Studying in a Saudi Arabian state school as a child in the late 1990s, I encountered the strangest things. While we were encouraged to visit the library to read, the books in my school library were unlike anything one would suggest for a little girl. The one that I will always remember was a book…
Egypt, as part of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Committee, was among the Arab countries that not only participated in writing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) but also signed it in 1948, thus laying a foundation for religious freedom (Article 18) and other fundamental human rights. Egypt’s most recent Constitution (2014) proudly…
As conflicts in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq continue to expose the fragility of governance across the MENA region, the urgent need for structural solutions has become undeniable. One of the most overlooked, but foundational, issues is the status of religious freedom. This article argues that sustainable peace will remain elusive unless governments and peacebuilders address…