Friday, December 22, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Egypt interviews today
With time changes, I'm not sure whether the program has aired or not but this message was posted by a fellow Baha'i, this morning, Tues 12/19...
Today there will be an interview about our case with Some Bahai's and Hosam Bahgat from the Human rights on the orbit channels, the program " AL Qahira Al Youm" with Amr Adeeb. The program starts at 10 pm Cairo Local Time.
Another interview with Mr. Emtenan and Mr. Amin Battah at 6 pm til 8 Pm Cairo, local time, regarding the court saying that Baha'is don't have any civil rights in Egypt
you can listen to the program on http://masrelyoum.com/ as it's a radio channel in Arabic.
and also you will find on the website how can you say your opinion about our case....
Please forward this information to everyone you can... Thank you...
Today there will be an interview about our case with Some Bahai's and Hosam Bahgat from the Human rights on the orbit channels, the program " AL Qahira Al Youm" with Amr Adeeb. The program starts at 10 pm Cairo Local Time.
Another interview with Mr. Emtenan and Mr. Amin Battah at 6 pm til 8 Pm Cairo, local time, regarding the court saying that Baha'is don't have any civil rights in Egypt
you can listen to the program on http://masrelyoum.com/ as it's a radio channel in Arabic.
and also you will find on the website how can you say your opinion about our case....
Please forward this information to everyone you can... Thank you...
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Phantom of the Opera & The Nutcracker
Phantom of the Opera = AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!
The Nutcracker = The dream of every girl to watch...
The Nutcracker = The dream of every girl to watch...
**I also got to meet the cast of Phantom of the Opera & Raul! (hence, the autographs above)**
Will upload the pics when I get them!
EGYPTIAN COURT RULES AGAINST BAHA'IS, UPHOLDING GOVERNMENT POLICY OF DISCRIMINATION
CAIRO, 16 December 2006 (BWNS) -- In a closely watched case that has become the focus of a national debate on religious freedom, Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court today ruled against the right of Baha'is to be properly identified on government documents.
The decision upholds current government policy, a policy which forces the Baha'is either to lie about their religious beliefs or give up their state identification cards. The policy effectively deprives Egyptian Baha'is of access to most rights of citizenship, including education, financial services, and even medical care.
"We deplore the Court's ruling in this case, which violates an extensive body of international law on human rights and religious freedom to which Egypt has long been a party," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"Since this was the last avenue of appeal in this particular case, the Court's decision threatens to make non-citizens of an entire religious community, solely on the basis of religious belief," said Ms. Dugal.
"Our hope now is that the public debate over this issue will cause the Egyptian government to rectify its discriminatory policies," said Ms. Dugal. "This could be accomplished either by allowing Baha'is to be listed on government documents, by abolishing the religious affiliation listing entirely or, simply, by allowing the word 'other' to be legally included on state identification forms."
The case stems from a lawsuit filed against the government by a married couple, Husam Izzat Musa and Ranya Enayat Rushdy, who had their identification cards and passports confiscated after they applied to have their daughters added to their passports, which listed the Baha'i Faith as their religion.
In Egypt, all citizens must list their religious affiliation on state ID cards and other documents, and current policy requires that they choose from one of the three officially recognized religions - Islam, Christianity or Judaism.
In April, a lower administrative court ruled in favor of the couple, saying the state must issue them ID cards that properly identified their religion. The ruling said that even if the government did not recognize the Baha'i Faith, adherents should still have their religious status properly stated on official documents.
That ruling provoked an outcry among extremist elements in Egyptian society, who objected to any official mention of a religion other than the three mentioned in the Qur'an, opening a vigorous debate over issues of religious freedom and tolerance here.
Since April, more than 400 articles, stories, commentaries and programs have appeared in the Egyptian and Arabic news media about the case or its fallout. As well, independent human rights organizations here and abroad have closely followed the issue.
In May, the government appealed the lower court's ruling, which brought the case before the Supreme Administrative Court.
On 2 December, a final hearing was held on the case, at which Baha'i lawyers argued for rejection of the government's appeal, on the basis that the lower court's ruling is fully supported by Egyptian law. The Court said at that time that it would release its final ruling today.
___________________________________
It is so upsetting (I'm utterly disturbed) to receive news like these. The world is suppose to be all univeral, peaceful... no prejudice or discrimination? It happens EVERYWHERE. You can just feel it. Make the world a better place... destroy those gaps... those shallow minds... I speak for everyone... including myself...
For more news, please click on the link on the right hand corner. Thank you.
The decision upholds current government policy, a policy which forces the Baha'is either to lie about their religious beliefs or give up their state identification cards. The policy effectively deprives Egyptian Baha'is of access to most rights of citizenship, including education, financial services, and even medical care.
"We deplore the Court's ruling in this case, which violates an extensive body of international law on human rights and religious freedom to which Egypt has long been a party," said Bani Dugal, the principal representative of the Baha'i International Community to the United Nations.
"Since this was the last avenue of appeal in this particular case, the Court's decision threatens to make non-citizens of an entire religious community, solely on the basis of religious belief," said Ms. Dugal.
"Our hope now is that the public debate over this issue will cause the Egyptian government to rectify its discriminatory policies," said Ms. Dugal. "This could be accomplished either by allowing Baha'is to be listed on government documents, by abolishing the religious affiliation listing entirely or, simply, by allowing the word 'other' to be legally included on state identification forms."
The case stems from a lawsuit filed against the government by a married couple, Husam Izzat Musa and Ranya Enayat Rushdy, who had their identification cards and passports confiscated after they applied to have their daughters added to their passports, which listed the Baha'i Faith as their religion.
In Egypt, all citizens must list their religious affiliation on state ID cards and other documents, and current policy requires that they choose from one of the three officially recognized religions - Islam, Christianity or Judaism.
In April, a lower administrative court ruled in favor of the couple, saying the state must issue them ID cards that properly identified their religion. The ruling said that even if the government did not recognize the Baha'i Faith, adherents should still have their religious status properly stated on official documents.
That ruling provoked an outcry among extremist elements in Egyptian society, who objected to any official mention of a religion other than the three mentioned in the Qur'an, opening a vigorous debate over issues of religious freedom and tolerance here.
Since April, more than 400 articles, stories, commentaries and programs have appeared in the Egyptian and Arabic news media about the case or its fallout. As well, independent human rights organizations here and abroad have closely followed the issue.
In May, the government appealed the lower court's ruling, which brought the case before the Supreme Administrative Court.
On 2 December, a final hearing was held on the case, at which Baha'i lawyers argued for rejection of the government's appeal, on the basis that the lower court's ruling is fully supported by Egyptian law. The Court said at that time that it would release its final ruling today.
___________________________________
It is so upsetting (I'm utterly disturbed) to receive news like these. The world is suppose to be all univeral, peaceful... no prejudice or discrimination? It happens EVERYWHERE. You can just feel it. Make the world a better place... destroy those gaps... those shallow minds... I speak for everyone... including myself...
For more news, please click on the link on the right hand corner. Thank you.
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
Saturday, December 2, 2006
Freedom to Choose Own Religion
"The basic principle of the Baha'i Faith is independent investigation of truth. We should be free to choose for ourselves any religion we wish. God has made us free. All that the Baha'is can do is to open their eyes and tell them of what we think to be the truth."
-Letter written behalf of Shoghi Effendi-
-Letter written behalf of Shoghi Effendi-
