 The Egyptian identification card controversy began in the 1990s when the government modernized the electronic processing of identity documents , which introduced a de facto requirement that documents must list the person 's religion as Muslim , Christian , or Jewish ( the only three religions officially recognized by the government ) . Consequently , Bahá 'ís were unable to obtain government identification documents ( such as national identification cards , birth certificates , death certificates , marriage or divorce certificates , or passports ) necessary to exercise their rights in their country unless they lied about their religion , which conflicts with Bahá 'í religious principle . Without documents , they could not be employed , educated , treated in hospitals , travel outside of the country , or vote , among other hardships . Following a protracted legal process culminating in a court ruling favorable to the Bahá 'ís , the interior minister of Egypt released a decree on 14 April 2009 , amending the law to allow Egyptians who are not Muslim , Christian , or Jewish to obtain identification documents that list a dash in place of one of the three recognized religions . The first identification cards were issued to two Bahá 'ís under the new decree on 8 August 2009 . 
