Colorism is openly practiced and, for most part, upheld.
Lambert and Ramadan write that “the degree of racism that [Black] people in Egypt are exposed to often depends on how dark their skin is.” Moreover, in his essay, “The ‘Black Pharaohs’ Fallacy: Misinterpretations of Kush-Kemet Identity,” Tristan Samuels delves into the reality of “intraracial colorism.” He describes it as “hierarchy within a racial group based on skin color.” This notion, no doubt, influences modern-day Egypt. It is for this reason that Abdel Rahman Sherif said the following when interviewed by Lambert and Ramadan: “Black Egyptians are subjected to less racial discrimination than [Sub-Saharan] African immigrants are. Racist Egyptians [try to] tell the difference based on the facial features and the varying shades of skin color.”
Black Egyptians are often subject to police brutality.
As mentioned before, Black Egyptians receive little protection. This reality is also evident in regards to law enforcement. In fact, police officers are often the individuals responsible for inflicting the harm that the Black Egyptian community is forced to encounter. Sherif states,”African victims of racial discrimination in Egypt do not report the violations against them because they know there is no one to protect them. They escape in fear when they see cameras.”
