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Religious freedom in Egypt: Baroness Cox asks the British Government for their assessment

12 June 2013

This week in the House of Lords, Baroness Cox asked the British Government for their assessment of the situation of religious minorities in Egypt since the Arab Spring. She drew attention to recent attacks on Sufi shrines, the marginalisation of the Baha’is, hostility towards Muslim secularists and the escalation of assaults on Christian communities.

Baroness Cox asked ‘In what specific ways have Her Majesty’s Government encouraged the Egyptian Government to create an environment of social cohesion, reduce tensions and promote mutual respect between adherents of different faiths so that they can live together as equal citizens in a nation that recognises their rights and values their citizenship?

Whilst noting that ‘It is a messy transition’ Lord Wallace of Saltaire replied that: ‘Foreign Office Ministers have been clear throughout the events in Egypt that have taken place since the revolution that the freedom of religious belief needs to be protected and that the ability to worship in peace is a vital component of a democratic society.

We have to argue as vigorously as we can to all other countries that religious tolerance between a whole range of different religions is highly desirable in the development of an open and stable society.

 

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