Walking Like an Egyptian (Jan 2022)

Good Morning Egypt!

By Marla Laine Brown:

It was nearly 5:00 AM when we awoke to a crowing rooster and shortly thereafter the Call to Prayer. This time the mesmerizing sound was different because not only could we hear the prayer from the local Mosque, but an accumulation of haunting calls from distant minarets. Our cabin was still dark as we laid awake listening to these melodies before they quietly transitioned into the clip clop sound of a man and his donkey. Good morning Egypt!…

We looked forward to sleeping in today with a group talk scheduled at 9:30am. Meanwhile Ibrahim was busily preparing for this meeting by setting up a semicircle of chairs and for which I jokingly remarked looked like an intervention. Hmm we’re not in trouble? Right? The meeting started on time and was actually an opportunity to discuss issues which we had interest in, but had not been addressed.

One topic was regarding Egypt as a secular country and Islam as the predominant religion. Unlike some neighboring countries that practice Sharia law, it brought into question how women dress. We saw many different styles of dress from western , to simple Hijabs that are colorful scarfs covering the hair, to Burkas that cover most of a womens body. Although typically modest, how one dresses in Egypt is based more on personal choice and outside cultural influences than a religious requirement. The same for men who traditionally will wear a loose fitting garment known as a Gallibaya or western style attire.

Another member in our group brought up homelessness. Ibrahim said that the government provided shelter for anyone requiring it. Ok well maybe? It’s true that I didn’t see anyone living on the street, with the exception of that one unfortunate guy who was mentally ill, but what I did see was a disparity in wealth. For example at the Cairo Marriott the guests all appeared to be privileged and wealthy in contrast to a few settlements we drove past that seemed to be lacking the basic necessities.

Egypt’s current politics, past corrupt regimes and the Muslim brotherhood was another interesting topic that I woefully compared to similarities straight from our own political playbook. Past regimes for example have targeted groups such as the faithful, poor or uneducated for political favor. In other words give people what they think they want and you gain control.

Finally the 1997 Luxor massacre, Arab Spring and the creation of the governmental tourism police were also some popular topics which will be addressed in a separate post.