Shia Muslims in Egypt face ‘Systematic’ Discrimination: Rights Groups

Mohammed Farouk al-Sayed was one of 12 Egyptian Shia Muslims to have been arrested since May of last year. Some of the men were later released, while five currently remain in  detention.

When the court previously ruled to release al-Sayed, the Ministry of Interior simply countermanded the order.

Such a policy, read a statement issued on Sunday by the Cairo-based Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), “reveals the despotic nature of the Ministry of Interior and [the fact] that it’s not subject to the rule of law.”

Apart from its large Christian minority, Egypt is overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim. Some local rights groups claim that non-Sunni Muslims, including Shias, are regularly exposed to systematic intimidation.

According to Adel Ramadan, a lawyer with EIPR, Shia Muslims–Egyptian nationals or otherwise–are subject to “systematic violations by the state.”

Al-Sayed had been one of a group of Shia Muslims who had held regular peaceful meetings. Egypt’s State Security Investigations Service, however, suspected the gatherings were related to terrorism and therefore represented a possible threat to Egyptian national security, Ramadan noted.

“In the arrest memo [issued by the Ministry of Interior], the report must indicate the reason for arrest,” Ramadan said. “In all cases involving Shia Muslims, there’s a reference to ‘terrorist’ operations.”

Crackdowns on Shia Muslims have become commonplace in Egypt–including arrests, detention and lawsuits–in recent years, according to reports by local human rights groups.

Last week, a group of detained Shia Muslims, some of whom were foreign nationals, won a court ruling ordering their release. Nevertheless, several of them still remain in detention.