Claiming Egyptians are Arab is factually untrue and potentially racist.
As an Egyptian citizen who has spent time in Saudi Arabia and Europe, I have come to realize that identifying as Arab does not accurately represent my identity or the identities of my fellow Egyptians. In this blog post I will share my opinion on why identifying as Arab fails to recognize the diversity and complexity of the Egyptian national identity. and how identifying as Egyptian or North African is a more accurate and inclusive way of representing the identities of my fellow Egyptians.
Why care?
By reducing the identity of Egyptians to that of Arabs, we are erasing the history, beliefs, languages, genetic markers, and individuality of the Egyptian people. We are imposing a foreign identity onto them and denying them the right to define their own identity. This is not only unfair, but it is also potentially damaging, as it can lead to a loss of cultural heritage and a lack of recognition for the contributions of the Egyptian people to the world, which is already happening.
Furthermore, by equating Egyptians with Arabs, we are making a sweeping generalization that does not reflect factual realities. While it is true that some emotionally religious Egyptian Muslims would love to identify as Arab, it is important to recognize and respect the individuality of the Egyptian people and to allow them to define their own identity.
Arabs?
Egyptians are often mistaken for Arabs due to their shared language and geographic location. However, Egypt and Arabia have two distinct cultures, ethnicities, and histories.
To begin with, the term “Arab” is generally used to refer to a group of people who share a common cultural and linguistic identity rather than ethnicity, which is quite troubling logic given the existence of Arab ethnicity. To understand how troubling it is, try to exclusively identify Brazilians as Portuguese or Europeans! Aren’t the majority of Christians speaking Portuguese after a long conquest? Another example is a Qatari child born in the United States who never spoke Arabic; whether the Qatari/USA citizen chooses to identify as Arab or not, he/she will always be ethnically Arab!
The Arab people are descendants of the Arab tribes that lived on the Arabian Peninsula, which includes modern-day Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Yemen. These tribes were united under the banner of Islam in the 7th century and spread their language and culture throughout the region.
On the other hand, Egypt has a long and distinct history that predates the Arab conquests. The ancient Egyptians were one of the world’s first great civilizations, with a history that stretches back over 5,000 years. They developed their own unique language and hieroglyphic writing system and built the great pyramids and other monumental structures that still stand today. Egypt has been influenced by various migrations and invasions, including those of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Turks, and British, some of which lasted way more years than those of the Arabs.
Furthermore, while the Arab people are predominantly Muslim, this is not the case in Egypt. Significant numbers of Egyptians are Coptic Christians, and others including non-religious. The Coptic Church is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, and it has its own language, culture, and traditions.
Egypt was officially renamed the Arab Republic of Egypt in 1958, after the overthrow of the monarchy and the establishment of a republic. Prior to this, Egypt was known as the Kingdom of Egypt, and before that, it was known by various other names throughout its long and storied history.
The decision to rename Egypt the Arab Republic of Egypt was part of a wider movement to align the country more closely with the Arab world and to assert its Arab identity. This was a response to the growing influence of Arab nationalism in the region and was seen as a way for Egypt to assert its leadership and solidarity with other Arab countries.
It is now important to clearly distinguish between two different terms. Arabs (as an ethnic and cultural group) and the Arabic identity (a modern identity with a complex colonial history)
Objective Facts
The ancient Egyptians were a mixture of different ethnic groups that migrated to the Nile Valley over thousands of years. The population of Egypt has continued to evolve and diversify. This has resulted in a population that is genetically diverse and has a mix of African, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern ancestry.
This diversity is reflected in their language, culture, and traditions.
The DNA haplogroups of modern Egyptians are a mix of different haplogroups due to the genetic diversity of the population. In general, a haplogroup is a group of people who share a common ancestor and a specific set of genetic markers in their DNA. These markers are inherited from one’s ancestors and can be used to trace the ancestry of an individual or population.
According to some studies, the most common haplogroups among the Egyptian population include E1b1b, J, R1b, and T. Haplogroup E1b1b is found at high frequencies in the Horn of Africa and the Levant and is thought to have originated in the eastern Mediterranean or the Near East. Haplogroup J is found at high frequencies in the Middle East and the Caucasus and is thought to have originated in the Fertile Crescent. Haplogroup R1b is found at high frequencies in Europe and Western Asia and is thought to have originated in the Caucasus region. Haplogroup T is found at high frequencies in the eastern Mediterranean and the Near East and is thought to have originated in the Levant.
E1B1B1A, E-V68, and EM78 are the dominant haplogroups among most of the modern Egyptian populations.
After over 10 years of analyzing DNA samples from hundreds of people, the National Geographic Project (NGGP) uncovered the fact that Egyptians are not ethnically Arabs.
According to the project’s calculations, the majority of Egyptian DNA is comprised of 68% North African genes, while 3% originate from southern Europe, 3% from Asia Minor, 3% from Eastern Africa, 4% from the Jewish Diaspora, and only 17% are Arab. Compared to the other three Arab countries on the list, Egypt comes in third place, behind Kuwait, whose nationals are 84% Arab, and the Lebanese, who are 44% Arab. Egyptians are more Arab than Tunisians, who are only 4% Arab. One of the most baffling results is that Iran, which doesn’t even consider itself an Arab country, has 56% Arab DNA in its genetic makeup.
Contrary to Arabs, Egyptians have a diversified genetic and ethnic makeup, which objectively distinguishes them from Arabs with roots in Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while Egypt and the Arab world may share cultural and linguistic similarities, they are distinct and separate cultures with different histories and ethnicities. Recognizing that identity is inherently subjective and has various aspects, we may understand why an Egyptian citizen would identify as Arab since Egyptians can be Arabs; nonetheless, claiming that Egyptians are Arabs is factually untrue. because Arabs are not Egyptians on a variety of grounds!
