Qur’anists in Egypt

Egypt is home to over 100 million people—of which the majority identify as Sunni Muslim with a significant Coptic Christian minority. A variety of smaller religious minorities also call Egypt home such as Baha’is, Jehovah’s Witnesses, non-theists, and Muslim minorities, which include Shi’a Muslims and the Qur’anist community. These smaller religious communities have long faced marginalization and repression from religious and governmental authorities. USCIRF has often acknowledged in recent years the ways in which Egypt has shown some marked signs of improvement, particularly in terms of the Egyptian government’s willingness to more openly acknowledge and discuss some of the country’s religious freedom challenges. However, that modest progress hasn’t necessarily trickled down to the smaller, marginalized communities. Today we are joined by Sherif Mansour, who is currently the Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. It has been nearly a year since Sherif’s cousin, Reda Abdel Rahman, has been held under pre-trial detention in Egypt for blogging about Qur’anist teachings. Our discussion today focuses on the Qur’anist Muslim community, whose adherents continue to face repression in Egypt. Read the Egypt chapter of the 2021 Annual Report here.