ECLJ Report Exposes Ongoing Human Rights Violations Against Christians in Egypt Ahead of UN Review

The ECLJ has published a new report on the severe human rights violations faced by Christians in Egypt. The report has been submitted to the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) ahead of its 48^th session, where Egypt’s human rights record will be examined. The findings of the report highlight a disturbing pattern of systemic discrimination, legal harassment, and societal persecution against Egypt's Christian minority, particularly in Upper Egypt, and call for urgent international intervention.

Background and Context

Egypt, a country with a predominantly Muslim population of approximately 106.6 million, is home to a significant Christian minority, including approximately 10% Coptic Christians. The nation is ranked 38^th on the 2024 World Watch List by Open Doors, identifying it as one of the most challenging countries for Christians to live. Despite Egypt's commitments to international human rights norms, Christians face persistent violations of their fundamental rights, ranging from societal discrimination to state-sanctioned persecution. However, Egypt’s Christians overwhelmingly support President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, rather than the chaos and Islamism of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Since 2014,President Sissi has attended Christmas mass every year, a first for an Egyptian president. Following the martyrdom of 20 Copts by the Islamic State in Libya in 2015, he sent the army to avenge those he considers Egyptians before being Christians. Then, at public expense, he had a large basilica built in their native village to honor their remains.

“Where there is a mosque, there must also be a church,” said President Sissi in March 2022, in the context of various large-scale national housing and construction projects. In June 2024, Aid to the Church in Need summarized: “Probably never in the history of the Middle East have so many churches been built at the same time as this year in Egypt. The Copts are delighted, but the stability of their country remains fragile.”

It is in Upper Egypt that Egyptian Christians face the greatest difficulties in living out their faith. Indeed, while they are more numerous in absolute and relative terms in this vast rural region far from Cairo than in the rest of the country, they face a fanatical Muslim population that threatens them almost with impunity. In particular, the Asyut region is the one in Egypt where the Christian minority is the largest (in some places up to 25% of the population), and where tensions between Copts and Muslim fundamentalists are the most constant and deadly.

Key Findings of the Report

The ECLJ report provides a detailed examination of the legal, societal, and governmental structures that contribute to the persecution of Christians in Egypt. It highlights several key areas of concern:

1. Legal and Institutional Discrimination. The Egyptian Constitution declares that Islamic Sharia is the principal source of legislation, which effectively marginalizes religious minorities. Article 98 F of the Egyptian Penal Code, often referred to as the "blasphemy law," is frequently used to target Christians. This law criminalizes any action deemed to "exploit religion" or "advocate extremist thoughts," leading to arbitrary arrests and convictions that disproportionately affect the Christian community. Moreover, the Church Construction Law requires Christians to obtain government approval to build or renovate churches, resulting in bureaucratic delays and providing grounds for societal hostility.
2. Persecution of Converts and Legal Injustices. The report underscores the unique challenges faced by Muslim converts to Christianity, who are often denied the right to change their religious affiliation on official documents. This restriction extends to their children, who are automatically registered as Muslims regardless of the family's wishes. Converts frequently face harassment, intimidation, and even violence from both state and non-state actors. The government has also been accused of using blasphemy charges to silence Christian voices and suppress any expression of faith that deviates from the state-sanctioned narrative.
3. Societal Persecution and Violence. Christians in Egypt, particularly in rural areas, are subjected to intense societal persecution. This includes harassment of Christian women, who are often targeted for kidnappings, forced conversions, and coerced marriages to Muslim men. Christian children face bullying in schools, and Christian communities are frequently attacked by mobs incited by rumors of blasphemy or other religious grievances. The report documents several cases where local authorities failed to protect Christian communities or hold perpetrators accountable, fostering an environment of impunity and fear.
4. Specific Incidents of Persecution: The ECLJ report provides a harrowing account of several recent incidents illustrating the ongoing persecution of Christians in Egypt:
• January 22, 2024: A 21-year-old Christian woman was abducted in Asyut. Despite her family’s efforts, authorities have been slow to respond, and her whereabouts remain unknown. It was later discovered that her ID had been altered without her consent to indicate she was Muslim.
• July 18, 2023: Zaki, a Christian graduate student, was sentenced to three years in prison for allegedly "inciting violence" through his writings on Christian persecution. Though later pardoned, his case highlights the suppression of free speech and religious expression in Egypt.
• January 8, 2023: A mob of Muslims attacked Christian homes and a church following a car accident involving a Muslim and a Christian. The violence escalated with looting and destruction of property, yet the authorities did little to intervene or provide justice for the victims.
• Christmas Eve, 2022: Following the approval of a church’s application to repair its roof, a group of Muslims launched an attack on the church, throwing rocks and setting fire to adjacent Christian properties. The local government halted the repair work indefinitely to appease the mob.

Recommendations for the Egyptian Government

In light of these findings, the ECLJ urges the Egyptian government to take immediate, concrete steps to protect the rights of its Christian minority, and align its practices with international human rights standards:

1. Amend or Repeal Discriminatory Laws: The Egyptian government should urgently amend or repeal laws that are used to persecute religious minorities, particularly the blasphemy law (Article 98 F) and the Church Construction Law. These laws should be reformed to ensure they comply with Egypt’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees freedom of religion, belief, and expression.
2. Ensure Equal Protection Under the Law: The government must enforce laws impartially and ensure that local and regional authorities are held accountable for failing to protect religious minorities. This includes prosecuting those who perpetrate violence against Christians and providing adequate security to prevent such incidents.
3. Promote Religious Freedom and Tolerance: Authorities should take proactive steps to foster an environment of religious tolerance and coexistence. This includes educational campaigns to combat religious intolerance and initiatives to promote understanding and respect among different religious communities.
4. Protect Vulnerable Groups: Special attention should be given to the protection of women and children from religious minorities, who are particularly vulnerable to harassment, abduction, and forced conversions. The government should implement policies that protect these groups and provide avenues for redress when their rights are violated.

The ECLJ’s report serves as a stark reminder of the challenges faced by Christians in Egypt and the urgent need for both national reforms and international pressure to ensure that Christians and other religious minorities may live without fear of persecution.