CAIRO — The Egyptian government has begun taking measures to monitor the commercial activity of Syrians in Egypt out of fear that some businesses are being used to fund the Muslim Brotherhood. The measures include not approving any commercial activity for Syrian nationals except with permission from the security authorities, as well as monitoring Syrian account activities and financial transactions in Egyptian banks.

The Ministry of Local Development had sent out a memorandum — a copy of which was obtained by Al-Monitor — to governorates Aug. 11 asking them to assess shops owned by members of the Syrian refugee community in Egypt. “Some people have opened a series of stores within short periods despite suffering from poor financial resources when they first came to Egypt," the memo read. It also said Syrians had bought "commercial stores in important locations using large amounts of unknown sources.”

The memo added, “Some estimates indicate that Qatar funded them through the Muslim Brotherhood, to be a new economic entity representing the organization by financing its prohibited activities inside and outside Egypt.” The memo also said the presidency did not want any commercial licenses granted to Syrians without approval from the Interior Ministry and the security services.

A government official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “A campaign was launched in September to review and monitor the activities of shops and businesses owned by Syrians or in partnership with Egyptians.” The official also said, “These measures are only precautionary and are not aimed at stopping any existing activity, or pursuing or imposing any additional fees on funds or commercial activity by Syrians.”