Political activism in Egypt has seen waves of uprisings and transitions of power, with significant implications for various segments of the population, including marginalized communities such as the Deaf. This intersection between political movements and the Deaf community gives rise to unique challenges and opportunities for advocacy and activism. In this context, it is important to explore the impact of political movements, and the Deaf community, the challenges, and the efforts made to address political and social exclusion.
The Deaf Community in Egypt
There are 111 million people in Egypt, 5 million of which are Deaf. The narrative of the Deaf community has changed a lot in Egypt, in the thousands of years of ancient history. Sign language has origins in Ancient Egypt. The Deaf were well-respected and educated during this time. The Egyptian Deaf community uses Egyptian Sign Language (ESL). It emerged in the early 1980s when an online dictionary for ESL was created. In addition, Verb Agreement, Negation, and Aspectual Marking in Egyptian Sign Language, a study by Ryan Fan, discussed a DVD dictionary developed by the Asdaa Association for the Hearing Impaired in Alexandria, Egypt. Besides the digital dictionary, there isn’t further study on ESL nor is it recognized as a language. Nowadays, education is low for the Deaf community, due to inaccessiblity, despite 113 Deaf schools in some parts of the country, according to the African Sign Language Research Center.
Deaf Organizations
There are many Deaf Associations in Egypt, mostly in Cairo and Alexandria. The Deaf Unit of Cairo also operates outside Cairo to fulfill the needs of Deaf communities in rural areas. The mission is to bridge the gap between the Deaf and the rest of society. This is accomplished through improving access to educational opportunities, employment, and healthcare. The Deaf Unit of Cairo also hopes to eliminate misconceptions about Deaf people, especially children born to hearing parents. They have sign language classes for adults that open a world of understanding into Deaf culture and what their child goes through living in a hearing world.
For employment and equal opportunities, a change in 2014 to Egypt’s Constitution gave Deaf Egyptians access to political rights, more job opportunities, and healthcare. There were mandates to increase the amount of Deaf workers in the workplace from the original quota of 2% to 5%. However, the understanding and awareness of the Egyptian Deaf community could be way better, and it has the potential to be. Organizations like VOA, UNICEF Egypt, and the Deaf Unit of Cairo are among some that are trying to eliminate the gaps within society, due to communication and even gender-based discrimination.
Historical Overview of Political Movements in Egypt
Photo by Joshua Santos
By definition, a political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. The most recent political uprising started against the British colonization that began in the 1800’s and officially ended in the early 1950’s. Since 2011, there have been waves of oppression to overthrow the government and force Mohamed Morsi out of power. The military soon took over. This was all in response to the protestors who had taken to the streets to protest the ousting of the only democratically elected president, Morsi. The years leading to the Arab Spring were filled with transitions of power, military crackdowns government-imposed restrictions on NGOs and charity organizations negative shifts within society, and economic uncertainty that resulted in rising fuel and utility prices.
Key Political Movements and Egypt’s Political Landscape
The Egyptian Revolution in 1919 was the battleground movement for Egypt’s future when the population went against British occupation. It wasn’t successful at first, as the United Kingdom retained significant influence over Egypt, despite there being a new constitution. Sour tensions between the two countries remained until 1923.
The modern Republic of Egypt was founded in 1953, shortly after the British withdrew from the region. Following that was the United Arab Republic, which included Syria until the 1970s. It was made by reforms from the president at the time Gamal Abdel Nasser. The revolution that started in 2011, that led to a coup in 2013 ended with the election of the new president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi. In 2024, there are still quite a few protests and violence against civilians in the more populated cities. This can make for a dangerous situation, especially for the Deaf community.
Impact of political movements on marginalized communities, including the deaf community
Respect existence or expect resistance, as the saying goes. This is what life looks like for the minority communities. It’s harder to scream when the majority silences you. And this is what life looks like for the Deaf.
Challenges Faced by the Deaf Community in Egypt
Access to quality education and social isolation are among the biggest struggles for the Deaf in Egypt. To have access, families with Deaf children or other members have to move to the cities, which is costly.
Lack of opportunity for education has a tremendous impact on how life turns out for an individual. It’s also thought that low education levels affect political understanding. Sometimes, without proper elementary education, people can turn to one of two extremes or remain complacent with how politics impacts their community and life. This is because school teaches social skills and societal attitudes. It’s an integral part for people to blend in. School is also a place that for the most part, teaches young people the core values of the society they live in. Without education, it tends to be difficult to form connections with other members of society and develop an understanding of how things work.
Therefore, for the Deaf who don’t use spoken language, connecting with even the Deaf community is difficult. Because most socialization begins in educational institutions, this leads to isolation and little knowledge of the outside world. The Deaf community then unintentionally becomes silenced.
Barriers to accessing information and participation in political activities
One of the ways to bar access to political participation is by making it difficult to vote in elections. Ahram Online, posted an article in 2022, detailing how the Deaf and disabled Egyptians are denied voting rights because the stations aren’t suitable for their needs. There are no policies or restrictions imposed against the Deaf and disabled. However, that doesn’t change the fact that there is a lack of awareness, and that can be almost equivalent to having discriminating legislation against the Deaf.
In April of 2022, the Ministry of Social Solidarity in collaboration with the current president of Egypt signed legislation with protocols that would essentially eliminate the barriers blocking Deaf and disabled voters. It includes handicap access, braille for visual impairments, and sign language dictionaries with assistance as the polling stations that would help Deaf voters. Although, since the article was written, two years ago at the time of this post, there isn’t more information about whether these new policies have impacted the political participation of Deaf people in Egypt. However, the positive part is awareness, which was the Ministry of Social Solidarity’s goal. Salah Hashem, the advisor to the ministry states that the special needs community is unaware of how important political participation is. That’s why Hashem created campaigns to increase not only awareness for the Deaf and disabled community but also for the outside as well, to understand that everyone should have equal access to politics.
Being disabled in Egypt has evolved over the years. It’s much more than granting access to education, healthcare, employment, and more. It’s about emphasizing social equality, and human rights and raising awareness to public authorities like the Egyptian government.
Advocacy and Activism within the Deaf Community
Photo by Spencer Davis
Many organizations throughout Egypt from Cairo to Alexandria single-handedly fight for the rights of the Deaf. Some organizations like Resala and the Association of Friends of the Deaf and Mute in Egypt (AFS Egypt) focus on educational opportunities, whereas The National Association for the Deaf (NAD) and Egyptian Institute for Deaf Rights (EIDR) are geared towards protecting legal and political rights for the Deaf. This is where the crucial work is, advocating for the Deaf community in areas where their voice cannot be heard.
Moving forward, there is a need for continued collaboration and advocacy to promote inclusivity and awareness of the Egyptian Deaf community. Increased recognition of Egyptian Sign Language and ongoing efforts to eliminate misconceptions about Deaf individuals are essential for creating a more equitable society.
How do politics and the Deaf community go hand in hand? Learn more at https://www.unspokenasl.com/
Thumbnail Photo Credit to: Photo by David McEachan
