The regime of Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has been using citizenship revocation as a political tool to punish and even to silence its opponents and critics alike. Any Egyptian who possesses dual nationality, and is critical of the Egyptian government under El-Sisi in any way could have their Egyptian citizen revoked by decree of the Prime Minister. They could then face deportation.
In March, Egypt’s official gazette published a decree from Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly’s office stripping Mustafa Hussein of his citizenship. Hussein was in disbelief when a friend from Egypt called that evening to inform him of the decision. Hussein, a native of Qena, a city situated roughly 577 kilometres south of Cairo, was shocked to learn he had lost his Egyptian citizenship under the pretext of “acquiring foreign nationality without prior authorisation”. “I obtained French citizenship 17 years ago, but the Egyptian government only took notice that I received it ‘without permission’ after I began voicing political opinions against the ruling regime,” Hussein told The New Arab. “The regime’s complete disregard for its citizens made me angry.”
Hussein is not the only Egyptian to have his citizenship revoked due to political reasons or opposition to Sisi’s regime. In August, the same happened with Wael al-Sedekki, a director known for his blogs opposing the Egyptian regime.
So now El-Sisi and his inner circle of advisors and cabinet members are revoking the citizenship of their critics to force them out of the country. When the Egyptian regime revokes the citizenship of those who disagree with them, they seek to have these critics and political opponents orchestrated from Egypt’s national community as well as deported. It is a way of ruling the country through fear as well as silencing opponents. El Sisi has never been interested in the twin pillars of transparency and accountability. His rule is that of the strongman who seems far more interested in constructing cities of sky scrapers in the desert such as the New Administrative Capital (NAC) rather than providing his opposition with a platform to speak about what direction they want the country’s future to take.
Anyone who publishes an article that opposes el-Sisi’s running of the country, or does so online through social media, could not only face prison for spreading ‘false’ information but also being forced out of the country by denaturalization. Meanwhile Türkiye and Egypt are improving their relationship after having disagreements over ideological approaches.
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made his first presidential visit to Türkiye on Wednesday in 12 years. [1] The visit, seen as a turning point, comes after years of strained relations and marks the beginning of a new era in diplomatic, economic, and military ties between the two regional powers. For years, the relationship between Egypt and Türkiye has been complex, particularly after former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in a coup. During the Arab Spring, the Turkish authorities provided sanctuary and support to Egyptian opposition members following their political fallout in Egypt. – The course of normalization between 2 countries. The meeting in Ankara once again symbolizes the new regional thinking in a post-Arab uprising. The time of ideological rivalries seems to stay in the past; now, pragmatism and economic interests appear to be the guiding drivers.
It is true that Ankara under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had been supportive of the then narrowly democratically elected Egyptian President Muhammad Morsi. Morsi lost his popularity after exhibiting authoritarian and despotic tendencies which led to his overthrow. This was led in 2013 by the then General, Army Marshal and Minister of Defence Fatah el Sisi who was then dually elected President in 2014. Erdogan and his advisors saw this as power grab that undermined Egypt’s fledgling democratic institutions. Being close to the Nile Valley nation’s Muslim Brotherhood, Ankara saw it right to offer them shelter as well as Egyptian secularists who opposed El-Sisi’s power grab. Now despite El-Sisi’s growing crack down on Egypt’s remaining political opposition Erdogan sees it right to return to diplomatic niceties. This comes following the renewal of ties with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia following the murder of Journalist and critic Jamal Khashoggi on the orders of that country’s Crown Prince in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Turkish soil.
Several common factors bring them closer together. Primarily, they share significant economic interests, encouraging them to improve ties. During the joint news conference, President Erdogan said [3] Türkiye and Egypt reaffirmed their determination to advance cooperation in every area, including industry, defense, health, environment, and energy. A high-level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting was also held where the two leaders oversaw the signing of 17 agreements [4] across various sectors, including education, infrastructure, aviation, transportation, health, and energy. Türkiye has been pursuing to become a European supply hub [5] by importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Egypt and restarting freight shipping between the Turkish port of Mersin and Alexandria in Egypt. Cairo and Ankara aim to increase [6] the trade volume from $10 billion to $15 billion within the next 5 years.
Naturally both Egypt and Türkiye will benefit from such economic cooperation. It is about bringing in much needed money that both nations deserve. But it should not come at the expense of political freedom in Egypt. Egypt is already struggling under massive dept and this agreement of cooperation with Türkiye could see it have some form of relief. Erdogan and his regime want to expand Türkiye’s influence in the Mediterranean and East Africa but need a stable Egypt to do this. Türkiey doesn’t want another refugee crisis on its hands like southern Neighbour Syria or even Libya which is closer to Egypt. Türkiye for its part needs to question if El-Sisi is a reliable partner in the long run. The former general turned politician at the helm of Egypt’s presidency may only be interested in lining his own pockets when aligning with Ankara.
It is time for Türkiye and the world to look at Egypt and decide whether if the current system leading it is sustainable to have international relations in the long run. The Egyptian people should also question if it is wise to have one person in the highest single position concentrate near absolute power in his hands.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
