The Bahá'í faith is the youngest of the world’s independent religions, arising in mid-19th century Persia.  There are currently about five million adherents worldwide, with believers from a wide variety of nations and ethnicities.[1]  

Bahá'ís recognize Siyyid Ali-Muhammad of Shiraz, Persia – who took the title of the Bab – as the forerunner of Baha’u’llah (meaning “the Glory of God” in Arabic), the founder of the faith.  The Bahá'í religion is built on Baha’u’llah’s central message that the day of unification of humanity into one global family has come.[2]  Bahá'ís believe in one God that is the same for all of humanity and they see Baha’u’llah as the most recent in a line of messengers that has included Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zoroaster, Christ and Muhammad.[3] 

Demography

The Egyptian Bahá'i community was established in 1868; by the 1950s it held roughly 5,000 members.  However, a 1960 presidential decree banning Bahá'í activities and authorizing the confiscation of properties has severely limited the group, and today the community numbers just around 500.  (The exact number of current believers is difficult to ascertain, though, as the Egyptian government does not recognize Bahá'ís as an official faith group or allow them to obtain national identification cards.)[4]

Geographic Distribution

The roots of the Egyptian Bahá'ís population, which is spread throughout the country, can be traced to Baha’u’llah’s visit to Egypt during the 19th century.  Northern Egypt, with the cities of Alexandria and Cairo, is believed to be home to more Bahá'ís than other areas of the country.[5]

Historic Hardship

In 1960, Egypt’s Gamal Abdul Nasser issued Presidential Decree 263, which disbanded Bahá'í groups, prohibited their activities, and authorized the confiscation of their properties.[6]  The ban has not been lifted since, and today Egyptian Bahá'ís remain a persecuted group – a status most resoundingly epitomized by the government’s refusal to allow adherents to obtain the national identification cards needed to access basic citizenship rights, including employment, education, medical and financial services, freedom of movement and security of property.

Ongoing Hardship

In a 1987 New York Times article, The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís in the United States spotlighted the fact that scores of Egyptian believers had recently been sentenced to three-year jail terms for practicing their faith.  The article also noted that then-Congressman John Porter (R-IL) had taken to the floor of the House to condemn Cairo’s oppression of the group.  “Despite guarantees of religious freedom in the Egyptian Constitution and Egypt’s adoption of the International Convenant on Civil and Political Rights, Bahais have been victims of harassment, public slander and periodic arrests over the past 30 years,” Porter said.[7] 

Little has changed in the two decades since that article was written, as Egyptian Bahá'ís still face institutionalized discrimination.  Of note is the fact that both Bahá'í institutions and community activities are prohibited by law, meaning that believers cannot openly practice their faith.[8] 

The national ID card issue is arguably the most urgent matter facing Egyptian Bahá'ís today.[9]  An April 2006 administrative court appeal supporting the rights of Bahá'í citizens to receive ID cards and birth certificates with their religion noted was overruled in December 2006 by Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court, perpetuating Cairo’s stance on the issue.[10] 

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