By Egypt's Government

2009-03-25T19:23:00.023-05:00

In an article published today in Arabic, with a version in English, Al Arabiya reported that following Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court decision to allow the Baha'is obtain identification documents with no religious classification entered, the ruling National Democratic Party announced that "the government was studying the possibility of removing the religion section from all identification cards following a similar move in Lebanon." The Arabic version of the article states the following...

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What Can Be Expected After Egypt's Favourable Court Ruling?

2009-03-21T16:42:00.022-05:00

Even though Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court has, on 16 March 2009, ruled in favor of the Baha'is allowing them to obtain identity documents with dashes [--] entered in place of religion, there remain many obstacles to the normalization of their status in Egypt. This can be easily perceived when reading the recent editorials and reports in several Egyptian newspaper articles. Initially, following the recent court ruling, several of these articles limited their reporting to the facts about...

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US President to the People of Iran

2009-03-20T22:09:00.013-05:00

Many news sources reported on the message of President Barack Obama to the people of Iran on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian new year and spring celebration (also celebrated as Baha'i New Year). In addition to the original, a Persian subtitled version of the video message is posted below. Also, an article in The New York Times regarding this message is linked here....

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