Posted on 11/30/2020 6:50:38 PM PST by marshmallow
Minya (Agenzia Fides) – In order to combat discrimination and sectarianism that tears apart the Egyptian social fabric, it is advisable to remove information about one's own religious affiliation from identity documents.
This is the proposal relaunched by a group of Christians and Muslims gathered in the Egyptian city of Minya with the intention of formulating useful proposals to support peaceful civil coexistence and defuse fanaticism and extremism fueled by propaganda that exploit religious contents and languages. The meeting was also attended by some Coptic priests of Minya, together with representatives of the local Islamic communities.
In Egypt, the controversy over religious affiliation to be indicated in identity documents was raised already in the 1990s. So far, mainly groups of atheists, agnostics and other Egyptians who do not want to identify as Muslims, Christians or Jews have called for a deletion. In some cases, such as those of the Baháʼí doctrine, the refusal to indicate their religious affiliation in personal identity documents has effectively made it impossible to exercise their civil rights and access to government services. In August 2009, the situation was formally resolved from a legal point of view by granting the option of making a line when specifying religious affiliation.
My “identity documents” ... I guess that’s my driver’s license and Social Security card and passport ... don’t mention my religion.
Are there enough Jews in Minya for a minyan?
Yet. Kinda surprised myself that they don’t identify us based on political affiliation. Again... yet.
Only my voter registration card shows “Republican,” and I could easily change it to “Unaffiliated.”
In Europe, before WWII, it was customary to list one’s religion on all identity papers, as well as on birth certificates etc. It was that way since ever, and nobody particularly cared.
Then Hitler happened. The nazis just had to go, check the ID’s and other records and find, arrest, deport and kill all the Jews. Everywhere they went, the records were widely available. Jews had no chance!
Due to this horror, all religious references on official papers were banned in Europe since.
Obviously, banning religious references in Egypt (and anywhere else for that matter) would help religious minorities against easy identification and persecution.
Great idea!
I agree. The Soviet Union put “Jew” under “nationality.”
Early on, in Soviet Russia, order went to arrest all members of all non-bolshevik parties!
In Germany, the state collects taxes from you for the church you are a member of.
Somebody with the name Mohamed. Wonder what religion he is.
Soviet Union even created Jewish AO with Yiddish as official language, far away in east Siberia, by the Chinese border. Basically they tried to deport Jews to Siberia under some kind of propaganda program to create Jewish homeland. It does still exist, Birobidzhan is the capital. But very few Jews remain there. Once freed to leave, they left.
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