Syrians In Egypt

"We left our country because of dignity -- to preserve our dignity, not to be offended. And even here! We came with our money, but we will find a country that respects us."

However, in July and August, following Mr Morsi's removal, their situation turned for the worse when some public figures and parts of the mainstream media started accusing Syrians of being supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and taking part in pro-Morsi demonstrations, Amnesty said.

"Sending refugees back to a bloody conflict zone is a serious violation of international law," Mr Ali said.

The building's Egyptian owner, Tarek Marzouk, runs a dry cleaning business and has offered a free room for each helpless family coming in from Syria.

My girls can't join government schools and I don't have the money to put them in private schools," he says. "We lost our properties, home, dignity and our right to live as human beings or at least as war refugees."

"Now I'm begging in front of mosques in Egypt to support my family. I have to carry my passport to prove my identity, and sometimes I earn sympathy and assistance from the Egyptians," she adds.

Gad also thinks they were better off under Morsi. "Under the Muslim Brotherhood, we got better treatment, free education and healthcare," she says. "Even when Morsi decided to cut off relations with the Assad regime, we were getting proper and supportive governmental treatment.

"families and individuals started to think of illegal immigration to Europe, even if it meant drowning to death."

"The situation of Syrian refugees in Egypt has reached a critical stage since the revolution of June 30," says Abdel Karim Rehawi, head of the Syrian League for the Defense of Human Rights, referring to the Egyptian protests that led to the overthrow of Morsi.

the military regime has tightened screws on Syrians after individuals were accused of being in collusion with Islamist groups and working against the state.

"There is some aid from a few Egyptian families and volunteers, but no official support from the Egyptian state," he says.

“In Egypt we have seen changes in the environment over the last month or so, including the tightened visa regulations, and that has resulted in some Syrians moving on elsewhere,” he added

“Almost 98 percent of the Syrian refugee population are in the surrounding region. Very small numbers have so far sought resettlement or moved elsewhere. That has to be remembered,” said Edwards.

Over two million people have fled Syria since the war broke out there in 2011, mostly to neighbouring Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.

There are around 80,000 registered Syrian refugees in Egypt, but informal estimates put the real figure at almost a quarter of a million, according to UNHCR.

Egypt’s new military-backed rulers have faced UNHCR criticism for slapping visa and security clearance rules on Syrians, making it harder for them to flee their homeland.

Morsi’s opponents claimed that anti-Assad refugees were involved in violent pro-Morsi protests

A vocal backer of Syria’s opposition, Morsi had cut diplomatic ties with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Egyptian authorities say the country has taken in more than 100,000 Syrian refugees, with some trying to leave for Europe aboard overcrowded ships.

Several lawyers said they were prevented from representing refugees detained in police stations along Egypt's Mediterranean coast, the group said.

during a visit to a police station in Alexandria, it found 40 Syrian refugees unlawfully and indefinitely detained there. Among them were 10 children, the youngest being one-year-old twins.

, refugees were collectively deported to Damascus. 446

media has often accused refugees of backing the Muslim Brotherhood and of being involved in the political violence that erupted in Egypt after the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi