14 February 2023
The Association for Freedom of Thought and Expression (AFTE) condemns the referral by the privately owned Sinai University of Mai Abdullah Sweidan, a first-year student at the Faculty of Dentistry, to investigation on 13 February 2023, a day after one of her colleagues shared atheism allegations against her, along with all her personal data as well as the data of members of her family.
AFTE calls on the Sinai University to suspend any administrative investigations with the student. It also calls on the Ministry of Interior to provide adequate protection for her, especially in light of the increasing threats against her over the atheism allegations. It further calls on the Public Prosecution to investigate the violation of the student’s privacy and the publication of her personal data.
The referral of Sweidan to investigation violates freedom of expression and constitutes a restriction on the students’ expression of their beliefs. By this decision, the Sinai University has violated several standards related to student rights, including the fact that any views expressed by students do not fall within the university’s jurisdiction, as they are related to their rights as Egyptian citizens.
The incident, according to Sweidan’s mother, started on 12 February 2023 when one of the student’s colleagues shared a post attributed to her expressing her disbelief in Islam and Prophet Muhammad. The post was later shared by a number of users on social media, with some sharing Sweidan’s personal data including her Facebook account, phone number, and the accounts of her family members. The shared posts included incitement against Sweidan and appeals to the university to dismiss her permanently.
On 13 February, the university referred Sweidan to investigation. On the same day, she went to the East Qantara police station in Ismailia Governorate after she feared for her life and felt threatened. She was accompanied by a professor from her university. The university sent a representative to interrogate her at the police station.
The student was interrogated in the presence of a number of clerics, according to her mother. The investigation revealed that Sweidan’s Facebook account had been hacked and that she was not responsible for what was posted on it. She was acquitted of the charge of atheism. Meanwhile, posting continued on her Facebook account during the investigation.
This incident indicates the serious violations committed by academic institutions, including restrictions on the expression of beliefs and student rights. These practices violate the constitution that guarantees freedom of expression. The Private Universities Law does not contain articles that enable any university to intervene and investigate any acts committed by students outside the university. Meanwhile, the student who shared Sweidan’s personal data on his Facebook account was not investigated.
Similar incidents included the dismissal of a student at Misr University for Science and Technology on charges of contempt of religions in August 2022. AFTE considers these practices, which violate international standards and the Egyptian constitution, as an indication of the deterioration of human rights and public freedoms in universities in Egypt.
AFTE calls on the Sinai University to suspend any investigations with Sweidan and to protect the students’ right to express their beliefs. It also calls on the university and the Public Prosecution to investigate the violation of Sweidan’s privacy by publishing her personal data. It further holds the Ministry of Interior responsible for the student’s safety, and calls on it to take appropriate measures to protect her.
