Egyptian Men and Black Women

I have often heard that Egyptian and other arab men wont date/marry "black" women and often consider them to be "ugly" simply because they are black... whereas white women are often considered to be beautiful and seen as "trophies" Why is that? I have never understood this view-- especially when themajorityh of negative stereotypes pertaining to arabs and north africans come from white people.

Are there any egyptians out there who do like black women... and if so would you ever consider marrying one? Just curious.

{and for the record... I am mixed race-- african and french but I am generally considered to be black not white}

~Asmara

Asmara wrote:

I have often heard that Egyptian and other arab men wont date/marry "black" women and often consider them to be "ugly" simply because they are black... whereas white women are often considered to be beautiful and seen as "trophies" Why is that? I have never understood this view-- especially when themajorityh of negative stereotypes pertaining to arabs and north africans come from white people.
Are there any egyptians out there who do like black women... and if so would you ever consider marrying one? Just curious.
{and for the record... I am mixed race-- african and french but I am generally considered to be black not white}
~Asmara

Hey girl I have the same question! I'm also biracial. There are a few Egyptian men here and I have seen them look at me, but it seems to stay at admiration from a distance. Maybe they do'nt know how to approach strong women like us? Or maybe they are just confused by our physical features. I donno, can someone answer

I am a black american woman, not biracial and I am married to an Egyptian man. I do not believe it is a thing about being ugly. I think it is the fear of the unknown. Before we were dating, my now husband approached me first...he was afraid that he would not win my heart. I do know that it is not a common thing for Arabs to be married to Blacks. Yes, I agree about white women being trophies and like gold to Arab men. My husband has told me this before especially, if you have blond hair and blue eyes. Let me talk with my husband more about this and I will post again soon!

I am a black American women and I just recently returned from Egypt. The smile and stares I received from the men were confusing. At first they seem to be flirting and then they seem to be making fun of me. I noticed that the wait staff at the hotel would go and get another man or two or three, and they would all come and look and smile at me. I didn't know if they liked me, or if they thought very little of me. Some asked me to take a photo with them and then ask if it was OK if they put their arm around me for the photo. While I rode on the tour bus, some men, even very young men, would throw me kisses. I began to wonder if they were just being down right disrespectful towards blacks women, even more so than women in general. Mia, please ask you husband about this type of treatment. I met three other black women and they were treated in the same manner.

Christy Love wrote:

I am a black American women and I just recently returned from Egypt. The smile and stares I received from the men were confusing. At first they seem to be flirting and then they seem to be making fun of me. I noticed that the wait staff at the hotel would go and get another man or two or three, and they would all come and look and smile at me. I didn't know if they liked me, or if they thought very little of me. Some asked me to take a photo with them and then ask if it was OK if they put their arm around me for the photo. While I rode on the tour bus, some men, even very young men, would throw me kisses. I began to wonder if they were just being down right disrespectful towards blacks women, even more so than women in general. Mia, please ask you husband about this type of treatment. I met three other black women and they were treated in the same manner.

They where flirting with you because they thought you where beautiful... this is how arabic men are... north african ones like Egyptian and Moroccans even more so I have noticed... it is just htere way. However whether or not they thought you where "easy" or not... I have no idea that depends on the type of man. Although I have noticed thet many Arabic men find black women attractive-- they are less likely to approach, date or marry one in comparison to other arab or white women. Now this is just in my experience. I started this post because I was curious to hear some men's voices on the issue.... however it seems this will just be a post for us ladies to discuss the subject and share experiences... and I dont mind that either ;-)

Having been married to an Egyptian for 28 years, and being in Cairo many times, I can tell you that this unfortunatley is very true. Egyptians love fair skinned, light eyed ladies. The man who marries this kind has hit the jackpot in the family. And this racism is not confined to the men, the ladies also desire to look anglo. They bleach their skin, straighten their hair if it is curly, wear blue or green contacts and so on. Most of the female celebrities look like white anglos. I am white american and most over in Cairo think I am light skinned Egyptian or Lebanese, and I speak arabic, so I am privy to their private conversations, and believe me some are just blatant racists there. Being American, you know we like to tan in the summer and when I was in Egypt this past Augsust, all of my family was like telling me I was too dark and why would I do this?? This is ugly and not attractive. Haha, I told them I love olive skin and I think they are nuts and in the usa we like to have a nice tan. My husband is olive skin with green eyes, thank God. Cuz they have always said he is too dark, but "hamd ilallah" he has the beautiful green eyes for them. I have always found this attitude very ironic, cuz I have always told them I love the dark hair and skin and the people are very beautiful there, but to no avail. Maybe because white and light eyes are rarer there, but they just see this as more exotic and beautiful. My own daughter who has a very Egyptian face but straight brown hair and blues eyes is married to a relative and lives in Cairo, well her husband's mother was sooooooo happy because she said now they will have more babies in our family with blue or green eyes and nice hair!! This is exactley what they said when I married my husband and so I guess to them it is happening cuz all 3 of my kids look Egyptian with light eyes and straight hair. So it is very sad but true, this society is very racist against their own people. And again, I am sure there are some exceptions to this, but I know the majority of Egyptians are like this.

Asmara, Alhamdullilah I am mix race myself African and East Indian. I define who I am not society. In every group there are bigots. Personally I will marry any man from any race. My skin is chocolate color and I am currently talking to an Egyptian man who has dated several Caucasian women and he told me he does not find them to be attractively either by body or sexually. I have been talking to this man for over 1 year and more and he is so desperate to get marry to me,( I am thinking about it). I just return from Kuwait myself and yes I got a lot of stares there, I think it is because some women of color tends to have stronger personality and because of the way some of us carry ourselves why we get the stares. First, I was fully covered from head to toe but my facial feature, my pleasant disposition and my whole demeanor seems to draw people attention to me. I think in all group there are people who like different things, some men love women of color and some love caucasian women. Asmara you are a beautiful young lady, just remember there are bigots in every group and any man who thinks having someone with less melanin in their pigmentation makes them better than the next person is not worth your while. As far as what Gamila64 said I think some of the problem with Egyptians and many other people in different part of the world, is that they have been brain wash to think that anything white is right. Lack of education, exposure are all factors that contributes to this distorted thinking. I was married to a white man before and he marry me so I could be his trophy wife, because I have a "nice figure". Sadly Arab men are not the only ones who are thinking they have to have a white woman, the african american man's mentality is the same. But their rational for a white woman I heard is different from the arab man.

Hello Asmara and everyone. I am a dark-skinned black American woman married to an Egyptian man. We have been married for five years and are in our 30s. We are not Muslim. I mentioned my skin tone because that is more important in Egypt and many places in the world than your ancestry. How you look not what you are is what people go on. I mentioned religion because some people think that maybe Muslims would be the most open about color since Islam forbids discrimination against fellow Muslims, regardless of color. I have to say that I agree with Gamila64. While it is definitely not all Egyptians most that I have met are very color prejudice. They think anyone with fair skin and light eyes-no matter what shape they are in, if they are educated or what-is better looking and better to be with than a brown or dark-skinned person. It is not just against people of African heritage, it is anyone with dark skin (Indian, black American, other Arabs). They all want white-skinned babies who look European. They are very concerned about hair texture since many of them have what black Americans would call black hair. They are very prejudiced toward other Africans even though many of them look like light-skinned blacks in the US. Many are even very dark...darker than many of us! But, as Islam forever said it is not everyone. My husband and his family are white Egyptians and they are very sweet. I have never felt any prejudice from them and would not have gotten married if I had. If you go to Egypt you will have many men hit on you but some of them only want money or to immigrate out of the country so you have to be careful. You have to be sure that the man is educated, has traveled and does not just look at you as a way to a passport. I have met several EM/BAW couples and they are happy and have happy kids. If the man was raised in an open-minded family then it should be okay. I also knew of several Lebanese man/BW couples and one Moroccan man with a BAW but did not know them personally. So we can say that Arab men DO marry black women although most prefer light skin and Egyptians suffer from a serious inferiority complex. They don't even like each other!

Ladies

I see that none of the Egyptian men replied or commented yet.
I am a 60 yrs old Egyptian man from Turkish origins. And I have a comment.

It is true that our Egyptian society has been passing through a state of confusion for several decades. The Major influencing Media - National TV channels - is dominated by BiCltural directors/program hosts, and these were mainly raised in the Western Missionary schools of Cairo.

I think most of the color obsession is located in the affluent sections of Cairo/Alexandria residential areas. It is true that the boys who are exposed to the Western Cultures in their schools from very early age (formation years) have deeply rooted inferiority towards the Whity culture in Europe/USA. The girls know about the boys' preferences so they try to compete to get accepted.

In the poorer areas of Cairo/Alexandria, yu can easily spot a fairly skinned man with a black wife. In the rest of the country, with less Western influence, skin color is not that important.

Because of economic hardship for the younger generations to get married, it has become an often scene finding a black Egyptian married to a fairskinned woman.
The Black Egyptians are the Nubians. They have their traditions, with very strict social committments towards the relatives that the rest of the country see them as uncomfortable to comply with. I think they consider a man of them marrying a girl out of their society as an outlaw.

About my personal taste:
I had a promiscous lifestyle before marriage.
The one that I consider the best in bed was the Chocolate. Though; when I selected a girl to get married to she is a whity! Inferiority? may be.

ready to answer yr questions, if any.

I am an Egyptian American man who before dating an African American women had not known much about African American culture but through the American Movices int he 60s and 70s that depicted blacks unfortunately in a very negative light but because of my deep belief as a Muslim that God has created us different colors to know and learn from each other and we are equal in the eyes of God and because of the history of Islam and how it integrated different colors and cultures within it, I still was open to the idea and I have to say it was my best dating experience which lasted 2.5 years, while I couldn't find any compatibility with White American women aside from the physical attraction but that was for a month or two<g>, while I was working in the South and interracial dating was almost always under the cover, I took my girl to all public places in South Carolina despite what my girlfriend said about white men approaching her for dating but would never like to be seen with her in public. I think the igorance and superficiality of White America which peaked in the recent wars does prove a point. In general I think Arabs and Egyptians have a lot to learn from a very rich Black experience in the US with their history in mind about the Swahili culture which is a fascinating marriage of Arab and African cultures. It might be new to some to know that Swahili means 'Costal' in Arabic in reference to the Cost of Africa. But going back to some Egyptian view of race, I think most have to be said about lack of education and self respect and staying afar from the priciples that made them a great civilization and let them fall in the grasp of decaying colonial thoughts and beliefs that people in the West now laugh at.

Very thought-provoking post. If yu can accept an advice from an old man like me, I hope yu will: Please, write in shorter sentences. This will show your points with better precision.

So, while writing about the hidden Racial problems of America, yu drifted into the current War in the MidEast.

Ironically enough, Most of those who destroyed Iraq, those who made the Iraqis suffer from being Orphans or Handicapped or with Tumors eating their bodies, are not the White Americans! Most of the American Armies are made of Minorities, Blacks/Latinoes/Asians. Correct me if I were wrong in this assumption. I think it relates to having the Service on volunteering bases. Minorities find in the Military a career that won't be as rewarding in the civil services.
Please, do some research in this topic and correct my assumption if otherwise.

In my graduate study in Boston, MA, I used to date a white Jewish girl with Russian origin. She let me know the classy restaurants in Boston. While with her, I came to know a Black girl in a party that the university organized. So, I went to the same classy restaurants that the White girl let me know about. I was received with angry looks from the whity classy Bostonians: as if How yu dare to bring in a colored girl! But that was in the 1980s, hasn't America changed since then?

Do yu think Obama has any chance to win if he ever get to challenge McCain? Personally, I think his skin color will Stop his ambition to become the 1 st Black American President.
The subsurface racism will overcome the economic needs for a Dem President, I expect so. Correct me If I were wrong.

On to your point about Iraq, those who destroyed Iraq are those who idealogically were hell bent on destroying it for personal, religious and racial reasons that are well known. Just listen to the documentaries about Bush and the war. This is like saying Hitler had nothing to do with the mass killings of Gypsys, Slavs, Polish and Jews and those who pulled the trigger are only those that deserve the blame which goes against any criminal laws known to man.

Ahh ZinbadAlive, Obama is winning the white vote over Hillary, in majority white states. And I think he has a good chance to beat McCain more so than the white Hillary does. I am white and I would vote for Obama, I mean this is 2008. I am sorry that you experienced such racism in Boston, but around my area, DC and Baltimore, I see plenty of mixed marriages and people living here from all over the world and we all get along just fine in the circles I hang out with. But let me tell you, the most racist comments I have ever heard about skin color have been in Cairo. I am appalled at my own family and some of their ideas on race. Ignorance, envy??? I dont know, but I know I have never heard any of my white American friends talk this way. Again, this goes back to the original post on this topic.

Gamila,

You are a good person.

Gamila64 wrote:

I am white and I would vote for Obama, I mean this is 2008.

But let me tell you, the most racist comments I have ever heard about skin color have been in Cairo. I am appalled at my own family and some of their ideas on race. Ignorance, envy???

" I am white and I would vote for Obama, I mean this is 2008. "

Although I have bitter attitude towards the Political America for the Hurt they have done to the Iraqis, but I maintain a trust of the American People as an Intelligent population.
Please, don't measure an entire society's attitude with yours.
The Masses could easily be mislead by the Mind Control of the Mass Media.

Last Call for Dinner, will continue soon otherwise Dear Wife will get mad at me.

The Intellectual America would vote for the candidate they think is needed for America's best of Interests. Again, even among those of the Intelligencia (Academics, Industrialists, Investors) yu may find some who have their own sub-cultural attitudes/interests.

For example; I don't think the Jews of America will ever offer Obama a single vote. Read their posts in Topix dot net and yu will see by yourself. Also, I expect the extremists of Racism, especially in the SouthEastern States, can click on Obama while McCain is there.
Obama can win the Democratic nomination for the Presidency but winning over McCain has completely different calculations.

I may not have complete understanding of the electoral procedure in America, so my prejudgement could be wrong.

About your encounter with the Racist Egyptians in Cairo:

I agree that yu met culturally "confused" or "brainwashed" Egyptians. I expect their cultural feeding sources are entirely Foreign. These species are not representative of the Egyptian Masses.
They watch a lot of Am TV series, movies, etc. Their education was in Forign schools. They can write in English but find dificulty in writing in Arabic. The Language contains the Roots/Fingerprints of the Culture (Values/Attitudes) it represents. In public places of Cairo, I see young Egyptian mothers even those wearing Hijab (hair scarfs) scold their kids if they pronounce something in Arabic! She, whoever that she, insists that her kid repeats what he/she asks for in English!!!! I look at that kid with sorrow for the confusion he/she suffers from. The Life surrounding him/her speaks with a language that he/she "naturally" tends to speak with. But his/her Mom insists that English should be the 1 st Language.
In such circumstances yu can find explanation for the confusion yu see in the Adults. A Brown or even Dark Egyptian speaking about the Black Americans in a harsh language as if he/she were a Swedish Arian person!

Hi to all,
Well, let me introduce myself first.
I'm a man from Egypt, I'm 40, married and have couple of kids, I've been a member for 7 years volunteering at the Tourist friends association.

The introduction is to tell you that I understand your point of view, and I can tell you exactelly what is it in Egypt towards the blacks or any other colored people.

First, as most of Egypt are Moslims, and Islam tells us not to make any differences according to colors. So, it is deep inside us that colors never change anything and the most important is what is inside.

So, this lives inside us through generations for almost 1350 years since Islam first welcomed in Egypt.

So, to every woman wondered why she was treated the way Egyptian treated her, the answer is very simple (and of course the color is neglected in these reasons because I already explained the color issue):
1- Egyptians are very generous people, so they show their feelings to any foreigner, not only to women from USA, but to any man or woman from the whole world.

2- Adding to that; for the uneducated people, it is that they are amazed to see other people they cannot communicate with because of the different language.

3- Egyptians are good to each other, imagine what they will be like to non Egyptians.:)

I forgot to say that you will get the same in any Muslim country.

Of course if we put the political problems aside.

Yiehya A man from Egypt wrote:

I forgot to say that you will get the same in any Muslim country.
Of course if we put the political problems aside.

Yu mean Egyptians are Angels??!!!!!

We are humans, we have good persons and we also have the bad guys.

When yu provide a rosy picture about Egypt hiding our ugly scenes, no one will trust your story.

Our World has no place hidden from Cameras.

I entered European Forums and saw in pictures how the tourists recorded our ugly scenes with Cameras, providing hints/advices for those going to visit Egypt so they won't be outsmarted/fooled by dishonest merchants/taxi drivers in everytouristic seightseeying place.

I am a retired chemist, have my own savings. Do yu know that I was advised if I get a Pharmacy in one of the Red Sea resorts I would make a lot of money. When I asked How comes? answer: they, the pharmacists, sell the medicines fooling the tourists by counting the Price Tags in Euroes while the price tags are in fact in Egyptian currency!!! I replied on that suggestion: Not me, I myself enjoy being a tourist whether inside or outside Egypt, in everyplace I go I buy souvenirs to support the people who rely on this business for making a living, I can't swich to being a thief to innocent tourists selling them medicines with five times more than the actual price.

So, not only the street beggers, mostly if not entirely illeterate, but also highly educated persons like the pharmacists deal with the tourist as a Prey that should be fooled.

Dear Zinab, I didn't say Egyptians are angles. I only gave a reason for why they were acting the way "Christy Love" mentioned.

I'm talking to people think logically, so I don't need to mention the other side which is by the way a lot less than anyone can see in any other country. and I'm sure u experienced that yourself.

if u see things you don't like (we all see it of course) that doesn't mean that the whole country is like that.

Christy talked about people smile to her and some sends kisses, what do u think they wanted to??!!