Sisters strive to realize lifelong dreams after leaving Egypt behind

At 10 years old, Youstina and Marina Salama said they were frustrated when they got lower grades than other students for the same answers, which they believed happened because of their Christian faith. Their feelings about being a religious minority in Egypt turned into fear when their cousin’s Christian church was burned down on Christmas Eve in 2005.

Now at UCLA, the twins moved to Los Angeles in 2005 from their home in Alexandria, Egypt. They feel like their dreams to be doctors would never have been achieved under the religious persecution they said they faced at their original home.

Nine years after running from quickly escalating religious tension against Coptic Christians in Egypt, the twin sisters are starting their first year at UCLA. The eventual goal for the sisters is to go to medical school at UCLA.

Egypt’s Coptic Christians and Muslims have had tension flares in recent years, even after the Muslim Brotherhood lost power with the ousting of former President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.

In 2005, three people were killed in an attack on Oct. 22, according to the New York Times. On that day, riot police guarded the outside of a Coptic Christian church as Muslim protesters tried to storm the building.

Egypt had a population then of 74 million people, 8-10 percent of whom were Christian, according to the New York Times.

Youstina Salama, a molecular, cell and developmental biology student, said she could feel the tension and discrimination against Christians, like her family, from some extremist Muslims – she was ignored by classmates and saw the lack of religious diversity in the top positions at universities.

“Shortly after we left, (extremists) started burning the Christian churches,” Marina Salama, a biology student, said. “(They) started burning the churches on Christmas Eve. … Our cousin’s church had a bomb put in it.”

Susan Nawar and Farouk Salama took their two daughters on a plane from Alexandria to Los Angeles because having American relatives allowed the family to travel legally.

“We got the opportunity to come here legally, which is very rare,” Nawar said. “(I) thought we would have a better life here and more opportunities. At first, (I) was afraid and worried because the beginning is always hard.”

Asking Youstina Salama to translate for her, Nawar said that it was hard for her to see her daughters bullied at school, but that she knew they would succeed.

“I thank God and I am so proud,” Nawar said. “(The girls) came a long way and didn’t give up and worked really hard.”

A week after their plane landed, Youstina and Marina Salama went to their cousin’s college graduation at UCLA and said they could see themselves at the school, as they could remain close to their families and each other.

But transitioning was difficult for the twins, who entered fourth grade not speaking English or knowing anyone in their classes. Instead of feeling welcome, the sisters said the language barrier led to bullying.

“The kids made fun of us, threw food at us,” Marina Salama said. “At recess they would make fun of our accents.”

The two stuck together and refused to be discouraged from advancing in their classes. They went to the library daily, and by the end of the year matched their classmates in reading proficiency, Youstina Salama said.

In high school, Youstina and Marina Salama were valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively, and each took almost every AP class their school had to offer.

The Salama sisters are now roommates in their dorm at UCLA and said they want to be together as long as possible. They said they share their gratitude for the opportunity to leave Egypt in a time of increasing religious tension.

“It was frustrating knowing that if I wanted to be a doctor, it is nearly impossible if you are a girl,” Marina Salama said. “And for me, I was a girl and a Christian.”