Asylum for Shrouk El-Attar

Home Office Ref: S1391610/2

Shrouk El-Attar has been living in the UK for the last three years, she feels that she can express herself openly here and has a large community of friends around her but she is now under threat of deportation back to Egypt.

At age 16, Shrouk ‘came out’ as being gay to her friends and expressed her sexuality on ‘facebook’. In 2010, Shrouk decided to claim asylum as a refugee under the 1951 Geneva Convention to which the UK is a signatory. A Tribunal Court dismissed her claim for asylum on the 25th of October 2010.

On hearing about the dismissal of her claim for asylum Shrouk stated:

“I’m terrified about the possibility of being forcibly deported to Egypt. As a gay person, life in Egypt would be impossible for me. I would never be able to express my true self and would have to live my life in hiding.”

Shrouk fears that if she were to return to Egypt she would be persecuted by both the Egyptian authorities and by her own extended family. She is afraid that she will be forced into marriage, suffer Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and risk an honour killing if she resists.

We believe that the current Home Office policy of considering Egypt as a “safe” country does not reflect the reality of cases like hers.

If you would like to get involved or to be updated on Shrouk’s campaign, please e-mail savetheshrouk@hotmail.co.uk or join the facebook group ‘Asylum for Shrouk El-Attar’