CAIRO: The Administrative Judiciary Court ruled in favor of a Bahai student in his effort to receive a new identification card so he could return to his studies at Alexandria University.
The ruling was given in a session overseen by the head of the administrative judiciary and the deputy head of the State Council Mohamed Ahmed Attiya, who ruled that it was the right of Hady Hassan Ali to receive a new national ID card.
As such, Attiya ordered the Ministry of Interior to grant Ali a new ID card, so he could then carry out the paperwork needed to be readmitted to university.
Egyptian national ID cards must identify the religion of the holder, and Egypt only recognizes Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which has caused a myriad of obstacles for Bahais.
The court said that while the Egyptian constitution secures the rights of belief for its citizens, Bahaism was not recognized as an official religion in the country and therefore could not be recorded on official documents. However, since basic principles of human rights give citizens the right to prove their identity in their country, the court said, Attiya ruled that the slot for religious affiliation be left empty, or denoted with a mark.
The ruling allows Ali to complete the necessary paperwork so he can resume his studies.
Ali had launched the suit against the dean of the University of Alexandria, the Ministers of Interior and Defense amongst others for his inability to continue his studies due to a lack of an ID card.
Ali was previously refused an ID card from the Ministry of Interior, and could not continue the paperwork needed to ascertain his military status, which meant that he was expelled from university.
The court stressed that while those who were not followers of the three recognized religions were entitled to identification cards, they were only entitled to practice their religious beliefs within the confines of their homes and were not allowed to have public places of worship as only the religions that the state recognized could be practiced in public spaces.
The court also added that its verdict was not a recognition of the Bahai faith within the framework of the state, but rather that it was an allotted route for those who hold this faith to manage their legal affairs with the state.
