Key facts
- A European Parliament delegation visited Egypt to strengthen ties.
- Members of the Baha'i minority reported decades of discrimination and persecution.
- Baha'is in Egypt lack legal recognition and face significant barriers to daily life.
- A 1960 presidential decree and religious fatwas contribute to the persecution.
- UN reports have documented the persecution and called for it to cease.
- Egypt is currently drafting a new human rights strategy.
A Member of the European Parliament, Nikos Papandreou, has urged Europe to address the ongoing persecution of the Baha'i minority in Egypt, despite the EU's strengthening strategic partnership with the country. Papandreou, who was part of a delegation that visited Egypt, highlighted the decades of discrimination faced by the Baha'is from Egyptian government and religious authorities.
The Baha'i Faith, an independent world religion with millions of followers globally, has several thousand adherents in Egypt. However, they lack legal recognition as a community and face significant obstacles in their daily lives, including difficulties obtaining national ID cards, marriage licenses, and burial rights. This exclusion stems from a 1960 presidential decree that dissolved Baha'i institutions and confiscated their properties, compounded by numerous fatwas issued by Al-Azhar, the leading Sunni institution.
While Egypt legally recognizes Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, the Baha'is fall outside this framework, effectively facing legal non-existence. This situation prevents married couples from naming each other as benefactors and bars children from inheritance. The scale of the problem has been documented in United Nations reports from February 2026 by the High Commissioner for Human Rights and two Special Rapporteurs, who called for an end to the persecution.
Papandreou emphasized that addressing these issues aligns with Egypt's constitutional guarantee of freedom of belief and President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi's statements on protecting religious rights. With Egypt currently drafting its next five-year human rights strategy and serving on the UN Human Rights Council, this is seen as a critical moment to translate words into action. The MEP suggested that Baha'i recognition could be incorporated into the new strategy, arguing that protecting minority rights strengthens social cohesion and allows individuals to contribute positively to society.