Egypt’s Cabinet has approved the legalization of 293 previously unlicensed churches and service buildings during its latest session.
The decision, made during a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly on Oct. 21, is part of a government effort to increase religious inclusivity by integrating religious institutions into the legal structure.
After the Cabinet decision, the total number of churches and affiliated buildings with legalized status will rise to 3,453. The Cabinet was following previous recommendations from the Main Committee under Article 8 of Law No. 80 from 2016, which governs the construction and restoration of churches in Egypt.
“This continuous effort by the Egyptian government aligns with Egypt’s commitment to regulate and support religious institutions across the country, improving the relationship between the church and society,” Egypt Today reported.
Since the passing of that law, Egypt has moved to legalize churches built without prior approval, as well as authorizing the construction of new churches. The law was meant to address significant administrative and security hurdles in approving the construction of new churches following complaints from the Coptic Christian community.
Many Coptic churches had been destroyed during sectarian violence (primarily due to Muslim riots), and the Coptic congregations would find the government unwilling to issue permits to rebuild or refurbish the destroyed property.
The approval process was often lengthy and arduous, sometimes taking decades, leading some congregations to begin construction on their buildings before receiving official approval.
However, despite the regular approval of licenses for churches since the law’s passing, groups like the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) have contested the law’s effectiveness in remedying the situation.
The EIPR noted that the law “simply codifies the existing flagrant discrimination between Egyptian citizens seeking to exercise their right of worship. It does so by establishing extremely onerous conditions for the approval of new churches and investing the power to regulate the construction of houses of worship almost exclusively in the security establishment.”
As it faces a significant economic downturn following a multi-year drop in tourism due to COVID-19, and reduced travel due to tensions in the Middle East, the Egyptian government has faced pressure to demonstrate its commitment to fostering religious diversity and ensuring freedom of worship, particularly as part of aid agreements from Western nations.
The Cabinet’s latest approvals signal an effort to demonstrate a commitment to such principles.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that “Religious freedom conditions in Egypt are trending tentatively in a positive direction” in recent years.
“The country has seen a decrease in radical Islamist violence and anti-Christian mob attacks, some progress in implementing the registration process for unlicensed churches and related buildings, and the launch of a government program to address religious intolerance in rural areas,” USCIRF wrote.
“However, systematic and ongoing religious inequalities remain affixed in the Egyptian state and society, and various forms of religious bigotry and discrimination continue to plague the country’s Coptic Christians and other religious minorities.”
