USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom Reforms to Egypt’s Educational Curriculum

USCIRF Releases Report on Religious Freedom Reforms to Egypt’s Educational Curriculum

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report titled “Assessing Religious Freedom in Egyptian Curriculum Reform.”

Assessing Religious Freedom in Egyptian Curriculum Reform– This report evaluates progress made through academic year 2021-2022 by the Egyptian government to reform the curricula of its primary and secondary education systems. Since 2018, the Ministry of Education has considered ways to update public school textbooks to educate primary and secondary students on religion, religious communities, and religious diversity in Egypt. The report found that the 2021-2022 Egyptian Mandated Educational Curriculum (EMEC) shows slight improvement in reducing the prevalence of religious sectarian language and rhetoric. However, religionization of the EMEC remains endemic, with multiple subjects advancing government-endorsed versions of Sunni Islam while underrepresenting, excluding, or negatively characterizing religious minorities such as non-Sunni Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

In its 2022 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Egypt on its Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom. In November 2021, USCIRF issued a report on Egypt detailing both Egypt’s progress in religious tolerance promotion and its continued restrictions on religious freedom for Egyptian citizens of a variety of religious backgrounds.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].