8 Disturbing Things to Know About Being Black in Modern Day Egypt

Black Egyptians experience racism daily.

In their article, “Being black in Egypt,” Imogen Lambert and Nada Ramadan, two writers for al-Araby al-Jadeed, convey that those of the Black community in Egypt are deemed “inferior [minorities], subjecting them to varying degrees of racial discrimination and degrading treatment.” Furthermore, another article published by Aljazeera declares that there is “long-standing racism that threatens the security and livelihoods of Egypt’s [sizable] sub-Saharan population.”

 

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Racial discrimination is not criminalized in Egypt.

Very little is done to take a legal stance against the discrimination that Black Egyptians are subject to on a daily basis. In fact, Lambert and Ramadan state the following when discussing the legality of racial discrimination: “The Egyptian constitution prohibits any form of discrimination, including based on skin color. However, the law does not [criminalize] racial discrimination. If you were subjected to racist treatment, the best you can do is attempt to press charges of libel or slander.”

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