Egyptians Rally for Recognition of Baha'i

Standing up for the rights of Baha'i is the "third rail" of the struggle for religious freedom in the Middle East. Because Baha'i, who are spread out in communities across the region, follow a prophet who comes after Muhammad, well... it creates problems.

In Egypt (as in many other countries), it means Baha'is do not officially exist. National ID cards cannot have "Baha'i" written on them, nor does the Interior Ministry computer system accept that input. (Note: A few Egyptians some decades ago by a bureaucratic glitch were able to have Baha'i listed on their ID cards, but that too has caused them civil rights problems.)

Today, a brave group of Egyptians are rallying in public to demand recognition of Baha'is. "If you reject religious discrimination, if you believe in the rights of citizenship... [in] a just nation for all its children," goes their appeal to participate. Specifically, they are calling for the state to recognize the religious identity of citizen Hossam Izzat Mohamed Moussa, a 41-yaer-old engineer who also cannot give his children accurate birth certificates.

The rally actually happened already, and we eagerly await photos and report. Regardless of the outcome, the simple act of holding the public demonstration on this largely taboo topic is applauded.