Egypt has historically faced many challenges to religious freedom. There has been recurring violence and discrimination against Coptic Christians, who represent 10-15% of the population, as well as other communities who face religious freedom challenges. Furthermore, Egypt is one of the world’s leading enforcers of blasphemy laws. The United States joined 30 other countries at the UN Human Rights Council just last week in condemning a range of human rights abuses in Egypt, which has not been done since 2014.
However, in spite of its shortcomings, there have been some improvements to religious freedom conditions in recent years that are noteworthy. USCIRF Supervisory Policy Analyst, Kurt Werthmuller, joins us this week to discuss the situation for religious freedom in Egypt.
Featuring:
Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF
Kurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst, USCIRF
To learn more about Egypt’s blasphemy regulations, read USCIRF’s 2020 report on Global Blasphemy Laws.
USCIRF’s 2021 Annual Report which will detail religious freedom in Egypt will be released in April.