Egyptian Canadians
Total population | |
---|---|
73,250 (by ancestry)2011 Census[1] | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Ontario: Mississauga, Toronto (North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke), Hamilton, Kitchener; Quebec: Montreal, Laval, Quebec City; etc. | |
Languages | |
Egyptian Arabic, Coptic, Sa'idi Arabic, Canadian English, Canadian French | |
Religion | |
Islam (Sunni), Christianity (mostly Coptic Orthodox, some Orthodox & Catholic communities) |
Egyptian Canadians are Canadian citizens of Egyptian descent, first-generation Egyptian immigrants, or descendants of Egyptians who emigrated to Canada. According to the 2011 Census there were 73,250 Canadian citizens who are from Egypt,[1] having an increase compared to those in the 2006 Census.
Egyptian-Canadians are mainly either Christians or Muslims. Most Christians are Coptic Orthodox with small numbers of Coptic Catholic and Coptic Protestant. Muslims are mostly Sunni.
During the 1960s, 75% of Egyptian immigrants settled in Montreal. By 1991, 49% of Egyptian Canadians were in Quebec, whereas 41% were living in Ontario. By 2011, 54% of Egyptian Canadians were living in Ontario and 31% in Quebec.[2] Most Egyptian Canadians are concentrated in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
Religion[edit]
Throughout the 1970s, immigrants from Egypt to Canada consisted of both Christians and Muslims, who mostly left due to poverty in their home country.[2] Starting in 1985, the Canadian government encouraged investors to immigrate, which attracted wealthy Egyptians; these are described as "more conservative and less exposed to European influences than previous arrivals”.[2]
A 1989 survey of Egyptian Canadians in Quebec found that 35% were Copts, 20% Catholics, and 19% Muslims, while 13% followed other faiths and 12% did not indicate any religion.[3]
The 2011 Census found that 73,250 people reported "Egyptian" ancestry and 3,570 reported "Coptic" ancestry.[4] It also found that 16,255 people reported Coptic Orthodox church as their religion.[5]
Notable people[edit]
- Manuel Tadros – singer, songwriter, actor, comedian and voice actor
- Xavier Dolan – filmmaker
- Mohamed Fahmy - journalist, author.
- Alex Erian - one of the two vocalists of Despised Icon
- Fareeha 'Pharah' Amari, character in Overwatch (video game), has an Egyptian mother and Canadian father.
- Mena Massoud - actor
- Yasmine Mohammed - human rights activist, author
- Ariel Helwani - sports journalist, born in Canada to an Egyptian Jewish father and Lebanese Jewish mother
- Omar Marmoush - footballer, born in Egypt to Egyptian-Canadian parents and has dual Egyptian-Canadian citizenship
See also[edit]
- Middle Eastern Canadians
- Ethnic groups in Canada
- Coptic Canadians
- List of Copts
- Coptic Orthodoxy in Canada
- List of Coptic Orthodox Churches in Canada
- Egyptian Americans
- Egyptian Australians
References[edit]
- ^ a b Statistics Canada. "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ a b c André Fecteau. "An Identity and an Uprising: The Politicization of Egyptian Canadians in Ottawa" (PDF). pp. 29–31.
- ^ "Multicultural Canada: the Coptic Orthodox form the largest number of Egyptian Canadians, while there are small - but notable - minorities such as the Catholics and Muslims, respectively". Archived from the original on 2013-01-15. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
- ^ Statistics Canada. "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Retrieved 11 February 2014.
- ^ https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105399&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0. Missing or empty
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