Members of Egypt's small Baha'i community are still having problems with the authorities over ID cards, despite a court rulinglast year which supposedly resolved a five-year battle in their favour.

When the Egyptian government began introducing computerised ID cards, holders were forced to identify themselves as belonging to one of the three "heavenly" religions: Islam, Christianity or Judaism. Previously, under the manual system, Baha'is had often been able to persuade officials to leave the religion section blank, but the computerised system did not allow this and so cards were not issued to them.

Without ID cards, Baha'is effectively became non-citizens, unable to work legally, study beyond secondary school, vote, operate a bank account, obtain a driver's licence, buy and sell property, collect a pension, or travel.

In last year's court case, they won the right to have the religion section left blank. But according to the Bikya Misr website, the decision has only been implemented in the case of unmarried Baha'is. Those who are married, divorced or widowed are still unable to get their cards.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 16 March 2010.