Egyptians in the United Kingdom
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Egyptians in the United Kingdom are Egyptian citizens or people of
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
ian ancestry who are citizens or residents of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.


Migration history

In
Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths native to the island of Ireland. It was originally passed down orally in the prehistoric era, being part of ancient Celtic religion. Many myths were later written down in the early medieval era by C ...
,
Scottish mythology Scottish mythology is the collection of myths that have emerged throughout the history of Scotland, sometimes being elaborated upon by successive generations, and at other times being rejected and replaced by other explanatory narratives. Natu ...
, and pseudo-history, an Egyptian princess named
Scota In medieval Irish and Scottish legend, Scota or Scotia is the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh and ancestor of the Gaels. She is said to be the origin of their Latin name ''Scoti''. Scholars believe she could be a fictional character who was ...
is mentioned as having arrived in today's
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
(and/or in
Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
) in a very early period of these countries' history. The historical veracity of the story is greatly doubted, however. And under the
Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
, Britannia and Egypt were two provinces of a single empire which had considerable trade and interaction between its constituent parts. However, if any Egyptians settled in
Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...
, there was little evidence left of their presence. Egyptians historically have been averse to emigrating from their country, even when suffering with significant poverty. As such, prior to the late 1960s, only small numbers of Egyptians moved to the United Kingdom, and even then mostly for the purposes of study. As the Egyptian Revolution that began in 1952 developed an increasingly
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
character under
Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, . (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian politician who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 and introduced far-re ...
, with the
nationalisation Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of many private businesses, some upper and middle class Egyptians sought to leave the country. However, large scale emigration did not occur until after Egypt's defeat in the
Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
of 1967, which left the
Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a l ...
entirely under
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i occupation, and placed an immense economic burden on the country. Given the severity of the country's economic woes following the war, particularly after the outbreak of the
War of Attrition The War of Attrition ( ar, حرب الاستنزاف, Ḥarb al-Istinzāf; he, מלחמת ההתשה, Milhemet haHatashah) involved fighting between Israel and Egypt, Jordan, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and their allies from ...
, the Egyptian Government saw advantages in Egyptians moving overseas to work and send home
remittances A remittance is a non-commercial transfer of money by a foreign worker, a member of a diaspora community, or a citizen with familial ties abroad, for household income in their home country or homeland. Money sent home by migrants competes with ...
. Therefore, it partially relaxed the strict regulations against emigration (which included requirements for exit visas). This change in approach was extended under Nasser's successor as President of Egypt, Anwar El-Sadat. Over the course of the 1970s and 80s, many Egyptians took advantage of the loosening of these restrictions, and moved to Western states, such as the United Kingdom, and the oil rich states of the
Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Persis, Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a Mediterranean sea (oceanography), me ...
. Over the same period, heightened religious tension in Egypt resulted in further emigration, largely of
Copts Copts ( cop, ⲛⲓⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ; ar, الْقِبْط ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group indigenous to North Africa who have primarily inhabited the area of modern Egypt and Sudan since antiquity. Most ethnic Copts are C ...
, although the numbers emigrating to the U.K. were small compared to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. With Egypt's economic liberalisation under Sadat in the 1970s, labour migration to the U.K. increased, as did the flow of Egyptians moving to the U.K. for higher education. Many students stayed in Britain after finishing their studies. During this time, many Egyptian businessmen migrated to the U.K. to establish businesses.


Demographics

According to the
2001 UK Census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...
some 24,700 Egyptian-born people were present in the UK. According to the
2011 UK Census A census of the population of the United Kingdom is taken every ten years. The 2011 census was held in all countries of the UK on 27 March 2011. It was the first UK census which could be completed online via the Internet. The Office for National ...
, a total of 31,338 people born in Egypt were residing in the UK: 28,927 were recorded in England, 894 in Wales, 1,322 in Scotland and 195 in Northern Ireland. The
Office for National Statistics The Office for National Statistics (ONS; cy, Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol) is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly to the UK Parliament. Overview The ONS is responsible for th ...
estimates that the equivalent figure in 2019 was 39,000.


Prominent British-Egyptians or Egyptians residing in the United Kingdom

*Sir
Magdi Yacoub Sir Magdi Habib Yacoub ( ar, د/مجدى حبيب يعقوب ; born 16 November 1935), is an Egyptian retired professor of cardiothoracic surgery at Imperial College London, best known for his early work in repairing heart valves with surgeon ...
OM FRS: British-Egyptian cardiothoracic surgeon celebrated as the surgeon that carried out UK’s first heart and lung transplant in the 1980s. *
Hosney Yosef Hosney Mohammed Ahmed Ali Yosef OBE is a former radiologist, who was in 2006 made OBE in recognition of his services to medicine in western Scotland. Yosef was born in Egypt and came to Scotland in 1974 to work as a cancer specialist at Hairmyre ...
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
: radiologist awarded an
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 2006 in recognition of his services to medicine in western
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
* Anba Angaelos
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
: General Bishop in the United Kingdom of the Coptic Orthodox Church. He was awarded an
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in 2015 for services to international religious freedom * Nemat Talaat Shafik, Baroness Shafik, DBE, HonFBA (
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
: نعمت شفيق; born 13 August 1962), known as Minouche Shafik, is an Egyptian-born British-American
economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
who has been serving as the Director of the
London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...
since September 2017. *
Nagy Habib Nagy Habib (born 1952), is professor of hepato-biliary surgery at Imperial College, London, and is known for devising radio-frequency based liver resection devices which remove liver tumour with minimal blood loss. His work has also focused on ...
: surgeon, selected as one of the top 10 surgeons in the UK by Saturday Times Magazine. He is the director of the hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) unit at Hammersmith Hospital * Ahdaf Soueif: British-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and political and cultural commentator. *
Mohamed Al-Fayed Mohamed Al-Fayed (; arz, محمد الفايد ; born 27 January 1929) is an Egyptian-born businessman whose residence and chief business interests have been in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. His business interests include ownership of ...
: Egyptian businessman residing in the United Kingdom. He is the owner of Hôtel Ritz Paris and formerly Harrods Department Store. *
Assem Allam Assem Allam (1 August 1939 – 2 December 2022) was an Egyptian-British businessman, based in the East Riding of Yorkshire from 1968. He was the owner of Allam Marine, an industrial generator manufacturer, and of EFL Championship club Hull Cit ...
: businessman and former president of Hull City *
Adam El-Abd Adam Mohamad El-Abd ( ar, آدم العبد; born 11 September 1984) is a retired professional footballer who plays as a defender. El-Abd made over 500 first team appearances in his professional career and also played for the Egypt national t ...
: semi-professional footballer who plays as a defender for
Whitehawk Whitehawk is a suburb in the east of Brighton, England, south of Bevendean and north of Brighton Marina. The area is a large, modern housing estate built in a downland dry valley historically known as Whitehawk Bottom. The estate was originally ...
and playing Egypt football team. * Joe El-Abd: rugby union player. He currently coaches for
Castres Olympique Castres Olympique () is a French rugby union club located in the Occitanian city of Castres and is currently competing in the top level of the French league system. Founded in 1898, the club took its current name in 1906. They play at the Sta ...
in France (Jan 2018). * Khalid Abdalla: actor, well known for his roles in ''
The Kite Runner ''The Kite Runner'' is the first novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini. Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it tells the story of Amir, a young boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan, Kabul, Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul. The story is se ...
'' and '' United 93'' *
Magdy Ishak Magdy A Ishak MD, FRCS, CCIM (born 1947 in Suez, Egypt), is an orthopedic surgeon and the President of the Egyptian Medical Society UK. He is also Chairman of the Scottish-Egyptian Association and Vice Chairman of the British Egyptian Society. he ...
: orthopedic surgeon and the President of the Egyptian Medical Society UK * Abu Hamza al-Masri *
Fady Elsayed Fady Elsayed (born 15 September 1993) is a British-Egyptian actor, best known for his role as Ram Singh in the BBC's '' Doctor Who'' spin-off '' Class''. Early life Elsayed was born in 15 September 1993 at St Mary's Hospital in London, Elsayed ...
: actor, best known for his role as Ram Singh in the BBC's
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
spin-off
Class Class or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used differentl ...
. *
Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary ( ar, عبد المجيد عبد الباري; born 16 June 1991) is a British former rapper and Islamist militant from Maida Vale, West London. He is the son of Adel Abdel Bari. After circulation of video footage relate ...
: former rapper and Islamist militant from
Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is p ...
. *
Ahmed Elmohamady Ahmed Eissa Elmohamady Abdel Fattah ( ar, أحمد المحمدي; born 9 September 1987) is an Egyptian former professional footballer who played as a right-back and captained the Egypt national football team. Elmohamady moved to Premier Leagu ...
: professional footballer. He plays for
Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
club
Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...
and the Egypt national team * Alexandra Avierino: Lebanese-born writer. *
Leila Deen Leila Deen (born 1979) is a British environmental activist, campaigning on the issues of climate change, poverty and water politics. She is program director at SumOfUs in Washington, DC. Previously, she led Greenpeace UK's campaign against fracki ...
: environmental activist, campaigning on the issues of climate change, poverty and water politics. She is program director at SumOfUs in Washington, DC. *
Mike Bishay Mike Bishay (born 8 February 1993) is an English rugby league footballer who plays for the London Skolars in the Betfred League 1. Bishay spent 7 years at the London Broncos after joining from Hemel Stags. He spent the 2013 at Championship ...
: rugby league footballer who plays for the London Skolars in the
Betfred League 1 RFL League One (for sponsorship reasons currently known as the Betfred League One) is a professional rugby league competition based in the United Kingdom. Part of the British rugby league pyramid, the competition features clubs from England an ...
. *
Adam Deacon Adam Steven Deacon (born 4 March 1983) is an English actor, rapper, writer and director. He is known for his lead role in the films ''Kidulthood'', sequel ''Adulthood'' and for his directorial debut, '' Anuvahood''. Career Deacon was brought up ...
: actor, rapper, writer and director. He is known for his lead role in the films Kidulthood, sequel Adulthood and for his directorial debut,
Anuvahood ''Anuvahood'' is a 2011 British urban fiction, urban comedy film directed by Adam Deacon, who also plays the film's lead character. It also stars Paul Kaye, Wil Johnson, Ollie Barbieri, Femi Oyeniran, Jocelyn Jee Esien, and Ashley Walters (actor ...
, Moroccan descent. *
Adel Darwish Adel Alexander Darwish ( arz, عادل درويش, ) is a Westminster-based British political journalist, a veteran Fleet Street reporter, author, historian, broadcaster, and political commentator. Darwish is currently (since 2002) a parliament ...
: commentator, historian, author, and Westminster parliament reporter * Dodi Fayed: Egyptian socialite and son of businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed * Andrew Ridgeley: singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known for his work in the 1980s in the musical duo
Wham! Wham! (briefly known in the US as Wham! U.K.) were an English pop duo formed in Bushey in 1981. The duo consisted of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. They became one of the most commercially successful pop acts of the 1980s, selling more ...
. His father is of mixed Italian-Egyptian Heritage *
Mohamed Elneny Mohamed Naser Elsayed Elneny (; born 11 July 1992) is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Arsenal and the Egypt national team. Elneny began his senior career in the Egyptian Premier League, before m ...
: professional footballer. He played for the English club
Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, and plays for the Egypt national team * Ahmed Barada: Egyptian-born squash player. *
Mohamed Salah Mohamed Salah Hamed Mahrous Ghaly ( ar, محمد صلاح حامد محروس غالي, ; born 15 June 1992), also known as Mo Salah, is an Egyptian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Liverpool and captains the Egypt na ...
: (Mo Salah): professional
footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who plays for
Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is a professional football club based in Liverpool, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Founded in 1892, the club joined the Football League the following year and has p ...
and the Egypt national team. He is considered one of the best players in the world *
Jade Thirlwall Jade Amelia Thirlwall (born 26 December 1992) is an English singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence in the 2010s as a member of Little Mix, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums and ach ...
: member of the British girl group
Little Mix Little Mix are a British girl group, composed of group members Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Jade Thirlwall, and Perrie Edwards. Jesy Nelson was originally part of the group before she left in 2020. After becoming the first group to win the British ver ...


Associations


The Egyptian British Centre

St. Mary & Archangel Michael Church in London

Saint Mary and Saint Mark Coptic Orthodox Centre, Birmingham (Lapworth)The Egyptian Community Association in the UKMidlands Egyptian Society


See also

*
British Arabs British Arabs ( ar, عرب بريطانيا) are British citizens of Arab descent. They share a common Arab ethnicity, culture, language and identity from different Arab countries. Arabs also come from non-Arab countries as ethnic minorities. The ...
* Britons in Egypt *
Coptic Orthodox Church in Britain and Ireland The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria has several churches in Great Britain and Ireland under the jurisdiction of four diocesan bishops. The first liturgical service prayed in the British Isles took place in London on 10 August 1954, officiat ...
* Islam in the United Kingdom


References

{{AfricansinUK Egyptian emigrants to the United Kingdom African diaspora in the United Kingdom Immigration to the United Kingdom by country of origin Muslim communities in Europe