Beltagy: Former Regime Treated People of Sinai as Third-Class Citizens

Dr. Mohamed Beltagy, head of the hearing committee of the Constituent Assembly (CA) tasked with writing Egypt’s new Constitution, visited the Sinai region, and met families and elders, and listened to their suggestions about the country’s first post-revolution constitution.

In a post on his Facebook page, Dr. Beltagy said: "The former regime treated the people of Sinai as third-class citizens. They were prevented from owning their homes and lands. In some cases, they were even prevented from having Egyptian national identification documents.

"They were also deprived of development and investment returns in all its forms. There was a political decision to keep the land free of people and buildings. Sinai residents knew nothing of the State except security check-points and harassments.

"They are now waiting for a new constitution that restores for them true citizenship, and brings them as Egyptians justice in the distribution of wealth and development.

"They are looking forward to a constitution that declares the borders of the Egyptian state, and confirms the sovereignty of the State on every inch of the land of Egypt.

"We were shocked to hear of the Sinai people’s suffering and their sense of alienation in their own homeland, as they spoke of how they were persecuted and barred from all top civilian posts, and also from police, military and judicial colleges and jobs."