“Not even a glimmer of hope” exists for improving the situation of Bahais in Egypt, according to Saba Haddad, the Bahai International Community’s representative to the United Nations.
Speaking to Al Manassa, Haddad said that the community continues to face numerous challenges, “most of which could be easily resolved if there were genuine political will.”
The Bahai International Community is a nongovernmental organization representing Bahais worldwide. It has held consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council and UNICEF since 1948.
Haddad said there has been no engagement between the Egyptian government and the Bahai community since Egypt underwent its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva earlier this month.
At that session, the Bahai International Community criticized Egypt for ignoring concerns about “violations of freedom of religion or belief.” In a statement, the group said the lived experience of Bahais in Egypt “exposes how hollow those claims are and calls into question Egypt’s assurances.”
The Egyptian government is accused of disregarding several UPR recommendations to address discrimination and violence against religious minorities, despite asserting that existing constitutional protections are adequate.
It maintains there is no religious discrimination in Egypt, citing constitutional guarantees of equal rights and denying that Bahais are excluded from civil entitlements such as nationality, education, or healthcare. However, Haddad stated that in practice, authorities continue to “persecute Bahais on the basis of their faith.”
In April 2025, 11 UN special rapporteurs and the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention submitted an unprecedented joint communication to the Egyptian government, expressing concern about persistent patterns of discrimination against Bahais.
The Bahai community has repeatedly attempted to engage with Egyptian authorities, Haddad confirmed. “The group contacted the Human Rights Council during the tenure of former president Moushira Khattab, and again last month with current president Mahmoud Karem.”
Both times, she said, they received promises that Bahais would be granted burial grounds. “But none of those promises were fulfilled,” she emphasized, “There’s no serious effort or sincere intention, and not even the slightest sign of progress.”
The statement also pointed to multiple forms of undermining constitutional rights. These include the inability to register marriage contracts, restrictions on burial rights due to access to only one nearly full cemetery, and challenges in accessing education and employment. It also highlighted instances of societal pressure discouraging interaction with Bahais.
Among the most severe violations Bahais face is the denial of burial rights, Haddad previously told Al Manassa. Authorities have refused to issue permits to establish a Bahai cemetery. Of three cemeteries the community once used, two have been seized, leaving only one nearly at capacity.
Other forms of discrimination include the state’s refusal to recognize Bahai marriages. “Even those who obtained a court ruling affirming their marriage found the designation removed when renewing identity cards,” Haddad noted.
Haddad added that some issues facing the community could be resolved relatively simply, and doing so would signal goodwill by the government. As an example, she cited the case of a mother of two who faced deportation despite qualifying for Egyptian citizenship and being exempted from residency requirements.
Egypt was the first country in the world to legally recognize the Bahai Faith, doing so in 1925. Bahais subsequently published personal status laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and burial, submitting them to the Egyptian Cabinet. The Bahai Association was formally registered with the government in 1934, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.
