tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post6847665394026100149..comments2023-10-10T10:50:56.735+02:00Comments on Inanities: War-wornSarah Carrhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02146943046266549277noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-72606400613015144912007-09-07T17:31:00.000+02:002007-09-07T17:31:00.000+02:00I agree Aaron, meaningless generalisations about a...I agree Aaron, meaningless generalisations about any nationality are unhelpful - which is why I didn't make any blanket statements. Racism in Egyptian society however is unfortunately a common and very real experience, and while not everyone in Egypt is racist, the experiences described in this article and elsewhere prove that racist attitudes are prevalent.Scarrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000921519899599070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-55487565738025140832007-09-07T17:22:00.000+02:002007-09-07T17:22:00.000+02:00I think that it is dangerous to start making blank...I think that it is dangerous to start making blanket statements about all Egyptians.Aaron Stewarthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17001376255734498591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-44291907742176368632007-07-14T12:44:00.000+02:002007-07-14T12:44:00.000+02:00Amir this is from a report about the December 30 p...Amir this is from a report about the December 30 protest:<BR/><BR/>"Recognised refugees in Egypt are given the opportunity to work provided they obtain a work permit in accordance with Egyptian law. To do so they must meet strict criteria, including sponsorship by an employer, legal residence and travel documents, proof of specialised sklls that do not put them in competition with Egyptian workers, HIV tests, and the payment of procesing fees. Few employers choose this route, so few Sudanese refugees are able to get such work permits. In 2004, the Egyptian government changed its visa stamp format and added 'not permitted to work' to the residency stamps of recognised Sudanese refugees. After more than a year of effort, UNHCR succeeded in having that addition removed in May 2005."<BR/><BR/>http://www.aucegypt.edu/fmrs/documents/Report_Edited_v.pdf<BR/><BR/>Refugee rights groups want 'permitted to work' stamped onto refugees' visas to clear up any ambiguity about their right to do so.Scarrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000921519899599070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-34642485758946284392007-07-12T13:02:00.000+02:002007-07-12T13:02:00.000+02:00This was the article about Israel that I had told ...This was the article about Israel that I had told you about:<BR/><BR/>http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/836/op1.htm<BR/><BR/>Good Article by the way, and I also <BR/>think its a mixture of both a skin color and a class issue. Anwar Sadat was quite dark and president of the country, Sawiris is from S3eed and is the richest in the country, they're isolated examples I know but I feel like its not just one or the other, class divide is certainly an active and discriminatory aspect of Egyptian Society and skin color as well. What's this policy of them not being able to work? They flee their war-torn regions to find a better life here, and then they can't even work? What kind of policy is that, and what's the reasoning behind it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-67649973628068871752007-07-06T23:06:00.000+02:002007-07-06T23:06:00.000+02:00Bazza I absolutely agree that racism in Egypt is d...Bazza I absolutely agree that racism in Egypt is different to e.g. some forms of anti-immigrant racism in the UK which are intellectualised and justified on economic grounds, for example. As you suggest racism in Egypt does seem to stem from ignorance. I pontificated on this in a previous post, btw http://allthegoodnameshadgone.blogspot.com/2006/11/ebony-ivory-and-abdallah.html<BR/><BR/>And yes, I can say from personal experience that many Egyptians simply can't understand why anyone would be offended by pointed fingers and exclamations of 'look at the foreigner.'<BR/><BR/>I have often thought that if average (hate that word but what else to use?) Egyptians had more empathy with/awareness of/exposure to other situations other than their own(by which I mean other countries and ways of life) they would be less tolerant of their own treatment and not accept the status quo, so I regard the changing of such attitudes as quite important to the improvement of the lot of people are are stamped on daily with a big shoe.Scarrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08000921519899599070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-20424932393477871362007-07-05T19:01:00.000+02:002007-07-05T19:01:00.000+02:00I agree with the two previous posters but I'd like...I agree with the two previous posters but I'd like to make a distinction: Egyptians don't understand the meaning of the word. As a people, Egyptians are more classist than racist, but their racism is also a product of their ignorance. Another caveat placed by people and used to respond to the racism charge is absence of malice: they simply can't imagine that anyone has a right to be upset or offended by 'tahreeg' or 'ribbing'.<BR/><BR/>Neither excuse is acceptable obviously but one wonders where, in the broad range of things that Egypt needs to do better on, should this one be placed?Basil Epicurushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10882946059262129059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-9147814777612305062007-07-05T18:14:00.000+02:002007-07-05T18:14:00.000+02:00gc, I opened the comments box to say exactly this,...gc, I opened the comments box to say exactly this, and I found that you beat me to it.<BR/><BR/>I was going to say that Egyptians are too much in denial to be offended by them being called racist, people will just read this and say: It's not me..Wael Eskandarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17685842195441037505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35137734.post-87197942034190169932007-07-05T13:59:00.000+02:002007-07-05T13:59:00.000+02:00The strange thing is that most Egyptians think tha...The strange thing is that most Egyptians think that Egyptians are not racist. Very delusional.GChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08884957561850804381noreply@blogger.com