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Emadeldin Elsayed, the Egyptian aviation student who left the U.S. after his visa was revoked following his Facebook post threatening to kill Donald Trump, was interviewed upon his return to Egypt by CBC TV. In the March 13, 2016 interview, Elsayed said that he would not return to America even if he had the chance because "racism is more prevalent in America than anywhere else in the world" and he "did not want to be near such racist people ever again." Earlier this month, Elsayed had posted on Facebook that he was willing to serve a life sentence for killing Donald Trump.
Following are excerpts:
Interviewer: Is this the America that you had imagined?
Emadeldin Elsayed: Yes and no.
Interviewer: Why no, and why yes?
Emadeldin Elsayed: No, because like any young man in the world, television is all around me and it portrays a different America. Yes, because what I have seen on TV, and what I've heard from friends in various states in the U.S., I know that racism is more prevalent in America than anywhere else in the world.
Interviewer: It is the most racist country, even though it consists of people from different races?
Emadeldin Elsayed: In fact, there are no real Americans there. The judge in my trial was from the Philippines. There are no real Americans there.
Interviewer: Against whom is this racism directed?
Emadeldin Elsayed: Against the Muslims, the blacks, and the Mexicans.
Interviewer: Muslims, blacks, and Mexicans?
Emadeldin Elsayed: Yes.
Interviewer: And if you happen to be a black Muslim… When I was first arrested, there were 100 people there, and over 50 were Muslims from various countries in Africa. They are kept in prison for 12 months, 15 months, two years, and nobody lets them out.
Emadeldin Elsayed: Besides this case, where did you encounter racism there?
Interviewer: Different minor incidents, for instance, when I went to buy food somewhere. There was a person there who had lived all his life in the U.S., once he saw that I was a Muslim, his conduct and manner of speech changed. He became aggressive and just threw the food at me. Stuff like that. They do not like Muslims.
[…]
Interviewer: So you cannot return to America?
Emadeldin Elsayed: No, I left America of my own free will. They call it voluntary deportation, but in fact, they forced me to leave.
Interviewer: So now you cannot return?
Emadeldin Elsayed: I need to apply for a visa, and if it is approved, I can go there like anyone else. But I don't want to go to America.
Interviewer: You don't want to go there?
Emadeldin Elsayed: No. I won't go there, even if I have the opportunity.
Interviewer: Even if you have the opportunity to study in a flight school?
Emadeldin Elsayed: I will not go there.
Interviewer: Why not?
Emadeldin Elsayed: I don't want to be near such racist people ever again. Besides, I know that any little thing that might happen, they will revive the case.
[…]
Interviewer: Do you still think that if Trump becomes president, it will be a disaster?
Emadeldin Elsayed: Yes. To the whole world.
Interviewer: But you definitely did not intend to kill him, right?
Emadeldin Elsayed: Of course I didn't.
Interviewer: You posted this [on Facebook] in a moment of anger.
Emadeldin Elsayed: Exactly.
[…]
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