The Egyptian nationalist movement and the Syrians in Egypt

Abstract

By the end of the nineteenth century, members of the small Syrian community in Egypt had come to play a disproportionately large role in the government bureaucracy, in journalism and in business. This aroused the resentment of many educated young Egyptian nationalists, who saw the Syrian immigrants as competitors for government and professional positions. At the same time, newspapers published by Syrians were among the most outspoken supporters of the British occupation regime. Syrians were therefore the target of indiscriminate attack by nationalist leaders as agents of imperialism and enemies of Egypt's struggle for independence. But the hostility thus engendered was short‐lived, and the tolerant attitude of the nationalist movement from 1919 onward and a common language and culture made it possible for Syrians to assimilate into Egyptian society.