USCIRF Conversation: Assessing Religious Freedom in Egyptian Curriculum Reform

        Source:                   www.uscirf.gov
Date:                        September 6, 2022

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
USCIRF Conversation: Assessing Religious Freedom in Egyptian Curriculum Reform
Monday, September 19, 2022
10:30 AM – 11:30 AM ET
Virtual Event

Register Here
The United States Commission on International Religious (USCIRF) will host a virtual discussion of USCIRF’s recent report on the progress the Egyptian government has made in its stated intention to reform religious material throughout its education system.

Since 2018, Egypt’s Ministry of Education has considered ways to update public school textbooks to educate pupils on religion, religious communities, and religious diversity in Egypt. USCIRF’s report evaluates progress made through the most recent academic year by the Egyptian government to reform the curricula of its primary and secondary education systems to promote religious freedom and remove intolerant material.

The report found that the 2021-2022 Egyptian Mandated Educational Curriculum (EMEC) shows slight improvement in reducing the prevalence of religious sectarian language and rhetoric. However, religionization of the EMEC remains endemic, with multiple subjects advancing government-endorsed versions of Sunni Islam while underrepresenting, excluding, or negatively characterizing religious minorities such as non-Sunni Muslims, Christians, and Jews.

USCIRF Commissioners Sharon Kleinbaum and Frank Wolf will lead the discussion with Ramy Yaacoub and Candace Hetchler of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), who oversaw the report’s team of researchers.  USCIRF Director of Outreach and Policy Dwight Bashir will moderate the Conversation followed by questions and answers from attendees.
Panelists

Sharon Kleinbaum, Commissioner, USCIRF 
Frank Wolf, Commissioner, USCIRF
Ramy Yaacoub, Executive Director, TIMEP
Candace Hetchler, Development Manager, TIMEP

Moderator

Dwight Bashir, Director of Outreach and Policy, USCIRF  

This virtual event is open to the public and media. The video recording will be posted on the Commission website. For any additional questions, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..