Latest news with #non-Egyptian
See - Sada Elbalad
3 days ago
- Sport
- See - Sada Elbalad
Al Ahly Looks to Sign Free Agent Kouka After Departure of Abou Ali
H-Tayea Al Ahly is preparing to open formal negotiations with Ahmed Hassan Kouka, as the club looks to secure a replacement for Wessam Abou Ali, who is on the verge of completing a move to Major League Soccer in the United States. With the team's foreign player quota already full, Al Ahly has been actively seeking an Egyptian option to lead the attack next season. Kouka, a product of Al Ahly's own youth academy, has emerged as the top candidate for the role. His interest in returning to the club, combined with his availability and vast experience, makes him an ideal solution for the club's current needs. The Red Devils' five foreign player slots are currently occupied by Achraf Dari, Achraf Bencharki (both from Morocco), Mohamed Ali Ben Romdhane (Tunisia), Aliou Dieng (Mali), and Gredašek (Slovenia). This means any non-Egyptian addition would require releasing a foreign player—something the management prefers to avoid. At 32 years old, Kouka is nearing the end of his contract with Le Havre, the French side he joined in January 2024 on a free transfer from Portugal's Rio Ave. During the last season, Kouka made 16 appearances, scoring three goals and assisting once. Despite limited minutes, his performance showed that he remains a capable and experienced striker at a high level. read more Japan Stun Spain 2-1 to Qualify for World Cup Last 16 World Cup 2022: Get to Know Confirmed Line-ups of Japan and Spain Group E Decider Saudi Arabia Bid Farewell to World Cup after 2-1 Loss to Mexico Tunisia Achieve Historic Win over France but Fail to Qualify Tunisia to Clash against France in World Cup Sports Get to Know Squad of Group D Teams in World Cup Sports Al Ahly Gift EGP 70,000 to Players After Claiming Egyptian Super Cup Title Sports Bencharki Hits First 2 Goals with Al Jazira Since Leaving Zamalek Sports Arsenal Possible Line-up for Nottingham Forest News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters Arts & Culture "Jurassic World Rebirth" Gets Streaming Date News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Arts & Culture South Korean Actress Kang Seo-ha Dies at 31 after Cancer Battle Business Egyptian Pound Undervalued by 30%, Says Goldman Sachs News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Sports Get to Know 2025 WWE Evolution Results News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks
Daily News Egypt
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily News Egypt
Refugees in Egypt: Between Hospitality and Digital Hate Speech
Anyone who follows content on social media platforms in Egypt will notice a recurring surge in hate speech directed at refugees. From time to time, certain groups blame refugees for the country's economic difficulties and spread fear that their presence is placing pressure on already limited resources. These waves of hatred intensify online whenever news spreads about a crime committed—or allegedly committed—by a foreigner. Such isolated incidents are often generalized to all refugees or foreigners, accompanied by a flood of inflammatory comments filled with contempt for their cultural or ethnic backgrounds. This quickly escalates into campaigns of mockery, racism, and incitement against them. Unlike some other countries, the Egyptian government has not placed refugees in camps. Instead, they live among the population, and the official discourse remains balanced, referring to them as 'guests.' This is to the credit of the Egyptian state. However, segments of the public on social media have generated a toxic hate narrative that does not reflect the state's official stance. It is important to distinguish between foreigners and refugees. Egypt hosts around nine million foreign residents, who represent a valuable addition to the country's economy, social fabric, and cultural diversity. According to the UNHCR, less than one million registered refugees and asylum seekers from 61 nationalities live in Egypt, with the majority coming from Sudan, followed by Syria. The Egyptian government coordinates with international organizations, including the UNHCR, and communicates with donor countries to explore ways to support Egypt in this regard. Hate speech is often fueled by emotional manipulation rather than logical reasoning, attempting to draw a link between 'patriotism' and hatred toward anything non-Egyptian. However, historically, Egypt has never been an isolationist country. Its people have never adopted a superiority complex over other races, nor have its thinkers embraced extreme ideologies like 'racial purity' theories that led to genocides and justified Nazi crimes in Germany. On the contrary, modern Egyptian history reflects a spirit of openness and hospitality. Migrants from all backgrounds have long been welcomed and integrated into Egyptian society. For instance, people from the Levant migrated to Egypt in the mid-19th century to escape sectarian conflict and went on to contribute significantly to the country's intellectual, cultural, artistic, and economic life. I remember years ago, when I was about to sign my first book contract with Dar Al-Hilal, one of Egypt's oldest publishing houses, I walked into the building in downtown Cairo and was greeted by a statue of Jurji Zaydan, the publishing house's founder, who migrated from the Levant in the 19th century and played a major role in Egypt's cultural renaissance. He stood alongside other prominent figures like Yaqub Sarruf, Salim Al-Naqqash, Adib Ishaq, Farah Antun, and many more. Similarly, Egypt welcomed Greeks and Armenians, who became part of the Egyptian social fabric and made lasting contributions to its economy, culture, and arts. Anyone who visits Alexandria today can still find traces of the city's golden age when it thrived on cultural diversity—especially the Greek community and other foreigners. When they left, Alexandria lost its cosmopolitan character and became more closed off, laying the groundwork for the spread of extremist religious ideologies. We urgently need to deconstruct the sources of hate speech online against refugees—whether they stem from economic anxieties (such as the false linkage between refugees and rising prices), dangerous stereotypes portraying refugees as criminals or threats, or a general lack of legal awareness about refugee rights. This can be achieved through community initiatives that counter online incitement and discredit the tendency to generalize isolated incidents. What we need is a media discourse that counters hate speech, promoting a culture of coexistence and integration—not just as ethical ideals, but as practical necessities for social stability. This should include highlighting the historical and ongoing economic and cultural contributions of foreigners in Egypt and encouraging positive dialogue between Egyptians and refugees. Ragy Amer is a writer, academic, and radio presenter at Egyptian Radio. He serves as a media advisor to several leading Egyptian universities. Author of several books and hundreds of articles published in major Egyptian newspapers and magazines.
Mada
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Mada
Update: Authorities use force to disperse Global March to Gaza participants
The march's organisers posted an urgent call in the evening for all participants to return to Cairo given the 'escalating violence.' One of the participants explained to Mada Masr the escalation that took place throughout the day: 'People started getting stopped at the second checkpoint on the road to Ismailia at around 12:30 am. More people started arriving and getting held up. There were delegations from everywhere, North Africa, France, Netherlands, Switzerland. They took our passports, and we waited for over four hours until we got the passports back. Some people left right there and then. Other people decided to stay. Those who stayed gathered in a square near the mosque. Everyone sat down and we started chanting. At this point, authorities started doing intimidation tactics. Saying either we leave willingly, or we stay and will get beaten up. Everyone was given the option and the Canadian delegation decided to stay. We were chanting and slowly they started spraying the air with something and closing in on us with some soldiers. They sent in infiltrators wearing white abayas and covering their face. They started beating people up and throwing water bottles at people. They had whips and batons and were extremely violent and aggressive. Some people were dragged on the floor. The purpose was to get people to leave.' Earlier on Friday, Egyptian authorities continued to deport several international activists taking part in the march, including foreign individuals who had entered the country via Cairo International Airport the previous day. Deportations took place as activists attempted to travel toward the city of Ismailia from various locations across central Cairo. Organizers from the different countries' delegations had circulated instructions in the morning designating a hotel in Ismailia as the meeting point. Participants were advised to travel individually or in small groups and were explicitly urged not to protest upon arrival. Organizers also confirmed that they remained engaged with Egypt's Foreign Ministry to coordinate forthcoming steps. However, police stopped several activists as they left Cairo. According to testimonies from two Belgian nationals, officers confiscated their passports and initiated deportation proceedings against them. Other participants with US citizenship reported being stopped at the first checkpoint outside Cairo, where they were detained and ordered to leave the country. After being blocked from continuing their journey, they began chanting 'Free Palestine' at the checkpoint. In an update on their Whatsapp channel, the march's organizers reported that police forces have stopped all cars coming from Cairo at a checkpoint 30 km outside the city, forcing anyone carrying a non-Egyptian passport to get off. The update mentioned that activists started a sit-in at the checkpoint. Activists at the checkpoint reported being violently treated by police to forcibly get into a bus. One activist said their passport was taken and they have been waiting for hours under the sun, while some were dragged violently into a bus. Meanwhile, an Irish activist as well as a number of Swiss activists who were bound to take part in the march reported that their colleagues, who had already reached the designated hotel in Ismailia, were detained by security forces and placed, along other protesters, on a bus guarded by armed officers. The bus remains near the hotel in Ismailia as of the time of publication. The Global March to Gaza had aimed to bring around 4,000 activists from over 80 countries, and their original plan was to take buses from Cairo to the city of Arish in North Sinai, then walk the remaining distance to the border town of Rafah, the closest point to Gaza. Organizers said the march's aim is to call for an end to the war and push the aid piled up on the Egyptian side of the border into Gaza, which has been under siege. On Wednesday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that while 'foreign delegations' are welcome, visiting North Sinai requires permits. Meanwhile, a government source who spoke to Mada Masr on condition of anonymity said that none of the activists will be allowed into Rafah for sovereignty and security reasons. Several activists arriving from different European countries to take part in the march were deported upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, according to the organizers and eyewitness accounts. On another front, security and military forces affiliated with the eastern Libyan authorities halted in the early hours of Friday the advance of the Sumud Convoy, a separate but parallel initiative in which around 1,000 people are travelling by land across North Africa toward Egypt. According to a statement shared via the caravan's WhatsApp channel, security officials claimed the delay was necessary pending formal approval from Benghazi. Efforts to coordinate with Libyan authorities to resume the convoy's advance toward the Egyptian border have been ongoing as of the time of the organizers' most recent statement. According to the organizers, convoy participants are camping at the site where they were stopped — an area lacking basic necessities and with recurring telecom outages. They called on authorities in Benghazi to 'honor their declared welcome of our brave initiative, as stated in yesterday's Foreign Ministry statement, and to receive our convoy.' The organizers also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from Libyan communities in surrounding areas, who have provided water, food and tents to sustain the group as they wait for passage. In its statement, the Libyan Foreign Ministry expressed its full support for the convoy and its moral and human position which 'embodies the depth of the Maghreb and Arab world's commitment to the Palestinian cause.' However, the statement also referenced Egyptian authorities, stressing the importance of following existing laws that regulate access to the Rafah border area in Egypt.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Egypt, Libya stop activists gathering for March to Gaza, organisers say
Authorities in both Egypt and Libya have stopped activists seeking to break Israel's blockade on Gaza, protest organisers have said, with reports of more detentions and deportations taking place. 'Forty participants of the Global March to Gaza have had their passports taken at a checkpoint on the way out of Cairo,' the organisers of the Global March to Gaza said in a statement on Friday. 'They are being held in the heat and not allowed to move,' they continued, adding that another '15 are being held at hotels'. The activists are from France, Spain, Canada, Turkiye and the United Kingdom, it said, adding, 'We are a peaceful movement and we are complying with Egyptian law.' The group urged embassies to help secure their release so they could complete their voyage. Activists arrived in Egypt this week for the Global March to Gaza, a grassroots initiative aiming to pressure Israel to allow the delivery of aid and humanitarian supplies to Gaza's starving population. Organisers said that participants from 80 countries were set to begin their march towards Egypt's Rafah crossing with Gaza, with about 4,000 activists expected to take part. The overland protest was to coincide with other solidarity efforts, including a boat carrying aid and activists that was intercepted by the Israeli military earlier this week as it attempted to reach Gaza. According to plans outlined by organisers, participants were to travel by bus to El Arish, a city in the heavily securitised Sinai Peninsula, before walking the final 50km (30 miles) to Rafah. Protesters intended to camp near the border before returning to Cairo on June 19. However, Egyptian police stopped several groups of foreign nationals en route, forcing vehicles to pull over roughly 30km (20 miles) from Ismailia, just outside the Sinai. Activists said police ordered passengers with non-Egyptian passports to disembark, blocking their passage to Rafah. Paul Murphy, an independent Irish member of parliament, who has travelled to Egypt to take part, said in a post on X, 'We have had our passports confiscated and are being detained. It seems Egyptian authorities have decided to crack down on the Great March To Gaza.' Security sources told the Reuters news agency that at least 88 individuals had been detained or deported from Cairo airport and other locations across the country. Three airport sources told Reuters that at least 73 foreign nationals were deported on a flight to Istanbul for violating entry protocols, with about 100 more still awaiting deportation at the airport. Officials at Cairo International Airport said new directives were issued to airlines requiring all passengers travelling to Egypt between June 12 and 16 to hold confirmed return tickets, Reuters reported. Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that any visits to the Rafah border area must be coordinated in advance with Egyptian embassies or official bodies, citing security concerns in the Sinai. Organisers of the march maintain they coordinated the trip with authorities and called on the government to release those detained. Separately, a land convoy known as 'Soumoud', which had departed Tunisia carrying activists from Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania, was stopped on Friday morning at the entrance to Sirte, a city in Libya under the control of forces loyal to military commander Khalifa Haftar. 'The caravan was barred from passing through at the entrance to the city of Sirte,' Tunisian organiser Wael Naouar said in a video posted on Facebook. Naouar said the convoy needs Egyptian authorisation to reach Gaza but had received mixed messages from local security officials. 'Some told us we could cross in a few hours. Others insisted that 'Egypt has denied [passage] and therefore you will not pass,'' he said. On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered the military to block demonstrators from entering Gaza from Egypt, claiming people involved were 'jihadist protesters'. 'I expect the Egyptian authorities to prevent them from reaching the Egypt-Israel border and not allow them to carry out provocations and try to enter Gaza,' he added. It comes as Israel continues its relentless air strikes on Gaza, while severely restricting the flow of aid, including food, water, and medical supplies, as humanitarian experts warn that the enclave could fall into full-scale famine unless Israel lifts the blockade.
Mada
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Mada
Egypt deports more Global March to Gaza participants
Egyptian authorities continued on Friday to deport several international activists taking part in the Global March to Gaza, including foreign individuals who had entered the country via Cairo International Airport the previous day. Deportations took place as activists attempted to travel toward the city of Ismailia from various locations across central Cairo. Organizers from the different countries' delegations had circulated instructions on Friday morning designating a hotel in Ismailia as the meeting point. Participants were advised to travel individually or in small groups and were explicitly urged not to protest upon arrival. Organizers also confirmed that they remained engaged with Egypt's Foreign Ministry to coordinate forthcoming steps. However, police stopped several activists as they left Cairo. According to testimonies from two Belgian nationals, officers confiscated their passports and initiated deportation proceedings against them. Other participants with US citizenship reported being stopped at the first checkpoint outside Cairo, where they were detained and ordered to leave the country. After being blocked from continuing their journey, they began chanting 'Free Palestine' at the checkpoint. In an update on their Whatsapp channel, the march's organizers reported that police forces have stopped all cars coming from Cairo at a checkpoint 30 km outside the city, forcing anyone carrying a non-Egyptian passport to get off. The update mentioned that activists started a sit-in at the checkpoint. Activists at the checkpoint reported being violently treated by police to forcibly get into a bus. One activist said their passport was taken and they have been waiting for hours under the sun, while some were dragged violently into a bus. Meanwhile, an Irish activist as well as a number of Swiss activists who were bound to take part in the march reported that their colleagues, who had already reached the designated hotel in Ismailia, were detained by security forces and placed, along other protesters, on a bus guarded by armed officers. The bus remains near the hotel in Ismailia as of the time of publication. The Global March to Gaza had aimed to bring around 4,000 activists from over 80 countries, and their original plan was to take buses from Cairo to the city of Arish in North Sinai, then walk the remaining distance to the border town of Rafah, the closest point to Gaza. Organizers said the march's aim is to call for an end to the war and push the aid piled up on the Egyptian side of the border into Gaza, which has been under siege. On Wednesday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that while 'foreign delegations' are welcome, visiting North Sinai requires permits. Meanwhile, a government source who spoke to Mada Masr anonymously said that none of the activists will be allowed into Rafah for sovereignty and security reasons. Several activists arriving from different European countries to take part in the march were deported upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, according to the organizers and eyewitness accounts. On another front, security and military forces affiliated with the eastern Libyan authorities halted in the early hours of Friday the advance of the Sumud Convoy, a separate but parallel initiative in which around 1,000 people are travelling by land across North Africa toward Egypt. According to a statement shared via the caravan's WhatsApp channel, security officials claimed the delay was necessary pending formal approval from Benghazi. Efforts to coordinate with Libyan authorities to resume the convoy's advance toward the Egyptian border have been ongoing as of the time of the organizers' most recent statement. According to the organizers, convoy participants are camping at the site where they were stopped — an area lacking basic necessities and with recurring telecom outages. They called on authorities in Benghazi to 'honor their declared welcome of our brave initiative, as stated in yesterday's Foreign Ministry statement, and to receive our convoy.' The organizers also expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from Libyan communities in surrounding areas, who have provided water, food and tents to sustain the group as they wait for passage. In its statement, the Libyan Foreign Ministry expressed its full support for the convoy and its moral and human position which 'embodies the depth of the Maghreb and Arab world's commitment to the Palestinian cause.'
