Amr Ezzat
Curriculum Vitae
Amr Ezzat is a Cairo based Journalist, freelance writer for “Mada Masr” independent Egyptian online Journal, a columnist at “Al-Masry Al-Youm” daily newspaper. He is a researcher and officer of “freedom of religion and belief” program at EIPR (Egyptian initiative for personal rights), Cairo based Human rights organization, since 2011, the Founder and moderator of a monthly forum on religious affairs (RFF/ Religion and Freedoms Forum) hosted by EIPR. He has a bachelor’s degree in structural engineering (2002), and philosophy (2009), both from Cairo University.
He has been working as a Journalist since 2007, aside being an active blogger, activist and independent writer since 2004 focusing on religious diversity and freedom of belief. His writings regarding religious issues cover a wide range of topics: state policies towards religion, the official policies of moderating Islamic affairs and official Islamic institutions, restriction on diversity and unrecognized religious sects in Egypt, constitutional and legal developments regarding freedom of religion, and socio-political developments linked to the religious sphere.
He published analytical reports and policy papers about the religious affairs in Egypt, such as:
- "why a part of the state? on the law regulating the official islamic institution (Al-Azhar)", EIPR 2012.
- "The turbaned State: An Analysis of the Official Policies on the Administration of Mosques and Islamic Religious Activities in Egypt", EIPR 2014 (En).
- "Permission to pray: the freedom of building worship places in Egypt", EIPR 2015.
- "Restricted Diversity in State Religion: The Case of Religious Freedom of Shia Egyptians", EIPR 2016 (En)
- ”ID cards, marriage certificates and Cemeteries: policy paper towards the basic rights for the unrecognized sects in Egypt”, EIPR 2019.
His project at the institute is a research for a series of long form articles about the status and forms of recognition (or unrecognition) of the religious groups in Egypt, on the background of “state-religion” policies, from the ottoman regulations to the modern legal status in Egypt. He plans to include comparative parts about the history of “established church” and the modern policies of “state-church” in the European context.