Egypt Applies Comprehensive Citizenship According to Religious Basics, Human Values and Contemporary International Agreements- AIRA
The Secretary General of the Islamic Research Academy (AIRA), Dr. Nazir Ayyad said the word "Homeland" is neither a modern nor a foreign word in human dialects and languages today. Rather, it is old and has deep roots in the history of humanity. Therefore, dictionaries define the word homeland and its various derivatives carefully.
Ayyad indicated that patriotism, loyalty and the necessity for belonging to one’s homeland have been mentioned in many verses of the Noble Qur’an, and the Sunnah of the Prophet (pbuh) confirms the significance of this word.
In this context, the Secretary-General added that comprehensive citizenship means that all people in the same country are equal in rights and duties regardless of their beliefs, religions and ethnicity. He explained that citizenship is a controversial concept about which there has been a great deal of arguments and discussion nowadays due to its theoretical background, origins, and application. In this concern, extremist groups have been keen to distort this concept and describe it as an illegal one using all methods of lying, deception and fraud without any scientific or methodological awareness in order to serve their extremist interests.
Therefore, many writers and thinkers - especially in religious institutions – have set out to study and clarify this term to strengthen and consolidate it among people in order to achieve tolerance, coexistence and compassion among all members of the society, regardless of their belief or religion.
Finally, Ayyad confirmed the inevitability of applying the principle of comprehensive citizenship wherein all people are equal in all societal rights and duties regardless of their religion, color, or race.