To be black in Egypt is to experience daily harassment and maltreatment. For the millions of African refugees and migrants living in the country, life has become difficult. Ask most Sudanese, Somalis, Ethiopians or any other person of dark skin and they will relate stories of racism: not getting to rent a flat because the landlord thought they were “dirty” and would “destroy the place.” So when Egyptians began lambasting German society following the horrendous and shocking murder of Marwa El Sherbini, one of their own, so it was not surprising to see the response from Egypt and the Arab world. At the same time, a number of Europeans living in Egypt began to send emails asking why Bikya Masr was not discussing the racism “at home” here in Egypt. Their questions and concerns were well-founded. A number of the individuals have worked with refugees and the stories they tell are glaring and unconceivable. Is there racism in Egypt? Certainly. Africans are treated as second-class citizens. Even the darker skinned Egyptians are not given the same respect as the fairer, more European-looking compatriots. This is a problem and one that existed for many years. The murder of Marwa has been highlighted over and over again for the past two weeks. Racism in Germany is well-known and has slowly been creeping back into their society as Arabs and Africans enter the country. But, here in Egypt, there has been no real discussion on the racism that exists on a street level. Many Egyptians have argued to me that it is joking and not racism. Sure, Egyptians love to joke and are quite sarcastic, but when it comes down to it, Africans are not treated equally. Ali is a Somali refugee who has lived in Egypt for the past 8 years. A few years ago, police arrested him and three other Somalis, including two women, for allegedly killing an Egyptian man. They spent 9 months in prison and were finally released without charge. When they returned to their communities, they spoke of the racism inside their cells. “Police called us all sorts of names and it was horrible. Pigs and monkey were the most common,” Ali revealed. If you stand on a street corner across Cairo and wait until an African, or someone of dark skin passes, it is not difficult to see the undercurrents of racism in Egypt. Snide remarks often follow the Africans. Demeaning looks are the most common, not to mention the everyday needs of food and shelter as previosly mentioned. This is a moment when Egyptians can look inwards and make a change. It is an opportunity for the majority of Egyptians who are not racist and hold no prejudices against their African friends to stand firm and show society that people, no matter their skin, are no different than the rest. Don't get us wrong, the racist murder of Marwa needs to be understood in order to forge a better German society, but at the same time, Egyptians need to look at racism here at home in order to achieve a real, lasting solution to this growing global problem. BM
