Egypt rejects US State Department criticism on religious freedom

Cairo, Egypt - Egypt rejected on Saturday a report by the US State Department on religious freedom in the North African country, saying the US "has no right to make a judgment on the matter."

Egypt is only concerned with reports released by the United Nations, which reviews implementations of the international law on human rights of any country, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said.

"Thus, Egypt confirms its rejection that any country would make itself a guardian on the performance of independent and sovereign states," Zaki said.

The annual International Religious Freedom Report, released on Wednesday, carried sharp comments about religious freedom in Egypt.

"The status of respect for religious freedom by the government remained poor, unchanged from the previous year," the report read.

It said that Christians and members of the Baha'i faith face "personal and collective discrimination, especially in government employment and their ability to build, renovate, and repair places of worship."

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, remain subject to arbitrary detention and pressure from the government, it added.