Hostile rhetoric against refugees, especially Sudanese refugees in Egypt, is escalating, as social media accounts identifying themselves as belonging to the “Kumaita” have launched a campaign demanding a halt to donations to the “Bahia” charity, which specializes in early detection and treatment of breast cancer, because it spends them on treating Sudanese women.
“Al-Kamaita” is a term that refers to people who belong to a movement that glorifies ancient Egyptian nationalism and rejects Egyptian Arab identity.
The campaign was led by a Facebook page called Egyptian Nationalism, which said in a widely shared post that it rejects the inclusion of non-Egyptians, including Sudanese women, in the free treatment system at Baheya Hospital.
"Al-Kamaita" is a term referring to people who belong to a movement that glorifies ancient Egyptian nationalism and rejects Arab Egyptian identity.
She continued: “Bahia Hospital relies primarily on people’s donations. Egyptians donate a pound from their sustenance to contribute to the treatment of an Egyptian woman suffering from cancer. The official Bahia website itself announces donation programs dedicated to sponsoring cases of treatment, operations, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Every donor has the right to know where their money goes and who has priority in treatment.”
The Sudanese Embassy in Cairo had said that it had entered into an agreement and strategic partnership with the “Bahia” Foundation with the aim of alleviating the medical and financial burden on Sudanese families, and facilitating access for Sudanese women and girls residing in Cairo to health and specialized services at the highest level.
Dr. Khader Faisal Abu Bakr, the medical advisor at the embassy, confirmed that this partnership aims to raise awareness of the importance of periodic check-ups and provide early detection services for breast cancer for everyone, given its pivotal role in increasing the rates of complete recovery, alleviating the burden of treatment plans, and reducing their side and psychological effects on patients.
“Bahia” denies
In response to this campaign, the hospital issued a statement declaring that “donations from Egyptian individuals and institutions are directed towards the treatment of Egyptian women, in accordance with their designated purposes and the regulations governing the institution’s work.”
The foundation added that its extensive experience in treating breast cancer contributed to the establishment of the Economic Treatment Department, which provides treatment services to Egyptian breast cancer patients who can afford the cost of treatment, as well as non-Egyptian women who prefer to receive treatment within Baheya hospitals, due to their medical expertise and application of the latest approved treatment protocols in the treatment of breast cancer.
“Bahia” explained that the economic treatment services are provided through cooperation protocols with a number of entities and embassies that bear the costs of treating these cases, stressing that there is a complete and independent separation between this department and the services provided by the charitable organization, as well as donations directed towards the treatment of indigent Egyptian women.
The foundation confirmed that these protocols also contribute to supporting and activating a number of free services provided through the charitable departments, and contributing to bearing part of their costs, which enhances its ability to continue providing free services to underprivileged Egyptian women.
The foundation stressed that its primary role will remain serving Egyptian women, affirming its continued expansion in providing early detection and treatment services across various governorates of Egypt.
The foundation stressed that its primary role will remain in serving Egyptian women, affirming its continued expansion in providing early detection and treatment services in various governorates of Egypt, in line with its mission “to stand behind every Egyptian woman.”
The foundation noted that over the course of 11 years, it has successfully treated more than 284,000 women and received and served more than 314,000 women through early detection units, in addition to contributing to raising awareness of the importance of early detection among more than two million women in various governorates of Egypt.
The statement faced widespread criticism, and Dr. Amani Al-Tawil, an expert in African affairs and advisor to the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, considered what the hospital did unacceptable, stressing that treatment is a right for every human being, and that facing the pressures of social media requires courage in adhering to human values, especially from entities and professions associated with them.
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Nour Khalil, director of the Refugee Platform in Egypt, also considered that “Bahia’s” reaction reflects a pattern of retreat by charitable and service institutions in the face of anti-refugee discourse, by offering justifications that reinforce segregation based on nationality, instead of defending the right to health for all.
He said that what happened with the “Bahia” hospital is an extension of an anti-non-Egyptian discourse that has been regularly fueled since 2021.
He stressed that the official media also played an incitement role by linking the presence of refugees to the economic crises that citizens are experiencing, in light of the widespread curtailment and restrictions on the work of civil society organizations that could have countered and refuted this misinformation.
“A decent life”
“Bahia” Hospital was not the only one that faced campaigns launched primarily by “Al-Kamaita” regarding charitable organizations providing services to refugees.
Last April, Egypt witnessed widespread controversy regarding the allocation of funds from the “Decent Life” initiative to support refugees, which the latter denied.
The “Decent Life” Foundation is an Egyptian non-profit civil society organization that is a cornerstone of the presidential initiative to develop the Egyptian countryside and improve the lives of the most needy groups. Its projects include infrastructure development, building homes, health care, and providing job opportunities.
The controversy arose following a coordination meeting held by the Foundation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Egypt to discuss prospects for joint cooperation in economic empowerment and enhancing comprehensive development opportunities for all those residing in Egypt, and possible ways of cooperation to integrate refugees into the development initiatives implemented by the Foundation, especially economic empowerment programs, in order to contribute to providing more sustainable and equitable opportunities for the targeted groups.
Faced with this controversy, the organization came out at the time to deny spending any money from donations on refugees.
In recent months, campaigns led by pages that identify as belonging to Egyptian nationalism have escalated, demanding the expulsion of refugees from Egypt.
Since late last year, Egypt has also witnessed security campaigns targeting the arrest of refugees in Cairo and the governorates, amid human rights criticisms of widespread deportation operations affecting refugees.
Asylum law
In addition, the law on asylum for foreigners in Egypt will come into effect on August 12.
According to the Refugee Platform in Egypt, the law will come into effect in the absence of sufficient clarity regarding the mechanisms for transferring responsibilities from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs, and without the issuance of official clarifications that guarantee the continuity of international protection during the transitional phase.
During the past period, the platform received dozens of inquiries from refugees and asylum seekers regarding the fate of new asylum applications, the status of existing files, the extent to which UNHCR documents will continue to be recognized, and the competent authority to receive asylum applications as of the entry into force of the law.
The platform continued: “Although the law assigns the Standing Committee for Refugee Affairs the authority to receive and decide on applications, its exercise of these powers is conditional upon the completion of its institutional structure, including its formation, the establishment of its technical secretariat, the definition of its work system, and the provision of the necessary human resources. As of the date of this statement, only the appointment of the committee’s chairperson has been announced, without the completion of the remaining elements of its readiness, which raises serious questions about the entity that will be responsible for receiving applications during this phase, and how to ensure that protection procedures are not interrupted.”
The platform continued: “Although the decision regulating the executive regulations obligated, immediately upon its issuance, the Standing Committee to begin joint cooperation arrangements with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other international organizations, and tasked it with developing the necessary mechanisms and measures to carry out its tasks and coordinate with the Commission to transfer data on asylum seekers and refugees registered with it within a period not exceeding six months, it completely lacked any specification of the entity responsible for receiving new asylum applications submitted after the decision came into effect.”
The platform called on the Prime Minister to suspend the actual implementation of the executive regulations of the Asylum Law, and to open a serious and comprehensive consultation process that includes civil society organizations and refugee communities.
She explained that the ambiguity extends to regulating the status of current UNHCR card holders, and that Article Two of the Executive Regulation stipulated that the cards of refugees and asylum seekers issued by the UNHCR would continue to be used for limited periods, and obliged them to submit those cards to the Standing Committee to take the necessary measures regarding them at least one month before the end of the specified period, and also obliged those whose documents have already expired to notify the Committee within six months from the date of implementation of the decision.
She continued: “This issue becomes extremely serious in light of what the Refugee Platform in Egypt has documented regarding arrests, detentions, and forced deportations targeting thousands of refugees and asylum seekers, despite their possession of valid official documents issued by the UNHCR. This proves that theoretical recognition of the validity of the cards remains insufficient in the absence of clear procedural mechanisms that ensure its translation into a unified practice on the ground.”
The platform called on the Prime Minister to suspend the actual implementation of the executive regulations of the Asylum Law, and to open a serious and comprehensive consultation process, including civil society organizations, refugee communities, and independent experts, to address the fundamental legal and procedural problems in the law and the regulations, and to realign them with constitutional obligations (Article 93) and international agreements ratified by Egypt, and to ensure the continuation of the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees during the transitional phase in registering asylum seekers, issuing and renewing documents, and examining applications, until the institutional and procedural readiness of the national asylum system is complete, and to ensure its ability to carry out its tasks in a way that guarantees the continuity of international protection without interruption.
