Baha'i Faith's Struggle in Egypt
By Paige Gray
The Baha'i Faith, a religion characterized by unity and spiritual oneness of holy beliefs, has felt the divisive effects of discrimination throughout history. However, its continuing persecution in Egypt has rallied groups across actual and virtual maps, by way of Web sites and blogs, protests and lawsuits. The crisis has also served to bring together local Baha'is.
In the Chicago area, Baha'is keep the situation of families and individuals facing ill-treatment in the forefront of their thoughts. However, their beliefs prohibit them from taking part in demonstrations or disregarding government laws, explained Barbara McCord, who serves on the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Chicago.
"Whether it is the concern for Baha'is being persecuted in Iran, experiencing human rights deprivation in Egypt or being caught in war-torn areas around the world...we pray for the day when these sufferings will have passed, keep the souls in our hearts and minds who are experiencing such pain and simply remain aloof, in heart and in mind, in words and in deeds, from the political affairs and disputes of the nations and of governments," McCord said.
A Jan. 29 decision by Egyptian officials allowing Baha'i followers to better classify themselves in national identification procedures marks a needed victory for the faith, in addition to bringing it more global attention, said Nabi Ali, an anesthesiologist and professor at the University of Alabama School of Medicine who was born in Egypt but left in 1970. Yet despite the court's decision, religious discrimination for Baha'is remains eminent, Ali said.
"The ruling is very interesting...but the verdict does not solve the problem," Ali said.
In response to the government's treatment of his religion, he started the blog Baha'i Faith in Egyptin 2006, posting articles and opinions about issues Baha'is face, such as the recent identification card problem. The incident has brought notice from media and human rights activists; Ali has recorded over 100,000 Web site hits for his blog from around the world.
"The numbers are impressive for a blog of this subject," Ali said, also noting the impact that organizations such as the Muslim Network for Baha'i Rights and Mideast Youthhave made. "Now many people in Egypt know what Baha'is stand for; the media and the Internet are a great asset. This crisis has really helped in a way."
The issue for Baha'is in Egypt magnified when the government switched over to a computerized database in 2004. It forced citizens to choose Christianity, Islam or Judaism as their religion. Baha'is were forced to either lie-something not only against their spiritual practices, but also punishable by federal law if discovered-or be denied a card, which without, makes it near impossible to function in the country.
"A driver's license [in the United States] does not have near the power of the ID card in Egypt," Ali said. "You need it to go to school, to go to the hospital, to get a bus pass, to buy a cell phone...you can only go to the grocery story without it. It affects everything."
Baha'is inability to obtain cards brought forth several lawsuits, which came to a close last month.
Yara Sallam, a researcher for Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights explained the court decision as a positive step forward.
"The ruling of the Cairo Court of Administrative Justice on was welcomed from [Initiative for Personal Rights] and
Human Rights Watch's side. It granted the request of Baha'i Egyptians to obtain birth certificates and identity cards without indicating any religious affiliation," Sallam said.
The court stated if an identification card from the old paper system had "Baha'i" written in, the religion question can now be left blank in the computerized system. But, the completion of the paper card system was something left to the discretion of the government clerk, according to Ali. He said some clerks wrote in one of the three major religions based upon appearance of the individual. Thus, a moderate proportion of the nearly 500 Egyptian Baha'is are still left in a difficult situation, particularly young adults.
"Essentially, they are trying to eliminate Baha'i and deny the existence of this religion when you look at the spirit of the ruling," Ali said. "The problem in Egypt is that religion is on official documents." This includes marriage, and Baha'i couples remain unrecognized by the government.
Marie Tomarelli Petkus, a University of Chicago doctoral student and one of approximately 450 local Baha'is, said the key in Egypt in constant action.
"The next step is continual advocacy from groups like the United Nations to make sure this ruling won't be overturned," she said.
For Ali, that continual advocacy takes place through outlets like his blog.
"People see injustice" and look for new modes of communication to reveal and overcome it, he said.
"It really is a whole new phenomenon."
