Transcript
Nabil Hanna had to leave his family behind in Egypt 40 years ago.
Nabil Hanna: “After my graduation, I was hired to teach at the National Conservatory of Music. However one day, after I was hired, the dean got a call from the office of security asking him to fire so and so immediately. He then showed me the letter: and the letter stated clearly because I was a Bahai. After few months I got a scholarship to go to Vienna. They refused me the scholarship again.”
Hanna now lives in the United States, and managed to visit Egypt three times in four decades. But recently, he has been concerned for his family at home.
Hanna: “I had a sister who died October 4, 2005 and until today, two and a half years later, her son cannot obtain her death certificate. They are trying to let him say that she belongs to one of the three main religions that Egypt recognizes. And he is not willing to change the religion of his other just to get a birth certificate.”
Since 2004, the Egyptian ministry of interior refused to cite Bahai as a religion in identification documents. The constitution recognizes only Islam, Christianity and Judaism. So Baha’is had to cite themselves as members of one of these three religions to obtain IDs or they’d be left with nothing.
Joe Stork, Director, Middle East Division, Human Rights Watch: “Some Baha’is filed a suit in court in January 29th. And the lower court ruled that, yes, the government should allow Baha’is to basically leave that line blank or write other. The Egyptian media, by in large, welcomed the ruling, and thought it was a positive step.”
Bahai Group chanting…
While there may be hope for the 2000 Baha’is in Egypt, their situation in Iran has been getting worse.
Kit Bigelow, Director, National Spiritual Assembly of Baha’is of the U.S.: “The Iranian government actually handed down sentences against some of the young people. And it accused them of activities that were against the government, that were anti regime and connected it directly to their being Bahai and to their teaching of Bahai faith.”
For now, Hanna is happy with the recent court ruling, but remains watchful of any attempts by the Egyptian ministry of interior to appeal it. He credits his family and faith for helping him cope all these years away from home.
“I believe the earth is but one country and mankind is its citizens…whether it is Egypt, America, Europe, or anywhere in the world, the earth is but one country and this is my country.”
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