EGYPT ISSUES DOCUMENTS TO BAHA'IS

C O N F I D E N T I A L CAIRO 000887

SIPDIS

DRL/IRF FOR COFSKY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/20/2029
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KIRF EG
SUBJECT: EGYPT ISSUES DOCUMENTS TO BAHA'IS

REF: A. CAIRO 688

B. 08 CAIRO 157

Classified By: Counselor for Economic and Political Affairs
Catherine Hill-Herndon for reason 1.4 (d).


1. Key Points

-- (SBU) On May 20, the GoE issued birth certificates,
containing dashes in the religion field, to two of the three
Baha'is who sued the GoE seeking such documents. (ref B)

-- (SBU) The third plaintiff, who is seeking a national
identification card, has not yet received the document,
despite favorable court rulings.

-- (SBU) Approximately twenty Baha'is - none involved in
the litigation - applied for national identification cards
after Egypt's Ministry of Interior (MoI) issued a decree on
April 14 establishing procedures for members of
"unrecognized" religions to receive identity documents. (ref
A) The MoI has not yet acted on their applicaions.


2. (C) Comment: This is the first tangible action the GoE
has taken to alleviate the hardship it created through its
refusal to recognize religions other than Islam,
Christianity, and Judaism, and the 2005 introduction of
computerized identity documents. While this is a small step,
the Baha'i community is hopeful that the issuance of the two
birth certificates signals the GoE's committment to finally
addressing the issue. We will press the GoE for further
action.


--------------
The MoI Finally Acts
--------------


3. (C) According to Rauf Hindy, father of two of the three
Baha'is involved in the identification document litigation,
on May 20, Egypt's Ministry of Interior (MoI) issued birth
certificates - containing a dash in the religious
identification field - to his children, the remedy they had
sought. Within hours of the issuance of the certificates,
local internet news sites posted pictures of the documents,
clearly showing the dash in the religious identification
field. The third plaintiff in the case, who sought the
issuance of a national identification card with a dash in the
religious identification field, has not yet received the
document.


4. (SBU) Local Baha'is told us that since the issuance of
an MoI decree on April 14, approximately twenty Baha'is have
applied for identification cards. None have received the
requested documents.
SCOBEY