SavandNazemi

(Professor)CutlerEdward
Humanities
11/19/15

FromPyramidstoSkyscrapers

EgyptianimmigrationtoAmericarosetoitspeakinthemid20thcentury.Therewere
manyreasonswhyEgyptiansemigratedfromEgypt.IncludingeventssuchastheRevolutionof
1952,theriseofPresidentGamalAbdelNasser,andtheSixDayWar.Thesesituationscaused
thousandsofEgyptianstoimmigratetoAmerica.Egyptianschosetoemigrateforreasonssuch
aspoliticaldevelopmentsandeconomicstatusesthatbeganinEgypt.Americawasaplace
knownforitsacceptancetoeducatedprofessionals,itsfreedomtopracticeallreligionssafely,
andthejobopportunitiesthatitoffered.ThismadeAmericatheprimeoptionforEgyptians
lookingforanewplacetocallhome.
InDecemberof1951,theBritishtroopsdestroyedfiftyoftheEgyptiansmudbrick
housesinordertobuildaroadthatwouldleadthemtotheirwatersupplies.Theattackcaught
theattentionofEgyptiansandresultedinthebreakingpointforthesociety.Britishtroops
attackedEgyptianpolicebarracksinIsmailiaafterthepolicerefusedtosurrender.FiftyEgyptian
policeofficerswerekilledandonehundredwerewounded.AngeraroseinEgyptleadingtothe
secondrevolution,thisdismaycausedEgyptianstobeginemigratingtoAmerica.1
OneofthemanyreasonsthatreligiousEgyptiansimmigratedtoAmericawasduetothe
factthatCopts,Jews,andconservativeMuslimswereconcernedwiththepoliticaldevelopments
andfeareditwouldbecreatingdifferencesintreatmentforreligiouscitizens.InJanuaryof1954,
thelargeMuslimBrotherhoodwasoutlawed,whichleaduptotheemigrationofmuslim
Egyptians.AftertheMuslimBrotherhoodwasoutlawed,otherreligionsfearedbeingexiled.
1

"EgyptianRevolutionof1952."
Wikipedia
.WikimediaFoundation,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.

EgyptiansseekedrefugeinAmericabecausewhiletheremayhavebeenpeoplewho
discriminatedtowardsotherraces,Americaitselfdidntclassifypeoplebytheirreligions,this
madeAmericaasafeplaceforallreligionstolivein.2
AnothercauseofEgyptianimmigrationwasduetothefactthatitsgovernmentwas
ruledbytheBritish.BeforeEgyptconvertedtoaRepublicbyNasser,theEgyptiangovernment
wascontrolledbytheBritish,whichspurredriotsandrevoltsbythepeople.TheBritishwere
usingEgyptasabaseforalliedoperationsthroughouttheregion,buttheEgyptianRevolutionof
1952overthrewtheEgyptianmonarchy,eliminatedtheBritishmilitarypresenceinEgypt,and
establishedthemodernRepublicofEgypt.3
Duringthemid1950sEgyptianimmigrantsbegantoarriveinChicago.Theyhad
originallymovedbecausepeopleweredissatisfiedwithPresidentGamalAbdelNasser'spolicy
offorcednationalization.HoweverthiswasnttheonlyreasonEgyptiansemigrated,duringthis
timeEgypthadbecomeoverpopulatedtothepointwhereNassersregimeactuallyencouraged
peopletoemigratetoresolvethissituation.4ThefirstEgyptianimmigrantstoAmericawere
educatedprofessionalsandskilledworkers.ItwaseasierforthemtoimmigratetoAmerica
becausetheImmigrationandNationalActof1965,whichwelcomedprofessionalssuchas
scientists.Sincetheywerehighlyeducated,theyappliedtosuperbschoolsincludingivyleague
schools.
AmericabenefitededucatedEgyptianimmigrants.AvastamountofEgyptianAmericans
goontoafouryearcolleges.Theymasteredprofessionaldisciplinessuchasmedicine,
engineering,andaccounting.Parentspaidforthetuitionifthefundswereavailable,butitwasnt

"MuslimBrotherhoodinEgypt."
Wikipedia
.WikimediaFoundation,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.
"
HistoryofEgyptundertheBritish."
Wikipedia
.WikimediaFoundation,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.
4
"E
gyptians."
EncyclopediaofChicago.
DanielGreene,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.
2
3

uncommonforyoungEgyptianAmericanstoworktheirwaythroughcollegetohelppay.Avery
smallpercentageofEgyptianAmericanshavenotcompletedhighschool.
AnotherwarhadtakenplaceinJuneof1967,atensewarthatisnowknownasthe
SixDayWar.IsraelonJune5launchedaseriesofpreemptiveairstrikesagainstEgyptian
airfields.BecauseEgyptsdefensiveinfrastructurewasatapoorstate,theyweresurprised,and
caughtoffguardtheentireEgyptianairforcewasdestroyed.TheArabIsraeliWarended,
resultingindeteriorationinEgypt'seconomy.Thisunstableeconomywasanotherpushfactor
forEgyptians.5
AfterNassersdeathin1970andtheimprovementofAmericanEgyptianrelations
duringAnwarSadatspresidency,emigrationtotheUnitedStatesrosedramatically.Before
Sadatwaspresident,hewasthevicepresidenttoNasser.Sadat'spresidencysawmanychanges
inEgypt'sdirection:reversingsomeoftheeconomicandpoliticalprinciplesofNasserismby
breakingwithSovietUniontomakeEgyptanallyoftheUnitedStates,startingthepeace
processwithIsrael,reinstitutingthemultipartysystem,andabandoningsocialismbylaunching
theInfitah(opening)economicpolicy.6
AlthoughSadatscontributionstoEgypthadtakenthemintherightdirection,afterhis
assassinationin1970hisreplacementdidntfulfillwhattheEgyptianswanted.Thenew
presidentHosniMubarak,wasclaimedtobebanningpoliticalparties,riggingelectionsby
meansofbribery,arrestingpeoplewithnocause,andcuttingofftheinternet.In2011,therewas
anotherEgyptianRevolutionagainstHosniMubarak.MillionsofprotestersdemandedthatHosni

"SixDayWar|MiddleEast[1967]."
EncyclopediaBritannicaOnline
.EncyclopediaBritannica,n.d.Web.30Oct.
2015.
6

Biography.comEditors."AnwarElSadatBiography."
Bio.com
.A&ENetworksTelevision,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.
5

stepdownaspresidentofEgypt.Afterconstantpressure,Hosniresignedaspresident,andthe
MuslimBrotherhoodwasonceagainlegalized.7
BecauseEgyptiansimmigratedtoAmericaintherecentpast,therewasntmuchracism
ordiscriminationtowardsthem.Inthe1800s,Americanswerentfondofpeoplefromother
countriescometotheirlandandstealingtheirjobssuchastheChineseortheIrishpeople.
AlthoughtheremaystillbepeoplewhoshowedracismAmericahasgonefromslaveryandmass
discriminationtoopinionatedandjudgementalbeliefsontheirbehalves.Egyptianslivedinpeace
withAmericansandcontributedtosocietybybecomingscientists,engineersandother
professions.8
Today,EgyptianAmericanculturehasbecomeintegratedintoAmerica.TheEgyptian
CuisineinvolvesamixtureofMiddleEasternandFrenchfoods.MiddleEasternspecialtyitems
canbefoundatgrocerystoresinalmosteverymajorU.S.city,andsomeitemssuchaspitabread
arefoundatsupermarketsacrossNorthAmerica.9EgyptianAmericanshavealsoestablished
socialandculturalsocietiessuchastheEgyptianAmericanOrganizationortheEAOandthe
AmericanEgyptianStrategicAllianceAESA.TheyparticipateinactivitiesofArabAmerican
andIslamicsocieties,suchastheArabAmericanInstituteAAI,theArabAmerican
AssociationAAA,andtheCouncilonAmericanIslamicRelationsCAIR.10
Inconclusion,EgyptianAmericanshaveleftEgyptformanyreasonsandatdifferent
times.Notonlytofindabetterlife,buttohaveachancetobenefitpeople'slivesbybecoming
involvedinpolitics,spreadingtheirreligion,traditions,andculture,andbystrengtheningthe

"Profile:HosniMubarakBBCNews."
BBCNews
.N.p.,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.
T
akaki,RonaldT.
ADifferentMirror:AHistoryofMulticulturalAmerica
.Boston:Little,Brown,1993.Print.
9
M
ikhail,Mona."EgyptianAmericans."
EgyptianAmericans.
N.p.,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.
10
M
ikhail,Mona."EgyptianAmericans."
EgyptianAmericans.
N.p.,n.d.Web.30Oct.2015.
7
8

relationsAmericahaswithEgyptiansandotherallimmigrantgroups.Thisintegrationmade
Americaaplaceofdiversityandopportunity.