CAIRO, Egypt- Twenty Syrian women sew patterns onto recycled fabric in the offices of Egyptian NGO Tadamon. The center is located in the satellite city of Sixth of October, known as Cairo’s “Little Damascus” because it hosts one of the largest Syrian refugee communities in Egypt.
Two weeks ago, Tadamon launched a micro-grant project to help the women earn an income through handicraft. The women here come from all over Syria. Some of them arrived a few months ago; others have been living in Sixth of October for more than a year.
“Life is very difficult; I don’t feel settled here,” one woman explained. Another lamented the high living costs her family is facing while earning little. Many women fled Syria without their husbands and now struggle to cope with life on low incomes. At least five in the group live without their spouses. Their children, some of whom are under 18, are often forced to work.
Suzan, who coordinates Tadamon’s Sixth of October center, explained that just because they can buy a plane ticket to Egypt does not mean that Syrians are equipped to start a new life. They often have only enough money saved up to pay for the journey. Having brought little with them, refugees largely rely on the support of the host community.
Suzan has seen a lot of Syrians coming, but since this summer they have been leaving as well. Many Syrian refugees have been negatively affected by events in Egypt following the military overthrow of President Mursi. Until July 3, Syrians were welcomed in Egypt. They could enter the country without visas, easily find work, and receive accommodation and aid. There was a sense of sympathy and solidarity among Egyptians for the Syrian arrivals. When the first wave of refugees arrived, many of them started up shops, cafes, restaurants and factories.
Following Mursi’s ouster, life for Syrians changed dramatically. Some Egyptian public figures and media outlets began demonizing Syrians, accusing them of collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood and participating in pro-Mursi sit-ins. Syrians found with any connection with the former regime were harassed and detained. In a report published last month, Amnesty International documented the arbitrary detention of 1,500 Syrian refugees by Egyptian authorities.
Government and media accusations fostered anti-Syrian sentiment as many Egyptians began to view Syrians as supporters of Brotherhood-led rule and as being complicit in the political unrest. Many Syrian refugees either lost their jobs or saw their salaries cut and cash assistance stopped, and property owners became reluctant to rent houses to them. Many no longer felt safe following incidents of physical attack and verbal abuse against the community. Two women at Tadamon’s center recalled cases where some Syrian women—wearing distinctive, Syrian-style headscarves—were targeted by a group of Egyptian men who shouted at them, “You terrorists, go back to Bashar!”
The increasingly hostile atmosphere prompted hundreds of Syrians to fly out to countries like Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey in search of greater safety. Some even risked traveling by boat to Italy. One activist stated that the Syrian population in Egypt totaled approximately 600,000 before July 3. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, around 300,000 Syrian refugees currently live in Egypt, scattered across Cairo’s suburbs, including Sixth of October, Obour City, Al-Rehab, El-Haram, and Faisal, as well as the Alexandria and Delta governorates. The UNHCR has officially registered over 126,000 Syrian refugees in Egypt.
The Tadamon coordinators regularly hear of Syrian families planning to flee Egypt. Five days after Mursi was ousted, the Egyptian government introduced new visa regulations discouraging Syrians from remaining in the country. Under the new leadership, Syrians already in the country who are caught without valid residence permits—which are difficult to obtain—can face detention or deportation, and there have been reports that they are also being pushed to illegally migrate to other countries. Many of those who do stay have little choice, regardless of whether they are there legally, as moving elsewhere is an option that not everyone can afford. Syrians are also now required to obtain a visa before traveling to Egypt.
In an attempt to provide an organized effort to assist Egypt’s Syrians, a new charity, the Syrian Community in Egypt, was established in mid-October. More than just providing relief, the Syrian Community in Egypt aims to address the everyday problems affecting the lives of Syrians in coordination with civil society groups and the Egyptian authorities.
Founder Rasem Alatasi stated the group will be advocating for the loosening of restrictions on obtaining entry visas and residency permits, acknowledging that the new procedures in place have made it very hard for Syrians to travel in and out of Egypt. He estimated that just a hundred visas have been issued to Syrians in the last three months.
The Syrian Community is also working towards equal rights for Syrian students at all levels of education. In August, Egypt’s Ministry of Education announced that Syrian children would no longer have access to public schools. Pressured by civil society organizations, the ministry then reversed its decision in mid-September—shortly before the start of the academic year. However, for some it was too late, as many Syrian families had already decided to leave.
Alatasi said the Syrian Community would call for the establishing of educational institutions run by Syrians for Syrians. Mohammed Kazem, an elected member of the Syrian Community, mentioned a workshop the organization recently ran where the Egyptian Minister of Education was invited to discuss education for Syrian refugees. Some of the issues raised by the group included the possible introduction of the Syrian curriculum in Egyptian schools, as well as the need for specific teaching aimed at Syrians that would be sensitive to linguistic and cultural differences. Kazem highlighted the plight of Syrian youth who have lived in Egypt for three years without receiving education, warning that it could result in an illiterate generation of young Syrians.
Alatasi said healthcare was another major area of concern for Syrian refugees. He explained that, although Syrians registered with the UNHCR have access to health care, the service they receive is highly unsatisfactory and that hospitals run by the UNHCR are not equipped to treat emergency cases. The Syrian Community intends to make arrangements with medical facilities in Egypt to have Syrian doctors deliver free healthcare to Syrians. The UNHCR currently has an agreement with only one hospital to provide such a service.
Kazem denounced the lack of support from the UNCHR, citing examples of numerous Syrians who received first aid treatment in Syria for wounds received in the civil war who then came to Egypt seeking surgery, only to be left without help.
While the treatment of Syrian refugees worsened dramatically between July and August, things have started to improve a little over the course of the past month. Egyptian officials are reengaging with the Syrian community, some media outlets have readdressed the portrayal of Syrians, and the government has said the visa restrictions on Syrians will soon be lifted.
But for some, help is still not forthcoming. In Cairo’s El-Haram neighborhood, a street vendor named Shadi navigates the road in a wheelchair. A year and a half ago, he was shot in the back by Syrian regime forces, leaving him paralyzed. Shadi arrived in Egypt five months ago, and the prospect of undergoing surgery still remains very distant.
Originally published in The Majalla