Egypt: Submission to the Universal Periodic Review

The Jubilee Campaign, together with Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), seeks to draw the Human Rights Councils attention to the situation of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) in Egypt.

Recommendations

Progress has been made in protecting religious minorities, especially from physical attacks by Islamist groups. President al-Sisi has also been encouraging national unity through a number of speeches, most recently when he became the first Egyptian President to attend a Coptic Christmas Mass. He addressed the gathered worshippers, saying, “Let no one say, ‘What kind of Egyptian are you’. It is not right to call each other anything but Egyptians.”

We also welcome Al-Azhar and the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt launching the ‘Egyptian Family Home’ initiative to reinforce the values of citizenship for all. The Egyptian Family Home launched, in cooperation with civil society partners, a campaign to restore 46 churches that had been affected by acts of violence following the June 30 revolution.

However, we have a number of recommendations to ensure Egypt upholds the rights of all its citizens under the constitution.

• Amend Article 98 of the penal code to ensure those of all beliefs and none enjoy the freedoms laid out in Article 64 of the constitution and Article 18 of the ICCPR, noting General Comment 22.
• The Egyptian government together with its religious institutions should create and implement a policy which effectively stamps out radicalisation and Islamism through extremist preaching, while ensuring freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief.
• Review all cases in which prisoners are facing charges relating to ‘blasphemy’ or ‘insulting religion’, including a review of court practices and judges where these charges have been brought.
• Take steps to destroy a culture of impunity in Egypt, proactively ensuring that all crimes against any religious group, especially religious minorities, are not tolerated and are thoroughly investigated to ensure justice.
• Cease any state sponsored initiative to promote any religion or belief system over another, including the programme raising the dangers of atheism.

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