Egyptians in Italy
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 143,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic (Egyptian Arabic), and Italian[3] | |
| Religion | |
| Majority of Sunni Islam and some Coptic Christianity or Irreligion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Italian Egyptians, Egyptian diaspora, Egyptians |
There is a significant community of Egyptians in Italy.
Migration history
As early as the 2nd century BC, there is strong evidence for an Egyptian presence in Italy, in various professions including bankers, surgeons, actors, musicians, fortune tellers, soldiers, slaves, and the like.[4] In early modern times, after Napoleon's 1798-1801 Egypt Campaign, the degree of contact between Egypt and Europe began to increase again. In 1813, Egyptian leader Muhammad Ali sent an Egyptian mission to Italy to study printing arts.[5]
However, the United Kingdom and France, rather than Italy, have been the preferred destinations for Egyptian expatriate academics and professionals; Italy, and especially Milan, tended to attract Egyptian businessmen and unskilled workers instead in the latter half of the 20th century.[6] Even the exile to Italy of King Farouk of Egypt following the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 did not have much effect on Egyptian migration to Italy.[7]
Employment
Many Egyptians are employed in food-related industries, and in Milan have come to dominate traditionally Italian trades such as pizza and other baked products.[7] Other Egyptian businesses in Milan include coffee shops, restaurants, and halal butchers.[8]
Religion
Egyptians in Italy are generally Muslim. Egyptian migrants increasingly prefer their children to maintain religious endogamy, especially in the case of their daughters.[2] It was estimated in 2011 that there were also 20,000 to 25,000 Coptic Christians in Italy, heavily concentrated in the Milan metropolitan area.[9]
Notable Egyptians in Italy
- Magdi Allam (1952), journalist and politician
- Adel Smith (1960-2014), founder of the Union of Italian Muslims
- Alessio Sakara (1981), mixed martial artist and boxer
- Omar Hassan (1987), artist
- Stephan El Shaarawy (1992), footballer
See also
- Egypt–Italy relations
- Arabs in Europe
- Arabs in Italy
- Italian Egyptians
- Moroccans in Italy
- Algerians in Italy
- Tunisians in Italy
References
- ^ "Report on the Egyptian Community in Italy" (PDF). integrazionemigranti.gov.it. Retrieved 20 December 2020.
- ^ a b Stocchiero 2004, p. 8
- ^ Zohry 2009, p. 17
- ^ Meyboom 1995, p. 345
- ^ Zohry 2009, p. 7
- ^ Zohry 2009, p. 8
- ^ a b Zohry 2009, p. 15
- ^ Zohry 2009, p. 16
- ^ Cattane, Valentina (10 January 2011). "Copts in Italy protest, mourn, and demand change". Egypt Independent. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
Sources
- Meyboom, P. G. P. (1995), The Nile mosaic of Palestrina: early evidence of Egyptian religion in Italy, Religions in the Graeco-Roman world, vol. 121, Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-10137-1
- Stocchiero, Andrea (May 2004), Fostering Egyptian local development through diasporic networks in Italy (PDF), Policy Papers, Rome: The Integrated Migration Information System Project, archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28, retrieved 2009-08-24
- Zohry, Ayman (2009), The Migratory Patterns of Egyptians in Italy and France (PDF), Research Report, vol. 17, Euro-Mediterranean Consortium for Applied Research on International Migration, archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2011
