EGYPT: Men married to Israelis to lose Egyptian citizenship

 

The Egyptian Supreme Court has affirmed an earlier verdict to revoke the citizenship of Egyptian men married to Israeli women. 

In his Saturday ruling, Supreme Court judge Mohamed Husseini said the government should begin enforcing the verdict, which includes stripping the citizenship of children born from mixed marriages. Over the last 20 years, thousands of Egyptians have flooded Israel searching for work and better living conditions. Reports indicate that about 30,000 Egyptian men are married to Israeli women.

The case was raised by Nabil Wahsh, a lawyer famous for promoting lawsuits against the government and individuals alike in the name of religion and Arabic and national pride.

"I brought this case to court as to prevent the creation of a generation disloyal to Egypt," Wahsh said. "Children of such marriages should not be allowed to perform their military service [in the Egyptian army]."

Last year, a lower court ordered the Interior Ministry to start looking at cases of Egyptian men with Israeli wives. However, both Interior and Foreign ministries appealed the ruling, claiming that only the parliament is eligible to decide on the issue. The ruling stipulated that each case should be considered separately.  

-- Amro Hassan in Cairo

Photo: A collective wedding in Egypt in 2007. Credit: Agence France-Presse

Comments

[Dean Blake]

The purpose of this Egyptian ban is to prevent Palestinian Arab women from marrying out of the country, obtaining egyptian citizenship, and abandoning the fight against the 'Zionist entity' which explains the reference to "disloyalty". It also protects both the state and the women from entering in to 2d - 4th marriages under false pretenses to get an Egyptian passport. Remember now: only four girls for every guy!! No beach blanket bingo for Egyptian guys!

DIOGO: Israel is a country of 53 nationalities speaking 56 languages including 1.3mm Moslems is not an apartheid state.

[Dave]

Thanks Chris for summing what i had to say )

But i bring it one step up....

Politics is also causing all this hate

[Chris]

To those of you who take sides between the Egyptians, the Israelis, the Muslims, the Jews...whatever: We want NOTHING to do with it. All this hate is based on edicts from organized religion---the worst thing that ever happened to humanity. You live pitiful lives of your own creation.

[Verballistic]

Nothing at all surprising about Islamic supremacists continuing their long-standing racist and culturally oppressive policies...Egypt is also experiencing a massive problem of violence against Coptic Christians by Muslims in Egypt.

[Diogo]

Egyptians can be biggots, but Israel is still an apartheid state.

[Diogo]

Funny how some people seem to believe that one country can be wrong or commit crimes. As in 'Look how Egyptians are biggots - how can you accuse Israel of being an apartheid state?"
What sense does that make???

[ELI G]

This is irrelevant story
How many Jewish Israeli women get married to Egyptians? you can count them on one hand. It is just an indication of the rigidity and prejudice of the Judicial system and the society in Egypt.

[Flaming Anarchist]

I Am America -- that's the first thing I thought of, too. I'm waiting for the anti-immigrationists to pass a similar law aimed at Americans who marry ILLEGALS (you gotta put that IN ALL CAPS -- I think that's a grammar rule or something!) "to prevent the creation of a generation disloyal to America" and "in the name of American pride." Anyone who disagrees with the law will be labeled a loony libtard who hates America.

[Eli Topat]

They want "to prevent the creation of a generation disloyal to Egypt." Looks like he is getting a head start on creating that generation. Revoking citizenship of 30k men, it's probably pretty safe to say the men, their familes in Egypt and any children whose citizenship is revoked will help start that new generation.

[Samson]

Let's clarify this point - the ruling is not against Egyptians with Israeli wives. Only against Egyptians with Jewish Israeli wives - the ruling apparently does not apply to Egyptian men married to Israeli Arab women:

http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2010/06/egyptians-married-to-jewish-israelis.html

h/t - Elder of Ziyon

[Jerry Vandesic]

This is a pretty lazy piece of journalism. What is the implcation of this? Do these men become persons without a country? Can they still live in Egypt? What about the children; are they citizens of Israel?

For such a profound judgement, it deserves more than a few short paragraphs.

[JM]

Brilliant legal minds were looking at here. This kind of heavy-handedness surely will not create a "generation disloyal to Egypt". Right?

[tedson]

More proof that the Egyptians could never have built the pyramids on their own.
Scientists to this day don't know how they achieved it.

[I AM AMERICA]

Hey all you Arizona Anti-Undocumented Resident Law supporters, you should all stand up and cheer your Egyptian comrades for following your example: they have just enacted a law that revokes the citizenship of Egyptian men married to Israeli women. Further their children if they have been granted citizenship status, it will now be revoked. They have seen the light that you have shown on those dirty Mexicans and they have seen the dirty Jews in their midst!!

You should congratulate them and yourselves!!

[Big Jim Slade]

What, no feminist international outrage against Eqypt?

Their silence is deafening...

[ABG]

I am expecting a slew of commentators showing outrage for this blatant example of the Egyptian Apartheid system.

That being said, what an interesting line from the blog piece: "Over the last 20 years, thousands of Egyptians have flooded Israel searching for work and better living conditions. Reports indicate that about 30,000 Egyptian men are married to Israeli women."

I am actually shocked that the LA Times editors allowed these two lines in the piece.

[Elian Gonzalez]

But remember, Israel is a "racist, apartheid" state.

[blob blib]

Egypt: Racist and contributors of hate.

ditto Turkey, et al....

Who are they to criticize Israel ?

[Lotfi]

They married with Palestinians of 48, they are Muslims or Christians palestinians with Israeli passports.
just to clarify