This will definitely be the last post prior to Christmas. Mainly because I am appalled at the Egyptian government's decision to not allow Baha'is to possess the required citizen ID cards simply because they are Baha'is. They have to say that they are either Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. A few court cases have ensured this at this point. Baha'is are not even allowed to have a space on the card labelled "Other".
This is a very significant matter of concern as every Egyptian is required by law to have one of these ID cards, and the ID card must be correct in all aspects, so by this simple definition, a Baha'i must not be able to an Egyptian citizen...
Meaning, "Without such documentation, they cannot register births or receive essential government services such as health and education. Additionally, they cannot apply for jobs, buy property, open bank accounts, or register their children in school."
this means Baha'is have no access to health care, education
One blogs report on this issue is here.
Another news article states that, "The court's decision upholds government policy that denies Baha'is the right to receive identification cards, birth certificates, education and even medical care, unless they lie about their religious beliefs".
This article appears to be well researched as they seem to understand the conflict between Islam and Baha'i, "The main conflict between Muslims and Bahais is in the idea that Mohammed is not the final prophet of god, which has led to Muslims distrusting Bahais." Baha'is believe that Baha'u'llah is the manifestation of God for this age, but He will not be the last as God would never leave his children without guidance.
And one final news article which I must disclaim before as it states that the Baha'i Faith is an "offshoot" of Islam, which is incorrect. The Baha'i Faith is an offshoot of Islam in the same way that Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism. All four of the religions are complete and not offshoots, nor sects, nor 'isms.
If you have questions or anything, please do not hesitate to ask, or please click on this link. to learn what the Baha'i Faith is if you don't know anything, or you would like to know more.
Anyway, I thought that I would let people know that despite living in a so-called civilized age, ignorance and fear still drives policy.
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6 comments:
man that is messed. I was talking to my room mate about this and he was saying pretty much and I quote "so" Now I am not an expert on the issue but to me it seems like they are imitating a certain group that would deny ones religion. That group is the NAZI's. Well that is all I have to say about that.
It is hard to believe that in this day and age that people are still so ignorant and would deny people because of their religion . Ridiculous
Man, I hadn't heard anything about that but it seems very discriminatory... what about atheists or agnostics? If there is no "other" category, then do they have to identify themselves by a group that they actually do not adhere to to get the gov. services?
Scary....
It seems like things are getting more and more fanatical - scary stuff-- we all need to be vigilant and respectful of other peoples beliefs---
In response to Northern Light, Yes, if a person is not Jewish, Christian, or Islam, then it appears that they have to convert or lie.
Hi Mike, I finally noticed your response on my blog! I've been so busy this last month that I haven't had a chance to come back and post anything else.
I read last month about the problem in Egypt in a newsletter I receive on worldwide religious news, and was completely disgusted. It's really sad that this sort of thing is still happening in the 21st century..
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