Baha'i case postponed by the Egyptian courts again

Since April, when a lower court upheld the right of a Baha’i couple to include their true religious identity on government documents, the case has been challenged and postponed for seven months.

The Egyptian government appealed the ruling in May, and a court hearing was scheduled for June 19^th. However, the Court commissioner’s advisory report was not submitted in time for the hearing, resulting in a delay of the case until September 16^th.

Then, in a brief hearing on September 16^th, the case was yet again postponed until November 20^th, still citing the need to await the completion of the advisory report.

The government’s policy before the April ruling allowed people to choose only from three recognized religions—Islam, Christianity and Judaism—on state documents. Baha’i who are unwilling to lie about their religion on government documents are increasingly unable to gain access to basic citizenship rights, including employment, education, medical and financial services.

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