Federal Independent Agencies
Here's a look at documents from federal independent agencies
Featured Stories
Upcoming U.S.-China Summit Cannot Ignore Victims of China's Religious Freedom Repression
WASHINGTON, April 29 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following news release on April 28, 2026:
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The Upcoming U.S.-China Summit Cannot Ignore Victims of China's Religious Freedom Repression
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges President Donald J. Trump to advocate for greater religious freedom for the people of China. During his state visit to China, reportedly planned for May 14-15, President Trump should insist on the release of prisoners detained for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
"The
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WASHINGTON, April 29 -- The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following news release on April 28, 2026:
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The Upcoming U.S.-China Summit Cannot Ignore Victims of China's Religious Freedom Repression
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges President Donald J. Trump to advocate for greater religious freedom for the people of China. During his state visit to China, reportedly planned for May 14-15, President Trump should insist on the release of prisoners detained for exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB).
"TheU.S. government has long demonstrated its commitment to advancing religious freedom in China, including the determination of the Chinese Communist Party's genocide of Uyghurs as well as public advocacy for prisoners such as Dr. Gulshan Abbas, Pastor Ezra Jin, and Jimmy Lai," said Chair Vicky Hartzler. "President Trump has a unique opportunity to boldly and directly enjoin Chinese President Xi Jinping to turn the tide of religious repression in China by releasing freedom of religion or belief prisoners."
Since President Trump's last presidential state visit to Beijing in 2017, the Chinese Communist Party, or CCP, has executed a coercive and far-reaching "sinicization of religion" policy--with a particularly destructive impact on ethno-religious minorities and Christian house churches.
"Under Xi Jinping, religious freedom has worsened to a horrific degree," said Vice Chair Asif Mahmood. "We commend the U.S. Congress for its tireless advocacy on behalf of freedom of religion or belief victims through bipartisan legislation, resolutions, hearings, and other forms of engagement. We also encourage President Trump, while in Beijing, to drive home the message that his Administration cannot tolerate the ongoing mass repression of China's beleaguered religious communities."
USCIRF recommended in its 2026 Annual Report that the U.S. Department of State redesignate China as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) for engaging in systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. USCIRF raised China's abysmal religious freedom conditions during its "FoRB Violations Against Christians Abroad" hearing in January 2026 and its "State-Controlled Religion in China" hearing in October 2025.
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at Media@USCIRF.gov.
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Original text here: https://www.uscirf.gov/news-room/releases-statements/upcoming-us-china-summit-cannot-ignore-victims-chinas-religious
NASA Fires Up Powerful Lithium-Fed Thruster for Trips to Mars
PASADENA, California, April 29 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Fires Up Powerful Lithium-Fed Thruster for Trips to Mars
A novel electromagnetic thruster passed an initial test in a specialized chamber at JPL. With further development, these thrusters could support human missions to the Red Planet.
A technology that could propel crewed missions to Mars and robotic spacecraft throughout the solar system was recently put to the test at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. On Feb. 24, for the first time in years and at power levels
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PASADENA, California, April 29 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA Fires Up Powerful Lithium-Fed Thruster for Trips to Mars
A novel electromagnetic thruster passed an initial test in a specialized chamber at JPL. With further development, these thrusters could support human missions to the Red Planet.
A technology that could propel crewed missions to Mars and robotic spacecraft throughout the solar system was recently put to the test at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. On Feb. 24, for the first time in years and at power levelsexceeding any previous test in the United States, a team fired up an electromagnetic thruster that runs on lithium metal vapor.
This prototype achieved power levels beyond the highest-power electric thrusters on any of the agency's current spacecraft. Valuable data from the first firing of this thruster will help inform an upcoming series of tests.
"At NASA, we work on many things at once, and we haven't lost sight of Mars. The successful performance of our thruster in this test demonstrates real progress toward sending an American astronaut to set foot on the Red Planet," said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. "This marks the first time in the United States that an electric propulsion system has operated at power levels this high, reaching up to 120 kilowatts. We will continue to make strategic investments that will propel that next giant leap."
During five ignitions, the tungsten electrode at the thruster's center glowed bright white, reaching over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,800 degrees Celsius). The work was conducted in JPL's Electric Propulsion Lab, home to the condensable metal propellant vacuum facility, a unique national asset for safely testing electric thrusters that use metal vapor propellants at up to megawatt-class power levels.
Powering up
Electric propulsion uses up to 90% less propellant than traditional, high-thrust chemical rockets. Current electric propulsion thrusters, like those powering NASA's Psyche mission, use solar power to accelerate propellants, producing a low, continuous thrust that reaches high speeds over time. NASA JPL is testing a lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thruster, a technology that has been researched since the 1960s but never flown operationally. The MPD engine differs from existing thrusters by using high currents interacting with a magnetic field to electromagnetically accelerate lithium plasma.
During the test, the team achieved power levels of up to 120 kilowatts. That's over 25 times the power of the thrusters on Psyche, which is currently operating the highest-power electric thrusters of any NASA spacecraft. In the vacuum of space, the gentle but steady force Psyche's thrusters provide over time accelerates the spacecraft to 124,000 mph.
"Designing and building these thrusters over the last couple of years has been a long lead-up to this first test," said James Polk, senior research scientist at JPL. "It's a huge moment for us because we not only showed the thruster works, but we also hit the power levels we were targeting. And we know we have a good testbed to begin addressing the challenges to scaling up."
Going electric
To view the test, Polk peered through a small portal into the 26-foot-long (8-meter-long) water-cooled vacuum chamber. Inside, the thruster flared to life, its nozzle-shaped outer electrode glowing incandescent as it emitted a vibrant red plume. Polk has researched lithium-fed MPD thrusters for decades, having worked on NASA's Dawn mission and the agency's Deep Space 1, the first demonstration of electric propulsion beyond Earth orbit.
The team aims to reach power levels between 500 kilowatts and 1 megawatt per thruster in coming years. Because the hardware operates at such high temperatures, proving the components can withstand the heat over many hours of testing will be a key challenge. A human mission to Mars might need 2 to 4 megawatts of power, requiring multiple MPD thrusters, which would have to operate for more than 23,000 hours.
Lithium-fed MPD thrusters have the potential to operate at high power levels, use propellant efficiently, and provide significantly greater thrust than currently flying electric thrusters. Fully developed and paired with a nuclear power source, they could reduce launch mass and support payloads required for human Mars missions.
The MPD thruster work, in development for the past 21/2 years, is led by JPL in collaboration with Princeton University in New Jersey and NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. It is funded by NASA's Space Nuclear Propulsion project, which in 2020 began supporting a megawatt-class nuclear electric propulsion program for human Mars missions by focusing on five critical technology elements, of which the electric propulsion subsystem is one. The project, based at the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is part of the NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.
To learn about NASA's nuclear efforts, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov/ignition/
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-fires-up-powerful-lithium-fed-thruster-for-trips-to-mars/
FHLBank Chicago Releases 2025 Impact Report, Highlighting Expanded Support for Housing and Community Development Across Illinois and Wisconsin
CHICAGO, Illinois, April 29 (TNSrep) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news on April 28, 2026:
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FHLBank Chicago Releases 2025 Impact Report, Highlighting Expanded Support for Housing and Community Development Across Illinois and Wisconsin
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago) today released its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting another year of meaningful support for member financial institutions and communities across Illinois and Wisconsin. As housing affordability challenges persisted and
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CHICAGO, Illinois, April 29 (TNSrep) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news on April 28, 2026:
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FHLBank Chicago Releases 2025 Impact Report, Highlighting Expanded Support for Housing and Community Development Across Illinois and Wisconsin
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago) today released its 2025 Impact Report, highlighting another year of meaningful support for member financial institutions and communities across Illinois and Wisconsin. As housing affordability challenges persisted andeconomic conditions remained dynamic, FHLBank Chicago continued to provide the liquidity, funding, and community investment programs its over 600 members rely on to drive local impact.
Through human interest stories and data-driven insights, the report illustrates how FHLBank Chicago is Investing in Opportunities--delivering reliable funding, expanding access to affordable housing, supporting economic development, and strengthening its workforce and partnerships.
In 2025, FHLBank Chicago funded $3.3 billion in discounted Community Advances and delivered $106 million in housing and economic development grants--supporting the creation or preservation of more than 14,800 housing units and over 14,700 jobs.
"Housing affordability remains a pressing concern across our district, and our members continue to navigate a complex economic environment," said Michael Ericson, President and CEO of FHLBank Chicago. "In 2025, we remained a trusted partner--providing the liquidity, funding, and community investment resources needed to make a meaningful difference. This report reflects the strength of those partnerships and the impact we are achieving together."
FHLBank Chicago continued to advance housing and community development through its core programs. In 2025, the Affordable Housing Program General Fund helped finance 37 housing projects, while the Downpayment Plus(R) Programs provided $43 million in assistance in partnership with 233 members to help more than 4,500 individuals and families achieve homeownership. Community First(R) grant programs also addressed housing and community development needs across the district, supporting paid internships and fellowships for affordable housing developers and expanding services for low- and moderate-income aspiring homebuyers at 44 housing counseling agencies.
FHLBank Chicago also enhanced its community lending offerings in 2025 by launching a redesigned Community Advance product, streamlining access to discounted funding and expanding eligibility to better support housing and economic development projects.
Beyond funding, FHLBank Chicago strengthened its role as a housing leader by convening partners across Illinois and Wisconsin, including a multi-year collaboration with the Urban Institute to address housing supply challenges and identify data-driven solutions.
FHLBank Chicago also maintained its focus on operational excellence, investing in employee development and organizational capabilities to ensure continued responsiveness, innovation, and resilience for the benefit of its members.
To view the full report and explore the stories behind the numbers, visit fhlbc.com/impact.
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Original text here: https://www.fhlbc.com/news/news-detail/2026/04/28/fhlbank-chicago-releases-2025-impact-report--highlighting-expanded-support-for-housing-and-community-development-across-illinois-and-wisconsin
NASA's Perseverance, Curiosity Panoramas Capture Two Sides of Mars
PASADENA, California, April 28 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Perseverance, Curiosity Panoramas Capture Two Sides of Mars
The two rovers captured scenes that highlight the different journeys they're taking, helping to piece together the puzzle of the Red Planet's past.
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NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have captured two 360-degree landscapes that highlight how the missions are revealing details of the Red Planet's formation, watery past, and potential for life. Located 2,345 miles (3,775 kilometers) apart from each other on Mars
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PASADENA, California, April 28 (TNSres) -- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory issued the following news:
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NASA's Perseverance, Curiosity Panoramas Capture Two Sides of Mars
The two rovers captured scenes that highlight the different journeys they're taking, helping to piece together the puzzle of the Red Planet's past.
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NASA's Curiosity and Perseverance rovers have captured two 360-degree landscapes that highlight how the missions are revealing details of the Red Planet's formation, watery past, and potential for life. Located 2,345 miles (3,775 kilometers) apart from each other on Mars-- about the distance from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. -- both rovers are exploring areas that are billions of years old. But as the nearly 15-year-old Curiosity reaches ever-younger terrain in the foothills of Mount Sharp, the 5-year-old Perseverance is venturing into some of the oldest landscapes in the entire solar system. By time-traveling in opposite directions, the rovers are filling in missing details about the planet's history.
Stitched together from 1,031 images taken between Nov. 9 and Dec. 7, 2025, Curiosity's 360-degree panorama offers a detailed look into a region filled with a vast network of boxwork formations: Resembling giant spiderwebs in orbiter images, the low ridges were created by groundwater that once flowed through large fractures in the bedrock. The minerals left behind hardened the rock along the fractures, resulting in erosion-resistant ridges.
Perseverance's panorama focuses on a place nicknamed "Lac de Charmes," which sits outside the rim of Jezero Crater. Taken between Dec. 18, 2025, and Jan. 25, 2026, 980 images were stitched together for a 360-degree view capturing the Jezero rim and ancient rocks around the crater.
Driven by Curiosity
Today, both of these landscapes are frigid deserts, but evidence of a more dynamic past hides within. When Curiosity landed on the floor of Gale Crater in 2012, it set out to determine whether Mars once had the conditions to support life. Within a year, a sample drilled from an ancient lakebed confirmed those conditions had been present, including the right chemistry and potential nutrients for microbes.
Since 2014, Curiosity has been ascending Mount Sharp. Towering 3 miles (5 kilometers) above the crater floor, the mountain first began forming when layers of sediment were deposited in a series of lakes. Long after those lakes dried up, ponds and streams returned several times, leaving a record in the mountain's layers that formed in drier eras. Because the lowest layers are oldest and higher layers are youngest, Curiosity is essentially progressing back through geological time as it slowly climbs the mountain.
Last year, Curiosity's team documented how they found that the mineral siderite might be storing carbon dioxide that once was part of a thicker, early atmosphere. Scientists had long suspected that carbonate minerals such as siderite formed when carbon dioxide dissolved into ancient lakes, but such deposits had only rarely been found.
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Original text here: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-curiosity-panoramas-capture-two-sides-of-mars/
Introducing the SHARE 2026 Advance Program
DALLAS, Texas, April 28 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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Introducing the SHARE 2026 Advance Program
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* Bulletin No: 2026-07
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (Bank) is pleased to announce the Support for Housing Affordability and Availability Resource Enhancement 2026 Advance program (SHARE 2026). SHARE 2026 provides members with access to discounted advances priced at 100 or 200 basis points below the Bank's posted rates, depending on the term length.
SHARE 2026 Supports:
1. New
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DALLAS, Texas, April 28 -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a district bank in the Federal Home Loan Bank System, issued the following news release:
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Introducing the SHARE 2026 Advance Program
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* Bulletin No: 2026-07
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (Bank) is pleased to announce the Support for Housing Affordability and Availability Resource Enhancement 2026 Advance program (SHARE 2026). SHARE 2026 provides members with access to discounted advances priced at 100 or 200 basis points below the Bank's posted rates, depending on the term length.
SHARE 2026 Supports:
1. Newconstruction, renovation or the financing of single-family or multifamily affordable housing for households earning 80 percent or less of the area median income where the property is located
2. The purchase of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTCs) that support the development or preservation of affordable housing
Up to $250 million in advances will be available from May 4, 2026 through December 31, 2026, or until funds are fully allocated.
Uses and Advantages
* More favorable rate than traditional advances
* Affordable source of liquidity for funding loans and LIHTCs that support housing affordability and initiatives to increase the overall housing supply
* Flexibility to use fixed-rate, fixed-term or secured overnight financing rate-based (SOFR) floating-rate advances
Program Guidelines and Terms
* Total program capacity of $250 million in reduced-rate advances will be offered
* Total maximum advances per member will be capped at $40 million
* $50 million in capacity is reserved for members with total assets under $1.541 billion for the first three months of the program
* Advance terms of six months to two years are available
* Advance rate reductions from standard, posted rates
* Six- to 12-month term: 200 basis points reduction
* Greater than 12-month and up to 24-month term: 100 basis points reduction
* Rates are subject to the Bank's Capital Markets Policy and will follow the standard rate pricing procedure
* Advances under this program are subject to compliance with all Bank credit, collateral and capital management policies
Availability of Funds
* Funding requests must be submitted by completing the SHARE 2026 Application via Adobe Sign, available on the SHARE 2026 Advance page
* Funding provided on a first-come, first-served basis
* Members may draw only the amount certified in their original application. Additional funds require a new application supported by new housing units, and previously used units may not be reused
For more information about the SHARE 2026 program, including the application process, please register for a member webinar from 2:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday, May 4, 2026.
Sincerely,
Sanjay K. Bhasin
President and Chief Executive Officer
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Original text here: https://www.fhlb.com/library/bulletins/2026/introducing-the-share-2026-advance-program
Fannie Mae Releases March 2026 Monthly Summary
WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Fannie Mae issued the following news release:
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Fannie Mae Releases March 2026 Monthly Summary
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WASHINGTON, DC - Fannie Mae's (FNMA/OTCQB) March 2026 Monthly Summary is now available. The monthly summary report contains information about Fannie Mae's monthly and year-to-date activities for our gross mortgage portfolio, mortgage-backed securities and other guarantees, interest rate risk measures, and serious delinquency rates.
Media Contact
Kelly Antonacci
202-752-0524
TOPICS
* Fannie Mae Corporate
* Financials
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Original text here: https://www.fanniemae.com/newsroom/fannie-mae-news/fannie-mae-releases-march-2026-monthly-summary
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WASHINGTON, April 28 -- Fannie Mae issued the following news release:
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Fannie Mae Releases March 2026 Monthly Summary
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WASHINGTON, DC - Fannie Mae's (FNMA/OTCQB) March 2026 Monthly Summary is now available. The monthly summary report contains information about Fannie Mae's monthly and year-to-date activities for our gross mortgage portfolio, mortgage-backed securities and other guarantees, interest rate risk measures, and serious delinquency rates.
Media Contact
Kelly Antonacci
202-752-0524
TOPICS
* Fannie Mae Corporate
* Financials
***
Original text here: https://www.fanniemae.com/newsroom/fannie-mae-news/fannie-mae-releases-march-2026-monthly-summary
Commission on International Religious Freedom Fact Sheet: Country Update - Egypt
WASHINGTON, April 28 -- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following fact sheet:
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COUNTRY UPDATE: Egypt
State Restrictions on Religious Freedom in Egypt
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Introduction
The Egyptian government is systematically restricting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) by enforcing laws, policies, and judicial decisions that repress non-Muslim and Muslim religious minorities. Such FoRB violations affect Baha'is, Coptic Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Qur'anists, and members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light as well as nonbelievers. In 2025, the United
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WASHINGTON, April 28 -- U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued the following fact sheet:
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COUNTRY UPDATE: Egypt
State Restrictions on Religious Freedom in Egypt
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Introduction
The Egyptian government is systematically restricting freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) by enforcing laws, policies, and judicial decisions that repress non-Muslim and Muslim religious minorities. Such FoRB violations affect Baha'is, Coptic Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Qur'anists, and members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light as well as nonbelievers. In 2025, the UnitedNations (UN) working group evaluating Egypt for its Universal Period Review (UPR) expressed concern that these communities continue to face "varying forms of discrimination, including restrictions on building and operating places of worship and burial sites, and acts of violence and sectarian attacks carried out with impunity, including by armed groups."
Egypt's government has responded to various pressures by prioritizing internal control and stability, amounting to an expanded reliance on restrictive laws, surveillance, and enforcement practices that systematically restrict FoRB. These pressures include the management of approximately 80,000 displaced Palestinians from the conflict in Gaza, the flow of humanitarian assistance through the Rafah crossing, protecting national security interest in the Sinai, and serving as an intermediary for diplomatic talks on Gaza's future. Furthermore, since armed conflict erupted in Sudan in April 2023, the Egyptian government has been managing an influx of more than 1.2 million Sudanese refugees.
Rather than treating religious freedom as a protected right, authorities often subsume it within a broader security framework, where independent religious expression is viewed as a potential risk to public order. This country update assesses the current state of religious freedom in Egypt, considering how this domestic and regional landscape affects the Egyptian government's efforts to protect FoRB for all.
Background
Egypt's population is approximately 115 million, an estimated 90 percent of whom are Sunni Muslims. Qur'anist, Shi'a, and other non-Sunni Muslims comprise less than one percent. Article 2 of Egypt's constitution specifies Islam as the official country religion and the "principles of Shari'a" constituting the primary source of legislation. Although Article 64 provides for "absolute" freedom of belief, only followers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism--the three "heavenly religions"--have formal legal status to publicly practice religion and build houses of worship.
Laws Restricting FoRB
Criminalization of Blasphemy
Provision 98(f) of the Egyptian Penal Code criminalizes "insulting [the three] heavenly religions" as "contempt for religion" (i.e., blasphemy). The government has not exhibited significant political will to repeal or revise this law or end the active prosecution of blasphemy cases. State security, judicial authorities, and the courts continue to investigate, arrest, detain, prosecute, and in some cases convict and sentence individuals for alleged breaches of the blasphemy law.
In January 2026, an Egyptian court sentenced a Christian man, Augustin Samaan, to five years' imprisonment for "contempt of religion," based on Egypt's blasphemy law, for posting religious educational content and responding to anti-Christian incitement online. In July 2025, judicial authorities charged Said Abdelrazek, a Christian convert, with "contempt for Islam" for posting his religious beliefs online. Abdelrazek, during his first pretrial detention renewal session, reported that National Security Agency (NSA) agents subjected him to multiple beatings shortly after being detained. Prison authorities have also repeatedly denied his requests for worship materials and a Bible. In January 2026, Abdelrazek's lawyer was finally granted authorization to meet him after authorities denied multiple requests following his July arrest. In April 2026, the First Criminal Terrorism Circuit Court in Badr held its first hearing in the case against Abdelrazeq, framing his religious expression as a threat to national security. In November 2025, security forces again arrested Sherif Gaber, an atheist and blogger, at his Cairo home. His whereabouts were unknown for approximately 56 days before authorities brought him before a prosecutor. Since 2013, authorities have repeatedly targeted Gaber for his online religious expression. Between 2013 and 2024, courts sentenced him in absentia on three separate trials to one, three, and five years in prison on "contempt of religions" charges. As of April 2026, Gaber remains detained with a pending investigation.
In June 2025, authorities released Ahmed Mohamed, who had been imprisoned since 2022 when an Egyptian court invoked the blasphemy provision of the Criminal Code to accuse him of desecrating religious symbols and violating the "heavenly" religions.
Restricting FoRB through Cybercrime Law
In the last year, Egypt government authorities have escalated their targeting of individuals under the Egyptian cybercrime law (175/2018). Article 25 of the law is rooted in the government's interpretation of Sunni Islam and forbids the use of technology to "infringe on any family principles or values in Egyptian society." In the last year, Egyptian judicial authorities have wielded this religiously grounded provision of the cybercrime law to particularly crack down on social media influencers, whose content has been deemed offensive to Islam by the state. These cases have received international attention given the public online profile of the targeted individuals. The government also continues to use this law against religious minorities and individuals with views that deviate from the state's official religious framework.
Government Policies Affecting Religious Minorities
Discriminatory Policies for Churches
The Egyptian government has an ongoing pattern of regulatory challenges for Christian religious sites. The durability of the government's agreement with Greek officials to keep St. Catherine's Monastery opening and functioning as a site of worship is something that many observers are monitoring closely. Beyond such high-profile examples, there are many sites facing regulatory issues, including 2,000 pending legalization requests for churches and other Christian facilities. These delays stand in stark contrast to the government's demonstrated capacity to rapidly authorize and implement large-scale religious construction projects for Muslim houses of worship. In the past year alone, approximately 926 mosques were created or maintained, bringing the total number of refurbished mosques to 13,971 as part of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's mosque modernization campaign launched in 2014. In January 2026, the Ministry of Endowments reported activity on 48 mosques while announcing plans to expand this project, which has cost approximately 25 billion Egyptian pounds ($534,000), four billion Egyptian pounds ($85,000) more than originally budgeted. Taken together, these figures underscore that the issue is not bureaucratic incapacity but rather selective implementation. The state has shown it can efficiently process and fund large numbers of mosque projects while it continues to delay or withhold approvals for non-Muslim houses of worship, leaving thousands of Christian applications unresolved.
National Identity Cards
The Ministry of Interior issues national identity cards for citizens that include their official religious designations. Designation options are limited to "Muslim," "Christian," or "Jewish." Although the government designates Jehovah's Witnesses as "Christian" on identity cards, a presidential decree bans their religious activities. Since a 2009 court order, Baha'is and other citizens belonging to unrecognized religious groups, as well as nonreligious individuals, may have their religious affiliation denoted by a dash ("-") on national identity cards. For having to declare their faith or denote a dash, religious minorities and nonreligious individuals are subject to economic and social discrimination, including attaining jobs and enrolling in higher education.
State Education
Recent reports from the textbook-monitoring nongovernmental organization (NGO) IMPACT-se on Egypt's general school curriculum note that, despite a gradual improvement in removing intolerant religious content from state textbooks, there remains problematic content, including antisemitic portrayal of Jews and defamation of polytheists as "infidels."
Situation of Non-Muslim Minorities
Christians
Egypt's Christians account for at least 10 percent of the population, constituting the largest Christian minority in the Middle East and North Africa. Most Christians are Copts, with over 90 percent belonging to the traditional Coptic Orthodox Church with a minority subscribing to Coptic Evangelical Protestantism, Coptic Catholicism, and some smaller denominations.
Copts residing in urban areas are subject to disparate treatment compared to those living in rural areas where hostile attitudes toward Christians are more pronounced, communities face greater obstacles to build and repair houses of worship, and local authorities often fail to protect communities from attacks. While security services sometimes moved expeditiously to quell violent incidents against churches in Upper Egypt, authorities often failed to sufficiently investigate such incidents and hold perpetrators to account. In February 2026, Egyptian security forces clashed violently with Coptic residents in the Helwan Diocese over government efforts to demolish a fence around land intended for a new church and community worship site. Officials claimed the demolition was justified because the construction lacked proper permits, while local Copts questioned authorities for not objecting earlier during months of building activity and after the community had invested time, money, and resources into the site. To quell the protests, security forces used tear gas and detained several Coptic protesters. They ultimately dismantled a fence and temporary wooden prayer structure with bulldozers.
Coptic families have consistently reported local police and other authorities' reluctance or refusal to undertake investigations into young women's disappearances, including potential evidence of abduction or coercion. This refusal denies Coptic women equal protection under the law on account of their gender and religious identity. In January 2026, an Egyptian court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction to preside over the case of Silvana Atef, a young Coptic woman diagnosed with a mental disorder being forcibly held by a man in the village of Al-Aziziyah, Tamiya District, in Fayoum Governorate. Silvana's family reported her absence in October 2025 and point to significant insufficiencies in local authorities' response. These include police failing to investigate the reported abduction, holding the perpetrator and accomplices to account for targeting Copts, and responding to Silvana's lawyer.
The disproportionately low representation of Copts in Egypt's government underscores their disparate treatment. In October 2025, the Minister of Local Development announced the new slate of local heads of cities and districts across Egypt's 27 governorates. Of the 164 positions, zero Copts were appointed. Presidential decrees published in January 2026 reveal that of 739 new members appointed to the State Administrative Court and State Legal Defense Authority, only eight are Copts. Currently, one Copt serves on the government-appointed body presiding over Egypt's National Dialogue. Furthermore, former Christian prisoners face unique challenges that extend well beyond their time in detention. Even after being released from prison, former Christian detainees carry an intense public stigma amounting to social ostracization and obstacles to obtaining employment. This stigma is not incidental; it is a direct byproduct of the government's use of detention to signal that Christian identity itself is suspect. These individuals report feeling persona non grata among fellow community members, many of whom avoid contact out of fear that mere association with a previously detained Christian could expose them to surveillance, harassment, or arrest. In this way, arbitrary detention produces cascading social consequences, isolating individuals and reinforcing patterns of marginalization long after formal custody has ended.
Despite the persistence of discrimination against Copts, the government has taken some steps to improve religious freedom conditions. Multiple state agencies continued efforts to revive the Holy Family Trail, which includes landmarks sacred to the Coptic community. In December 2025, Egypt's Ministry of Manpower announced a new policy of granting paid religious leave on Easter for Christian employees in the private sector. Prior to this decision, Christians in Egypt have often been forced to choose between observing Easter and fulfilling work, academic, or civic obligations. Critics of the policy, however, argue that because the new policy excludes public sector employees, it violates constitutional FoRB guarantees. In January 2026, marking the occasion of Coptic Christmas, President el-Sisi delivered a message of interfaith tolerance and respect at the Coptic Orthodox Nativity Cathedral.
Baha'is
Since the 1960s, the government has continued to deny legal recognition to Baha'is. There are between 1,000 and 2,000 Baha'is in Egypt. The Egyptian government's policy on national identity cards continues to present civil and social barriers to members of the Baha'i community. Baha'is were excluded and not invited to participate in the government's ongoing National Dialogue throughout 2025. Despite having made overtures to various Christian denominations, the Egyptian government did not request draft personal status laws--which govern several representative categories including marriage, divorce, child custody, and inheritance--from the Baha'i community to be considered by Parliament. Baha'is' exclusion from the existing personal status law results in their inability to legally marry, obtain residency permits and birth certificates, pursue formal education, or gather for worship. Authorities also continued denying Baha'is burial land while prohibiting them from using Muslim cemeteries. In January 2026, multiple United Nations human rights experts called on the Egyptian government to address systematic discrimination against Baha'is, including confiscation of cemeteries, denial of legal recognition and identity documents, and harassment of community members.
Al-Azhar, the quasi-state religious institution and the most authoritative Sunni voice in the Arab world, has maintained its longstanding position against the Baha'is, which it believes is a heretical sect and not a recognized religion. Al-Azhar scholars have argued that recognizing the Baha'i faith would "rupture the fabric of the community" and "undermine the public order" in Egypt. This decades-long position has shaped the Egyptian government's discriminatory policies against Baha'is.
Jews
Despite the government's investment in restoration projects for historic synagogues, authorities tolerate and promote antisemitic ideas. State-backed media continue to invoke antisemitic tropes and Holocaust distortion, fostering an environment in which Egypt's dwindling Jewish community feels increasingly threatened. In February 2026, Al-Ahram published an article referring to the Israeli government as "Jewish terrorists." Local and international NGOs have welcomed President el-Sisi's restoration projects for historic Jewish houses of worship. Yet despite these restoration efforts, Jewish community leaders remain skeptical as to whether such overtures to the community remain genuine indications of progress on FoRB. For instance, the Ministry of Culture continues to deny community leaders' request to access and digitize the historical Jacques Mosseri Geniza documents, which have remained in the government's possession since 2016.
Jehovah's Witnesses
There are approximately 1,500 Jehovah's Witnesses in Egypt. Jehovah's Witnesses lack constitutional recognition, and the 1960 government ban on the group remains in effect. Without any legal instrument for recognition or personal status laws, Jehovah's Witnesses face barriers to practicing their faith, including attaining building permits for houses of worship. The government has continued to deny their requests to hold public religious gatherings. Although the government designates Jehovah's Witnesses as "Christian" on identity cards, a presidential decree bans any religious activity of Jehovah's Witnesses, which includes the export or printing of worship texts or use of online religious materials. Members have previously reported that they choose to worship privately for fear of targeting by state authorities. Others have been monitored by government security at their private homes and subjected to hours-long questioning in airports without justification. Egyptian government authorities continue to reject leaders' efforts to engage directly to resolve ongoing issues.
Nonbelievers
The government has escalated its crackdown on nonbelievers, atheists, and other individuals who reject the state's religious interpretations. Between mid-July 2025 and January 2026, Egyptian security officials carried out arbitrary arrests of at least 29 individuals across six governorates for being members of social media groups that discuss atheism or agnosticism, for criticizing mainstream religious beliefs, or for posting content online expressing religious views that otherwise deviate from state-sanctioned religious narratives. Police arrested most detainees at their homes and seized laptops and mobile phones, including some devices belonging to family members, without presenting arrest warrants or explaining the reasons for arrest. As of February 2026, five individuals have been released with pending investigations before the Supreme State Security Prosecution (SSSP), 23 remain in pretrial detention, and one individual died in custody. They are being investigated for "joining a group established in violation of the provisions of the Constitution and the law" and "publicly insulting a religion whose rituals are practiced publicly." If convicted, they face up to five years in prison. In September 2025, authorities arrested Maged Zakaria Abdel Rahman, known as the "Mufti of Humanity." Authorities later arrested individuals who appeared on his YouTube program or posted video clips of themselves on the "Arab Atheists Network and Forum" Facebook page. During their detention in unknown NSA facilities, agents with the SSSP blindfolded and interrogated detainees about their religious beliefs for hours, including questioning whether they were Muslim or Christian and whether they prayed.
Other Non-Sunni Muslim Minorities
The Egyptian government continues to place severe prohibitions on the legal status, worship, and free expression of non-Sunni Muslim minorities. Although the government reportedly lifted its travel ban on Qur'anist Reda Abdel Rahman in 2024, authorities continued to bar him from obtaining a passport and traveling outside Egypt. In March 2025, authorities arrested approximately 14 members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light (Ahmadis) for hanging a banner advertising a religious TV channel on a pedestrian bridge. Throughout the year, prosecutors repeatedly extended their pretrial detention on charges related to blasphemy and membership in a banned group. Detainees have reportedly been subject to torture and cruel treatment in detention, including denial of food and access to medical care. In December 2025, on at least two separate occasions, sheiks from the state-backed Al-Azhar religious authority pressured the detainees to renounce their faith.
Conclusion
Egypt continues to impose systematic and ongoing obstacles to FoRB on religious minority communities. Existing laws, policies, and judicial decisions target Baha'is, Coptic Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, Qur'anists, members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, and nonbelievers and restrict their ability to freely practice their belief as described in Egypt's constitution. Amid these ongoing FoRB concerns, Egypt's government continues to support initiatives that selectively promote religious diversity and tolerance. However, the government's ongoing and systematic restrictions on FoRB underscore the scale at which it needs to meet its obligations to ensure freedom of religion for all Egpytians. In its 2026 Annual Report, USCIRF recommended that the U.S. Department of State place Egypt on its Special Watch List (SWL).
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Professional Staff
Michael Ardovino, Policy Analyst
Gretchen Birkle, Senior Advisor
Susan Bishai, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Mollie Blum, Policy Analyst
Guillermo Cantor, Director of Research and Policy
Serena Doan, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Kaylee Fisher, Public Affairs Specialist
Andrew Hamm, Victims List Database Specialist
Sema Hasan, Senior Policy Analyst
Thomas Kraemer, Chief Administrative Officer
Kirsten Lavery, Supervisory Policy Analyst and, International Legal Specialist
Veronica McCarthy, Government Affairs Specialist
Hilary Miller, Policy Analyst
Nora Morton, Operations Specialist,
Molly Naylor-Komyatte, Policy Analyst,
Dylan Schexnaydre, Policy Analyst
Katherine Todd, Policy Analyst
Ross Tokola, Policy Analyst
Brett Warner, Administrative Specialist
Scott Weiner, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Kurt Werthmuller, Supervisory Policy Analyst
Nathan Wineinger, Chief of Public Affairs
Jean Wu, Policy Analyst
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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan legislative branch agency established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief.
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Original text here: https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2026-04/2026%20Egypt%20Country%20Update.pdf
