Meray Sadek
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Additional Information
Research Interests
My research investigates the intersecting forces of religious, gendered, and state-driven discrimination experienced by Coptic Orthodox Christians (Copts) in Saudi Arabia. Specifically, I examine how systemic exclusions, such as the kafala (sponsorship) system, the “Expat Dependent Fees,” and entrenched patriarchal controls, not only drive forced migration but also shape post-migration experiences for Copts, especially women and children. My work contributes to critical migration studies, the sociology of religion, and Middle Eastern studies, offering grounded insights into the lived realities of marginalized communities. It aims to inform policy conversations on surveillance, religious freedom, and systemic inequities in transnational contexts.
Dissertation Title (in-progress): Navigating Exclusion: Religious, Gendered, and State-Driven Discrimination Shaping the Migration of Coptic Orthodox Christians from Saudi Arabia.
Affiliations & Leadership
- President, Graduate Student Association (GSA), University of ݮƵ
- Member: Canadian Law & Society Association (CLSA)
Presentations
- Fantina, B., Hassan, N., & Sadek, M. (2025). Unveiling the Myth of Multiculturalism: Systemic Racism, Islamophobia, and Othering in Canadian Contemporary Refugee Policies [Presentation]. 2025 CLSA Annual Conference. University of Saskatchewan College of Law, Saskatoon, SK.
- Sadek, M. (2025). Faith Under Constraint: Exploring Resistance, Marginalization, and Migration of Coptic Orthodox Christians in Saudi Arabia [Presentation]. 2025 Graduate Student Conference. Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
- Sadek, M. (2023). Between Belonging and Exclusion: Examining Migration, Nationhood, and Anti-Coptic Sentiment of Afro-Indigenous Coptic Orthodox Christians in Cairo, Egypt and Coptic Orthodox Christian Migrants in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. [Presentation]. 2023 CrimSL Grad Conference. Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.
- Sadek, M. (2019). Refugee Resettlement and Advocacy in Rural Italy. [Poster Presentation]. LA&PS DARE Project 2019. York University, Toronto, ON.