CAIRO: The Egyptian government has reiterated its rejection of funding from the United States for unregistered non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Egypt, according to comments from Egypt's Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Fayza Abouelnafa. The government says that it does not object to foreign financing for NGOs, as long as foreign donors abide by Egyptian laws governing these organizations. According to Anne Patterson, the US ambassador to Cairo, 14 US organizations have received US$ 47.8 million in funds since the revolution, and 12 Egyptian organizations have received US$5.8 million. Patterson said that the United States is eager to aid Egypt's civil society organizations, but will not fund political parties. The Egyptian Ministry of Justice recently opened an investigation into foreign funding of unregistered NGOs. The “foreign funding” discourse in Egypt is not a new trope, and is propagated by the state to play into a fear of “foreign agents,” working to “destabilize,” the country. The state-propagated discourse has resonated with many in Egypt. Egyptian government officials tried to dismiss the legitimacy of the revolutionary 6th of April Movement by falsely claiming that the group received foreign funding. Meanwhile, Egypt's military receives about $1.3 billion annually in funding from the United States. BM
