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Why some Egyptians prefer Syrian wives

Syrian women in Egypt are sought after by some Egyptian men who think they are preferable to their Egyptian counterparts, amid fears of exploitation of their financial status.
Syrian refugee Reem al-Sawaa, 28, originally from Daraa in southern Syria, sits with her one-year-old son Khaled at their home in the Helwaan district of the Egyptian capital of Cairo on November 1, 2013. Reem fled Syra with her four children and husband Yussef al-Talha, who works as a computer technician.  AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI        (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images)

For as long as the Syrian war has raged, there have been stories throughout the Middle East about Syrian refugee women being in demand for marriage — sometimes willingly, sometimes not. Egypt is no exception.

It is hard to judge whether marriage between Syrian women and Egyptian men is in fact a phenomenon on the rise since 2011 or an exaggerated situation. But there is no shortage of stories.

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