Indian Community Association in Egypt
Indian Community in Egypt
1 The Indian community in Egypt numbers about 3600. Most of them live in Cairo, there are some families in Alexandria and Port Said. The Embassy of India has organized the Indian Community Association of Egypt (ICAE), which maintains regular contact and coordinates activities of the Indian Diaspora. They are arranged into Area Wards, to facilitate faster contacts in case of emergency situations.
2 The Indian community is successful and integrated. It includes businessmen, professionals heading multinational organizations, Bohra community, short-term IT specialists, service providers, students and long-term residents of Cairo. The large majority of them are workers in textile and apparel units run by Indian entrepreneurs and there is a community of goldsmiths and jewellers.
3 About 50 Indian companies have invested almost US$3 billion in various sectors like petrochemicals, textiles, agriculture and chemicals. They provide employment to almost 35,000 Egyptians. The Bohra community, mostly in trade and manufacturing, numbers about 600 persons and forms an integral part of Indian community in Egypt. Their presence in Cairo steadily grew since 1970s, when they took up renovation of some historical mosques.
4 Distribution of Indian diaspora in Egypt
(1) Cairo 2200
(2) Alexandria 200
(3) Suez 125
(4) Ismailia 400
(5) Port Said 400
(6) Sharm El Sheikh 100
(7) Hurghada 30
(8) Mansura 50
(9) Assiut/Fayoum/Luxor/Aswan 100
5 There are about 275 Indian students pursuing Arabic and Islamic studies in the prestigious Al Azhar University. Most of the students hail from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Some of the students are offered scholarships by the University.
6 More than 100,000 Indian tourists visited Egypt in 2010. The tourist inflow declined following revolution and political instability and have crept upto around 60,000 at present.
7 There is no Indian school or temple in Egypt. Most of the Indian children go to British or American schools. Some Indians face the problem of obtaining work permits. Egyptian authorities seek to strike a balance between unemployment and need to attract foreign investment. Indians in general are loved and respected by the Egyptians for their hardworking and peaceful nature. Indian value of nurturing families and respect to elders also resonate with the Egyptians.
