Religion on Egyptian citizens’ IDs required to be removed over discrimination

Mandatory indication of religion on Egyptian IDs causes protests. Photo: slovoproslovo

In Egypt, human rights organizations are demanding the removal of the "religion" field from national identity cards, considering it a source of discrimination and persecution of Christians. This is reported by Christianity Today.

According to human rights advocates, the requirement to indicate religion — Islam, Christianity, or Judaism — effectively deprives minorities of access to education, employment, healthcare, and justice. Authorities refuse to issue new documents to citizens who have converted from Islam to Christianity. Individual cases of police refusing to accept complaints from Christians are recorded in Cairo, Giza, and Minya.

The Executive Director of the US-based Empower Women Media (EWM), Shirin Taber, stated that removing the "religion" field could be a step towards social integration: "You’ll have a better chance of getting that job, getting enrolled in university, and your child being able to play on the soccer team," she noted. “Women, youth, and minorities are discriminated against the most." Representatives of the Coptic Orthodox Church also support the call to abolish the mandatory indication of religious affiliation, calling it a "matter of human dignity".

Up to 10 million Copts live in Egypt, making up the largest Christian community in the Middle East. Despite constitutional guarantees, attacks on parishes and believers still occur, and most cases are not investigated.

As reported by the UOJ, Christianity is recognized as the most persecuted religion in the world.

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