About Us

Our Name

Eshhad is the Arabic imperative for "witness" or "testify," which lies at the core of what we do. We document sectarianism against religious, cultural, and ethnic minorities in the Middle East.

Vision Statement

Eshhad envisions a world where all people can freely believe and practice their faith and cultural traditions with the protection and security of their government who enshrine core fundamental rights; prohibit discrimination and persecution based on ethnicity, religion, or nationality; and who provide fair rule of law for their citizens.

Mission Statement

Eshhad is striving towards its vision by impacting individual lives through litigation and shaping policy regarding the protection of minorities in the Middle East through data-driven research, advocacy, and litigation.

Our History

Eshhad was founded on August 14, 2013, when we began documenting sectarian attacks against religious minorities in Egypt; since then, Eshhad has documented over 500 sectarian incidents or attacks in Egypt with a few additional cases of Egyptian Christians who were targeted in Libya. Through the aggregation of reports of sectarian incidents from various sources including reports from civil society, media, and in some cases through self-reporting, Eshhad is able to track and produce reports highlighting trends, analysis, as well as recommendations for policy-makers. From the outset, Eshhad has been able to fill in the need for a neutral and credible source of tracking alleged sectarian incidents in Egypt and producing religious freedom research.

In September 2015, Eshhad partnered with the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy as an incubated project where the team was able to expand its vision and mission. In June 2017, Eshhad incorporated as a nonprofit. Should you desire to receive Eshhad updates, please subscribe here. You can also contact us here or by emailing us at admin@eshhad.org for any inquiries regarding Eshhad.