10/8/2010
4:31 PM
This article brings to light the seemingly hypocritical actions of the Egyptian government. While Egypt rises to the chair of the UN Refugee Agency, back home Egyptian police forces shoot at illegal-status refugees trying to cross to Israel.
The main point being made is that Egypt "needs to put its own house in order" in order to be qualified for this position. It is obvious why Egypt's actions are being questioned-the people who are being shot at are the people Egypt was just elected to protect!
The article also mentions that Egypt has "full diplomatic relations with Israel." Living in contemporary U.S.A., one might find it easy to understand a xenophobic prejudice against Latino people- we turn away and discriminate against undocumented immigrants here too. So, I'm not sure if the article meant this point in this way or not, but I'm assuming that since Egypt and Israel are so close politically, that that might be why Egypt is so ready to prevent "illegal" immigration to its neighbor to the north.
The length and content of this article aren't the most impressive, but this issue seems like it should be emphasized. Initially, while reading this article, I had a hard time understanding who, exactly the article considered to be an illegal immigrant until it specified in the second-to-last paragraph. Overall, though, the article is straight-forward and easy to read, despite its shortcomings.
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