Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Egyptian counterpart on encouraging (a) the re-opening of churches and (b) freedom of religious expression in that country.

We condemn all discrimination against religious minorities and constraints on their freedom to practise their faith. The Egyptian constitution contains protections for Freedom of Religious Belief and it is important that these rights are respected.

We regularly raise our concerns around the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly, which are essential to improving the protection of Freedom of Religious Belief in Egypt, and we will continue to do so.

We welcome President Sisi’s consistent calls for peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims in Egypt. The UK supports continued dialogue between the Church and State, including on the topic of the Church Building Law. We urge the Egyptian authorities to implement the law in a way that enables Christians to exercise their freedom to worship. ​