Among many evident partialities happening in Egypt, the unexplainable entitlement given to non-natives, especially white people, is overwhelming. 3o2det el khawaga, or foreigner complex, is not as amusing as it sounds. It is a serious matter that has adverse effects on many Egyptian workers in all sorts of fields. When race starts to outweigh qualifications and suitableness, it’s time for people to see the profundity of such matter. It is very frustrating and de-motivating to find co-workers, who happen to be expats, receiving exclusive rights and privileges even though they may have the same qualifications, if not even less. The belief that foreigners are more capable and competent in whatever they do, is exactly what keeps feeding this stereotype. Of course, one may think that non-natives actually relish in this kind of prerogative given to them but this is actually far from being true. I interviewed a couple of non-natives living in Egypt, in order for people to know more about their point of view towards this topic.
Here are the replies of the non-natives when asked, “Do you feel privileged/under-valued because of your dual/different nationality in the workplace?”
Maram, a Canadian who used to work as an English Teacher in one of Egypt’s well-known schools, said: “Of course I’m privileged! For some reason there is still this thought that foreigners are better educated and will be a better image for the job, compared to Egyptians. Honestly, the pay is higher as well as the benefits. Also, there seems to be a direct link between how successful a place is when there are more foreigners working in it. That’s why recruiters are willing to pay whatever the cost is, just to have someone with a foreign nationality in the place. Pretty unfair if you ask me.”
Andrea, a Singaporean who owns AIC partners’ company (a startup with a mission to grow new ventures into a successful network) said: “Indeed, there are privileges that I’ve obtained due to the fact that Egyptians assume that our work is better or that we’re more qualified just because we’re international.”
Tina, a German physiotherapist at GMHC in Egypt, said: “I do agree that I’m privileged, especially in the field that I’m working in. People here think if you are German you will bring the highest skills and quality to your place. Frankly speaking, this feels very harsh and kind of humiliating for the Egyptians working with me in the same profession. Their education isn’t any less than mine – some of them actually know more than me. Germans in the medical field in Egypt are definitely overprivileged.”
Hanna, an American English teacher in Egypt, said: “In my workplace, an international school, I feel privileged. Non-Egyptian employees are paid more and treated with more respect, which is uncomfortable and unwarranted. For example, teachers with my same qualifications, or even with qualifications that exceed mine, might be paid less because they are Egyptian. I have always experienced and witnessed classism whilst living in Egypt, many times being in favor of white Americans.”
Katie, who is also an American teacher in Egypt, said: “I don’t know if privileged is the word I would use, but there has definitely been a difference between Egyptians and foreigners in every place I’ve been and worked at. I don’t necessarily think it’s fair that my salary is eight or nine times that of my Egyptian colleagues, who are just as qualified. I realize that the ‘prestige’ of being a foreigner in Egypt (and at the workplace) is one of the many lingering effects of colonialism and Western hegemony, so I don’t relish in it at all.
