Quranists in Egypt

The Quranists are a small group of Muslims who regard the Qur’an as the only valid religious source for Islam. In Egypt, they have experienced state harassment due to its perception of the group as unorthodox. In 2007, for example, four Quranists were arrested while accused of defaming Islam, sparking condemnation from human rights groups. A Quranist writer was also detained at Cairo airport in November 2009 and refused the right to travel out of the country. In October 2010, a Quranist blogger was arrested in what was described as ‘forced disappearance’ and remained in prison for three months before being released.