Anti-Migrant Racism Is Undermining Egypt’s Claim To Arab World Leadership

-Analysis-

CAIRO — As part of my work as a journalist, I have visited virtually every Arab country, from the Levant to Morocco. And in every place I’ve been, I have heard praise for Egypt — its current status in the world, and the support it historically has provided to Arab people.

In the alleys and streets of occupied Jerusalem and various Palestinian cities in the West Bank and Gaza, I have seen pictures of Egypt’s late President Gamal Abdel Nasser in homes and shops, while local radios play songs of our singers Umm Kulthum, Abdel Halim and Sheikh Imam.

From Jordan and Lebanon to Syria and Iraq, there are streets and squares still bear Nasser’s name.

In the Arab Gulf states, I’ve heard words of gratitude, especially from the older generation, about Egypt’s role in building up those states, especially in the wake of the massive influx of oil wealth in the 1970s. The Egyptians were the ones who constructed Arab schools, universities and hospitals, and established the legal and judicial systems that govern them to this day. It was not unusual in the 1970s and 1980s to find Egyptian judges settling disputes, as local expertise had not yet fully developed.

As for the nation of Yemen, it was enough for me to say that I am Egyptian to receive all sorts of acts of hospitality, as if the people there wished to carry me on their shoulders.

Despite all the reservations that may be raised about the direct Egyptian military intervention in Yemen, and how that affected the Egyptian army’s ability to confront the Israeli enemy in the 1967 war, the majority of Yemenis acknowledge that the rule of the imams, which belonged to the Middle Ages, would not have ended without Egyptian intervention.

In Algeria, workers at hotels and places I visited would stop me just to listen to my Egyptian accent and say: “An Egyptian, alas, speak to us.” Citizens there are convinced that they would not have achieved independence from the brutal French occupation without Egyptian support for their revolution.

Hundreds of thousands from these many countries and beyond received their education in Egyptian schools and universities, and those I’ve met spoke to me with great emotion about their memories of their good stay in Egypt, and how they never felt like strangers or foreigners in our land.

Those educated in Egypt became a kind of ambassador of our nation in their home countries when they returned. This was later reflected in the support that Egypt received from those countries when it needed, whether in the October 1973 War, or economic support in the aftermath of the war.

For all of this, we are now faced with the growing and incomprehensible campaign over the past months in Egypt that raises slogans against Arab “refugees” who have been forced to come here by civil wars in their countries, whether Iraq, Syria, Yemen or Sudan.

Suspicious hatred

As the largest country in the Arab world, Egypt had no choice but to welcome and receive these people, without forgetting, of course, that millions of Egyptians, in turn, resided in Iraq, financially supporting their families at home amid very difficult economic conditions.

As for our dear brothers from Syria, which was destroyed by its bloody dictatorial regime, how can we forget that we were once one country “The United Arab Republic”?

Yes, this experience was neither successful nor exemplary, and many Syrians have expressed reservations about what they considered Egyptian dominance over their affairs. Still, in the end there is practically no people closer to us than the Syrians in terms of customs and traditions.

As for Sudan, I will not repeat the slogans that we are one country and two peoples who drink together from the waters of the Nile. Yet these slogans hardly ring true to many Sudanese brothers who see that the Egyptians treat them with condescension, and perhaps with some racism, because of the color of their skin. But the reality is that millions of Sudanese have resided in Egypt, long before the outbreak of the latest civil war last year.

Thus Sudanese cannot be considered refugees, but rather permanent guests in the country that is physically closest to them, due to the conditions of wars and the separation of the South from the North. The current suspicious campaign against those described as “Arab refugees” also ignores the benefits Egypt has gained since their arrival, having pumped millions into the Egyptian economy.

Iraqis, Syrians, Yemenis, and Sudanese buy properties that would have remained empty especially in new cities, not to mention what they spend on education in Egypt’s school and universities, and treatment in its hospitals

Egyptian soft power

To be clear, all these Arab guests receive no financial support from the Egyptian government as “refugees.” On the contrary, our government receives aid from several European countries to help provide aid and services to the refugees, as well as to prevent the use of its lands as a launching point for illegal immigration to Europe where racism and xenophobia are growing.

But most important is that the recent racist attacks on our guests ignore the positive long-term impact of our role hosting them, a tangible way to restore Egypt’s status as the regional leader. This is what we call “soft power.”

We no longer live in the 1960s and 1970s, and Egypt no longer has as much to offer to those countries economically in light of our ongoing crisis. Indeed, we are a country that has pushed about 10 million citizens to emigrate in search of a livelihood, according to official figures. Indeed, there are new generations in the Arab world who know nothing about Egypt and its historical role in supporting their countries.

Silent majority

It is certain that welcoming and accommodating our guests from Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Sudan will have positive impacts and good memories, and turn them – like their fathers and grandfathers – into Egyptian ambassadors to their countries after the end of the wars and conflicts their countries are suffering from.

In the end, I have no doubt that the majority of good and generous Egyptians will welcome these guests from our sisterly Arab countries. But that’s not how it looks when you look at social media, which exaggerates the current racist campaign against our Arab guests.

I have some confidence that the welcome that Syrians, Iraqis, Yemenis, and Sudanese receive from ordinary, simple citizens in their daily lives will ultimately push them to ignore this hateful racist campaign that only represents a minority of Egyptians.