In the News: Egypt May Imprison Atheists

Égypte : les athées seront-ils bientôt mis en prison ? (Egypt: Will Atheists Soon be Imprisoned?), France 2 Television, 2018-02-27

A French television network reports that Egypt may soon pass legislation which would criminalize non-belief and punish it with fines or even prison.

In Egypt, everyone must declare their religion to authorities and that religion appears on each person’s compulsory identity card. The country is 90% Muslim and Islam is the state religion. Christianity and Judaism are recognized, but there is no tolerance whatsoever of atheism. To question the existence of god is considered blasphemous and atheism is considered to be a form of extremism!

This is an extreme expression of atheophobia, converging with the absolute ban on apostasy which is a core tenet of Islam. The result is the absolute negation of freedom of conscience for citizens of Egypt.

See also:

• Atheists face prison in Egypt as Non-Belief may be made illegal., Guerilla Wire.
• In the News: Egypt to Ban Atheism