Egypt

Religious Freedom World Report

Prepared by the International Coalition for Religious Freedom

Egypt

According to its Constitution, Egypt is a social democracy in which Islam is the state religion. Article 19 of the constitution states that religious education shall be a principal subject in the courses of general education. Article 40 says all citizens are equal before the law. They have equal public rights and duties without discrimination between them due to race, ethnic origin, language, religion or creed. Freedom of belief and the freedom of practice of religious rites in Article 46. Most Egyptians (about 94 percent) are Sunni Muslim. Estimates of the population of the Coptic Orthodox Church, the largest Christian minority in the Middle East, vary. They make up at least six percent, but may number as many as 14 percent of the population.

In spite of the above listed guarantees, the government continues to restrict basic rights of expression and the press and places restrictions on the freedom of belief and the practice of religious rites.

The Government appoints and pays the salaries of the imams officiating in mosques, and proposes themes for and monitors sermons. Of the country's approximately 70,000 mosques, slightly less than half remain unlicensed and operate outside the control of government authorities. In an effort to combat Islamic extremists, the Government announced that it intended to bring the remaining 30,000 unauthorized mosques under its control.

There are restrictions on political freedom and a low-level insurgency by militant Islamic groups against the government. The Muslim Brotherhood has been banned for anti-government activities. Violence by Islamic militants is often directed against security forces, foreigners, and tourists. Religious practices that conflict with Islamic law are prohibited.

The Coptic Church finds itself in an especially difficult situation, suffering from attacks by Muslim extremists - including kidnapping, forced marriage of young women to Muslims, killing, and burning churches - as well as a degree of subtle persecution from the government. While the government's official policy is not to discriminate on the basis of religion, in fact, in an attempt to placate extremists, Christians may be passed over for promotion, laid off, or denied recognition for meritorious scholarship. The Patriarchate, in turn, does not publicly protest these incidents in an effort to maintain a good relationship with the government.

Women and Egyptian Christians face discrimination based on tradition and some aspects of the law, and there have been instances of persecution of Christians in recent years. Christians have been the target of terrorist groups seeking to overthrow the government and establish an Islamic state. Terrorists have killed dozens of Christians and others in recent years. Islamic groups claim responsibility for attacks on churches and other property belonging to members of Christian minorities especially Copts. There are other small Christian denominations, as well as a Jewish community numbering fewer than 50 individuals.

While proselytizing is technically not a crime, Muslims face legal problems if they convert to another faith. Authorities have charged a few converts to Christianity under provisions of the Penal Code. There were reports that in 1996 state security officers in Cairo detained, interrogated, and in two cases, physically abused several converts to Christianity in an effort to obtain information about the identities and activities of other converts. Reactions from terrorist muslim groups towards converts are more severe. Converts can be killed, or, if not killed, severely persecuted. Converts may lose their jobs, their inheritance, etc.