敘利亞難民瓦伊爾·穆斯塔法去年來到開羅,之後的幾個月內,他找到了工作,一個住的地方而且能容納他的大家庭。
“這裡的一切都很不錯。
人們很隨和。
找工作很簡單。
而且搬到這裡很容易。”他說道。
然而今時已經不如往日。
距上次穆斯塔法和美國之音談話後的兩個月, 大力支持敘利亞反對派的總統穆罕默德·莫爾西被逐下臺。
之後一切發生了翻天覆地的變化。
“在莫爾西下臺後,我看到一些埃及人看著我們,好像我們不是好人,我們是壞人,”穆斯塔法說道。
他的生意也是一落千丈。
而之前政府慷慨准許的衛生保健和教育正在受到審查。
敘利亞人曾經作為歷史性的盟友支持像埃及的民眾起義而受到歡迎。
現在他們已經與穆斯林兄弟會莫爾西軍閥領導的政府鎮壓聯繫起來。
敘利亞革命和反對勢力國家聯盟活動家哈提姆·馬拉赫指出在埃及有上百名敘利亞人已經被警方逮捕, 或當街毆打,而其他人則被驅逐出境。
他表示國家媒體只會讓情況變得更糟。
“一些媒體對我們講話的方式非常糟糕。
一些媒體說我們就像穆斯林兄弟會—做些恐怖的事情。
敘利亞自由軍才是恐怖分子,”馬拉赫說道。
埃及政府還實施了嚴格的新簽證規定,使得敘利亞人來這裡避難變得更為艱難。
“敘利亞人來到埃及,他們的家人會跟隨他們。
現在,他們不能呆在黎巴嫩,土耳其或敘利亞。
還有一些敘利亞人返回敘利亞,”穆斯塔法說道。
而且他們即將面對可能的外部軍事干預。
來自飽受戰爭蹂躪的大馬士革郊區,幾個月前回避敘利亞政治危機的穆斯塔法現在迫切希望看到敘利亞政府的下臺。
“我們需要有人來解決這個問題。也許美國可以。
我們不知道,但肯定的是我們很害怕。
我們害怕人民。我們害怕這個國家,”他說道。
無論干預與否,穆斯塔法都無意回頭。
儘管他所說的是他非常好的埃及鄰居,他也不打算呆在這裡。
他最近開始申請美國和歐洲的簽證。
Syrian refugee Wael Mustafa came to Cairo last year and within months, he had found work, a place to live and could support his extended family.
“Here everything is easy.
The people are easy.
To find a job is easy.
To move here is easy,” he said.
It is not so easy anymore.
Two months after Mustafa last talked to VOA, President Mohamed Morsi, a strong supporter of Syria's opposition, was ousted from power.
And everything changed.
“After Morsi go, I saw some Egyptian people look at us like we are not good people, we are bad people,” said Mustafa.
His business, he said, has suffered.
And previous generosity from the government, access to health care and schooling, is under review.
Syrians were once welcomed as historic allies who backed a popular uprising much like Egypt's.
Now they've become linked with Morsi in the military-led government's crackdown on his Muslim Brotherhood.
Activist Haitham Maleh, of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, noted that hundreds of Syrians in Egypt have been arrested by police or beaten in the streets, while others have been deported.
State media, he said, have just made things worse.
“Some media spoke in a very bad way against us.
Some media say we are like Muslim Brotherhood-something terrorist.
Free Syrian army are terrorists,” said Maleh.
Egypt's government has also adopted stringent new visa rules, making it harder for Syrians to find refuge here.
“Syrian people came to Egypt and their families will follow them.
Now, cannot, and stay in Lebanon or Turkey or Syria.
And some Syrian people go back to Syria,” said Mustafa.
And they are going even in the face of possible outside military intervention.
Mustafa, from the war-ravaged outskirts of Damascus, shied away from Syrian politics a few months ago. Now, he is desperate to see Syria's government fall.
“We need someone to come fix this problem. Maybe America can fix this.
We don't know, but sure, we're scared.
We are scared for people. We are scared for the country,” he said.
Intervention or not, Mustafa has no intention of going back.
And despite what he says are his very nice Egyptian neighbors, he does not plan on staying here either.
He recently began applying for visas for the United States and Europe.