Religious Freedom in Egypt

Freedom of belief and worship are formally recognized by the Egyptian Constitution, but are effectively limited by government intervention and sectarian conflict. Concerns about religious freedom grew after the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafists won a majority of seats in recent parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, attacks against Christians and other religious minorities have increased after Mubarak’s overthrow. In 2011, several churches were burned and, that October, government troops killed 27 Coptic Christians in violent clashes. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom consequently named Egypt a “country of particular concern” in both 2011 and 2012. Some aspects of Egypt’s laws are heavily biased in favor of Islam and against religious minorities, most notably the country’s 10 million Copts. Islam is the state religion and, since the 1980 constitutional amendments, sharia is officially recognized as the primary source of legislation. Other religions must petition for legal recognition within this framework. Although the state provides funds for the construction of mosques and the training of imams, no such aid is extended to non-Muslim communities, whose requests for building permits are often denied or delayed. Government officials also frequently deny identity cards, birth certificates and marriage licenses to individual adherents of minority religions. The government also discriminates against Islamic minority groups, most notably Shi’a Muslims. Shi’as face official discrimination, including being barred from admission to al-Azhar University, which is among the most prestigious centers for higher learning in the Middle East.