The Egyptian identification card controversy resulted from a ruling of the Supreme Administrative Council of Egypt on December 16, 2006 against the Bahá’ís stating that the government may not recognize the Bahá’í Faith in official identification cards. The ruling leaves Bahá’ís unable to obtain the necessary government documents to have rights in their country. Bahá’ís cannot obtain identification cards, birth certificates, death certificates, marriage or divorce certificates, or passports. Without these documents, they cannot be employed, educated, treated in hospitals, or vote, among other things. The Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) stated that the press release issued by the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court did not respond to any of the evidence and legal arguments presented by the EIPR in the case and that instead the press release discussed only the tenets and beliefs of the Bahá’í Faith, which should have had no effect on the decision of the court.
