Further to EGY25258.E of 6 November 1996, the only recent reference to the situation or status of the Baha'i faith in Egypt found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate is provided by the U.S. Department of State Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2000:

In 1960, President Gamal Abdel Nasser issued a decree (Law 263 for 1960) banning Baha'i institutions and community activities. All Baha'i community properties, including Baha'i centers, libraries, and cemeteries, were confiscated. This ban has not been rescinded (5 Sept. 2000, Section I).

A similar statement is repeated in Country Reports 1999 (25 Feb. 2000). Both publications provide accounts on existing restrictions on various religions and their followers, including information on non-Muslim faiths and practitioners, although without specific references to the Baha'i.

A more comprehensive, albeit earlier, overview of the situation of religious minorities in Egypt can be found in the 1994 Human Rights Watch report Egypt: Violations of Freedom of Religious Belief and Expression of the Christian Minority. However, the only specific reference to the Baha'i found in the report states that "religious minorities [in Egypt] include 5,000 to 10,000 members of the Bahai faith" (ibid., 4n.).

Directories and publications of Baha'i organizations consulted do not list an office or other contact for Egypt.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2000. 5 September 2000. "Egypt." U.S. Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/irf/irf_rpt/irf_egypt.html [Accessed 17 Nov. 2000]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999. February 2000. "Egypt." United States Department of State. Washington, DC. http://www.state.gov/www/global/human_rights/1999_hrp_report/egypt.html [Accessed 17 Nov. 2000]

Egypt: Violations of Freedom of Religious Belief and Expression of the Christian Minority. November 1994. New York: Human Rights Watch. http://www.hrw.org/hrw/reports97/egypt/index.htm [Accessed 20 Nov. 2000]

Additional Sources Consulted

Al-Ahram Weekly [Cairo]. Searchable archives.

IRB Databases.

Middle East Times(Weekly English Edition [Cairo]. Searchable archives.

REFWORLD.

World News Connection (WNC).

Internet Websites, including:

Amnesty International.

Baha'i publications and organizations.

Internet search engines.

Note:

This list is not exhaustive. Country and subject-specific publications available at the Resource Centre are not included.