Religion in Egypt
Al-Azhar Mosque, founded in 970 CE by the Fatimids as the first Islamic university in Egypt and the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria established in the middle of the 1st century by Saint Mark.
[4] In 2002, under the Mubarak government, Coptic Christmas (January 7) was recognized as an official holiday,[5] though otherwise, Christians are minimally represented in law enforcement, state security and public office, and of being discriminated against in the workforce on the basis of their religion.
The most recent declarations, made by Pope Shenouda III and bishop Morkos of Shubra in 2008, claimed that the number of Orthodox Christians in Egypt was over 12 million.
[38] A 2021 report notes a government crack-down on religious violence, including the execution of the murderer of Father Samaan Shehata.
[40] Freedom of belief and worship are formally recognized as absolute by the Egyptian Constitution under Article 64, but are effectively limited by government intervention and sectarian conflict.
While construction of mosques is freely allowed by the authorities without any intervention, they have sometimes let mob rule dictate that even registered churches be closed down.
[citation needed] In 2006 Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court made a clear legal distinction between "recognized religions" (i.e., Islam, Christianity, and Judaism) and all other religious beliefs.
[46] In 2007, a Cairo administrative court denied 45 citizens the right to obtain identity papers documenting their reversion to Christianity after converting to Islam.
[47] However, in February 2008 the Supreme Administrative Court overturned the decision, allowing 12 citizens who had reverted to Christianity to re-list their religion on identity cards,[48][49] but they will specify that they had adopted Islam for a brief period of time.
[55][56] Muslims and Christians share a common history and national identity; however, at times religious tensions have arisen, and individual acts of prejudice and violence occur.
Muslim villagers later attacked the Abu Sifin Church and several Christian homes and looted several shops before the authorities restored order.
The literate theologians of Al-Azhar generally reject the popular version of Islam practised by religious preachers and peasants in the countryside, which is heavily Sufi-influenced.
Most upper- and middle-class Muslims believed either that religious expression is a private matter for each individual or that Islam should play a more dominant role in public life.
Islamic religious revival movements, whose appeal cuts across class lines, have been present in most cities and in many villages for a long time.
The mainstream Hanafi school of Sunni Islam is largely controlled by the state, through Wizaret Al-Awkaf (Ministry of Religious Affairs).
Jews participated in all aspects of Egypt's social, economic and political life; one of the most ardent Egyptian nationalists, Yaqub Sanu' (Abu Naddara), was Jewish, as were the musician Dawoud Husni, popular singer Leila Mourad and filmmaker Togo Mizrahi.
For a while, Jews from across the Ottoman Empire and Europe were attracted to Egypt due to the relative harmony that characterized the local religious landscape in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
[75] The Ahmadiyya movement in Egypt, which numbers up to 7,000 to 50,000 adherents in the country,[76][77] was established in 1922[78] but has seen an increase in hostility and government repression as of the 21st century.
Without valid identity cards Baháʼís encounter difficulty registering their children in school, opening bank accounts, and establishing businesses.
[84] On 16 December 2006, after only one hearing, the High Court of Egypt ruled against the Baháʼís, stating that the government would not recognize their religion in official identification cards.
[88][89] During and since the 2011 Egyptian revolution tensions have remained high, including homes being burnt,[90] though Baháʼís made ongoing efforts to contribute to the dialog.
[91] Since 2011 Baháʼís remain concerned,[86] noting such things as a 2012 statement by a Salafi spokesman that "We will prosecute the Bahai's [sic] on charge of treason".
[94] It is difficult to quantify the number of atheist or agnostic Egyptians due to the persecution by the religious establishments,[95][96] and its resulting social stigma against publicly identifying as non-religious, along with a lack of official statistics.
[95][101][102] Blasphemy cases are not initiated by the general prosecutor, and only occur if a citizen, usually an official from the religious establishments, takes the step of filing against the person engaging in blasphemy, a procedure similar to Antragsdelikt in civil law legal systems; also, officials from the religious establishment, specifically al-Azhar institution, issue fatwa to permit the killing of those who blaspheme if the Egyptian government doesn't do it, such as, notably, in the case of Hamed Abdelsamad,[103] and in the case of Farag Fouda who was shot dead in 1992 by Islamists as a consequence, among others.
[37] A study at the University of Kent, citing a 2018 survey Wave V by Arab Barometer, stated that around 11% of Egyptians identified themselves as not religious.
[112] Egyptian media has since 2011 reported increases in the number of nonbelievers and atheists publicly coming out;[107] however, atheism or skepticism is not a recent phenomenon in Egypt.
[107] Despite the lack of clarity with regard to absolute numbers, there is a noticeable increase in young Egyptians coming out for nonbelieving and publicly testifying they have left the faith, especially on the internet.
[113] Atheists or irreligious people cannot change their official religious status, thus statistically they are counted as followers of their parent's religion, whether it is Islam or Christianity.
