Egyptian Arabic Muslims

Quick Facts

Place of Origin: Egypt is located in Northeast Africa and connects it to the Middle East.
Religion: Islam (official) (90.3%), Christianity (9.6%), Other (0.1%).
Population: 102.3 million.
Primary Language: Egyptian Arabic (68%).
Secondary Languages : Sa'idi Arabic (29%), Eastern Egyptian Bedawi Arabic (1.6%), Sudanese Arabic (0.6%), Domari (0.3%), Nobiin (0.3%), Beja (0.1%), Siwi and others.
Other Information:

There are several Coptic Church communities in GTA, especially in Brampton & Mississauga

When did Egyptian Arabic Muslims first come to Canada?

Muslim Egyptians started to immigrate in the 1950s to Canada. Throughout the 1970s, immigrants from Egypt to Canada consisted of both Christians and Muslims, who mostly left due to poverty in their home country. Starting in 1985, the Canadian government encouraged investors to immigrate, which attracted wealthy Egyptians; they are described as more conservative and less exposed to European influences than previous arrivals.

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. Most Egyptian Canadians are concentrated in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Where do Egyptian Arabic Muslims predominantly gather in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)?

They are most concentrated in Mississauga, Milton, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Markham, North York, Oakville, Toronto lakefront. Their most concentrated population is in Mississauga in the Peel Region of GTA.
There is one known evangelical Egyptian church community in Mississauga/Bampton of which some of the participants are Egyptian.
There is one known Presbyterian Egyptian Church in Markham and one in Mississauga.
Egyptian Arabs comprise 16% of the Arabic diaspora in the GTA.

Population estimate in the GTA: There are at least 36,340 Egyptian Arabic Muslim-background individuals living in GTA out of a total of about 581,950 Muslims in Ontario as of 2016.

What are Egyptian Arabic Muslims' lives like?

Egyptians are well established in the GTA as they have their own clubs, associations, groups, and community social media pages for them to connect and grow in their network.
They have their own student union at the University of Toronto and various universities in the GTA for younger generations to connect within their community.
They also have their own newsletters, social media pages online, and other sources of media.

What do Egyptian Arabic Muslims believe?

The word Islam means “submission to the will of God.”
Muslims worship one, all-knowing God. They believe that nothing can happen without Allah’s permission but humans have free will.
They believe that several prophets were sent to teach Allah’s law. They respect some of the same prophets as Jews and Christians including Abraham, Moses, Noah and Jesus. The difference is that Muslims contend that Muhammad was the final prophet.
Mosques are places where Muslims worship
The Quran (or Koran) is the major holy text of Islam, and the Hadith is another important book to their faith.
Their worship consists of praying and reciting the Quran; they believe that there will be a Day of Judgment and life after death.
According to their holy text, when Muhammed died, there was a debate on who should replace him as a leader.
- This led to a schism in Islam and two major sects emerged: The Sunnies and Shiites
- Sunnies make up nearly 90 percent of Muslims worldwide. They accept that the first four caliphs (chief Muslim civil rulers) were the true successors to Muhammad.
- Shiite Muslims believe that only caliph Ali and his descendants are the real successors to Muhammed. They deny the legitimacy of the first three caliphs.
There are smaller Muslim denominations within the Sunni and Shiite groups that exist.
- Wahabi- belong to the Sunni sect, made up of members of the Tameem Tribe in Saudi Arabis. They observe an extremely strict interpretation of Islam that was taught by Muhammad Bin Abd Al-Wahab
- Alawite - belong to the Shiite sect; followers hold a similar belief to the caliph Ali but also observe some Christian and Zoroastrian holidays.
- Nation of Islam- Belong to the Sunni sect, followers are mostly African-American. This was founded in the 1930s in Detroit, Michigan.
- Kharijites- belong to the Shiite sect; they are known for radical fundamentalism and today they are called Ibdadis.
Five Pillars of Islam:
- Shahada: to declare one’s faith in God and belief in Muhammed
- Salat: to pray five times a day (dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening)
- Zakat: to give to those in need
- Sawm: to fast during Ramadan
- Hajj: to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least during a person’s lifetime if the person is able.