The Egyptian government issued an executive order on 19 May legalising 191 churches and affiliated service buildings belonging to different Christian denominations. The order was issued following a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli.

The order brings the total number of churches and buildings granted legal status since the government created a committee to oversee the legalisation of churches in 2016 to 3,804. This systematic review process is part of a broader state strategy to resolve the status of thousands of unlicensed religious buildings constructed over previous decades.

Under Egypt’s Church Construction Law (Law No. 80 of 2016), which was approved by the Egyptian Parliament on 30 August 2016, the power to approve the building and renovation of churches was extended to provincial governors, having previously been limited to the country’s security agencies. The same requirements do not apply to Sunni Muslim houses of worship, and other religious groups, such as the Ahmadi, Baha’i and Shia communities, are not covered by the law.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW welcomes the news that the Egyptian government has granted 191 churches and service buildings legal status, and we encourage the government to continue with this process to resolve the situation of the large number of places of worship built over past decades. We also encourage the Egyptian government to expand these policies to include other unrecognised religious groups such as the Ahmadiyya, Baha’i and Shia Muslim communities, to reflect the rights provided in the Egyptian constitution and the personal commitment of President Sisi towards promoting freedom of religion or belief and equality of citizenship.’