Will you be safe or sorry for visiting the once-mysterious
wonders of the Middle East? There is so much going on in the area, politically
as well as otherwise, that myriad questions arise.
Here is what a reliable ex-pat resident of Cairo has to say about the current situation: “Wow…the media must be really exaggerating things! As usual, the current demonstrations involve only a three-block radius. Just one night had large numbers, but only about 30-40 (Zamalek Ultras, it seems) scaled the wall. Generally, it’s dozens, or at most hundreds, gathered in the Square. People feel humiliated by the attack on the Prophet -- of course, they don't understand that the U.S. government had nothing to do with the film; Hillary Clinton and the Embassy have issued strong condemnations of the film. The Egyptian government and key Islamist parties have denounced the attack on the embassy; the Nour Party is very clear in its opposition to that, as is Tareq al-Zomor (Islamic Group), saying it is against Shari’a to violate the embassy and tear down the flag. Meanwhile, elsewhere life goes on as normal. People are out late at night visiting street-side cafes, schools are about to start (public school teachers are threatening to strike), etc.” These comments demonstrate a variety of contradictions regarding the Middle East.
Politically, Egypt’s government is attempting to develop some form of democracy, some form of meaning that even the humblest Egyptian can understand. But with so many factions vying for power and position in the country, confusion often reigns. In its desire to bring news to the world, the media can be guilty of sensationalizing events in Tahrir Square, but the demonstrations in the Square remain contained to that very small centre of Cairo. The rest of the city, as a microcosm of the country, struggles daily to survive. Find enough work to feed the family, to survive, and maintain some small semblance of life in the midst of chaos.
In the minds of Egyptians, from those in power down to the least of its citizens, the concept of democracy remains in its infancy. Leadership divisions include revolutionaries, who could not sustain power although their democratic idealism brought about the first stages of the 25 January 2011 revolution; Islamists to the far right including, but not limited to the Salafi, an extreme group determined to bring Egypt under complete Shari’a law with all its decrees, limitations, and demands; the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, a combative group within itself, but one attempting to juggle Islamic extremists with democratic idealism, a problem of massive proportions especially in a country suffering more than 50% illiteracy.
Egypt’s political and religious bases don’t often function in harmony. While some in the political arena attempt to incorporate secularism into its policies, the religious factions refuse, sometimes with belligerence, to adopt anything other than strict Shari’a law into their country’s laws and procedures. What sets Shari’a law apart from the understood forms of democratic law codes, whether American, English, Napoleonic, or other adaptive forms of practiced law? Shari’a law is based solely on the Qur’an and is implemented according to the interpretations of Imams, Islamic spiritual leaders. In some countries, interpretations of Shari’a law reach a severity far above that of other countries, for example, the implementation of Shari’a in countries such as Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, even Pakistan, have in the past made Egypt appear very western and sometimes lax in its legal system. Egypt’s varied and rich history even over the past sixty years created a dichotomy of leadership and confused laws that, during the course of independence from colonial rule, set Egypt’s rulers a difficult path.
To understand this very complicated situation, a brief examination of Egypt’s recent historical changes may prove enlightening. In 1952, the Egyptians, led by a group of semi-Marxist radicals following Abdul Gamal Nasser, overthrew the last of the Ottoman kings of Egypt, King Faisal. They quickly established a regime which removed property from wealthy plantation owners usually known as Pashas, and began dividing up land into smaller farming parcels. They also introduced systems based on the communistic principles of government provisions for everyone, from education to health. Unfortunately, the extremes to which they went divested the Egyptian people of initiative or even the desire to be individually productive. A further unhappy result of this situation came from the application of Shari’a law. Property is actually divided among heirs, thus reducing the size of any viable farmland, ending in an increase in poverty as these farmers become mere subsistence livers rather than having a way to earn a substantial living. With poverty on the increase, illiteracy virtually unchanged, political problems rising, the question remains, is it safe to work in, travel to, or study in Egypt, and if so, where, for how long, when are the most favorable times to be in Egypt?
Cairo and Alexandria are the major and most important centers for study and work in Cairo, with most people settling in Cairo with its many foreign universities, schools, and businesses. Being in Egypt now may present a few more difficulties, the events of the past month a tragedy by any measurement. Most Egyptians do not agree with the violence created by the infamous You Tube video. Other problems involve money; traders work harder to earn the fewer tourist dollars. However, as in the past, most Egyptians are kind, welcoming, and happy to meet anyone interested in their country, but precautions must be taken, more so now than in the past. In places, some crime such as theft, virtually unheard of in earlier times, is on the increase, so visitor beware, but with care. Egypt’s mysteries, its lovely temples, the beautiful Nile, the Valley of the Kings, and so many other magical places still await. There is so much to do and see, bringing the incredible Egyptian past to visibility. If the opportunity offers, plan carefully, make prior contacts, seek advice from those who know Egypt well, but by all means, visit, work, or study in the land once belonging to Pharoahs.
Here is what a reliable ex-pat resident of Cairo has to say about the current situation: “Wow…the media must be really exaggerating things! As usual, the current demonstrations involve only a three-block radius. Just one night had large numbers, but only about 30-40 (Zamalek Ultras, it seems) scaled the wall. Generally, it’s dozens, or at most hundreds, gathered in the Square. People feel humiliated by the attack on the Prophet -- of course, they don't understand that the U.S. government had nothing to do with the film; Hillary Clinton and the Embassy have issued strong condemnations of the film. The Egyptian government and key Islamist parties have denounced the attack on the embassy; the Nour Party is very clear in its opposition to that, as is Tareq al-Zomor (Islamic Group), saying it is against Shari’a to violate the embassy and tear down the flag. Meanwhile, elsewhere life goes on as normal. People are out late at night visiting street-side cafes, schools are about to start (public school teachers are threatening to strike), etc.” These comments demonstrate a variety of contradictions regarding the Middle East.
Politically, Egypt’s government is attempting to develop some form of democracy, some form of meaning that even the humblest Egyptian can understand. But with so many factions vying for power and position in the country, confusion often reigns. In its desire to bring news to the world, the media can be guilty of sensationalizing events in Tahrir Square, but the demonstrations in the Square remain contained to that very small centre of Cairo. The rest of the city, as a microcosm of the country, struggles daily to survive. Find enough work to feed the family, to survive, and maintain some small semblance of life in the midst of chaos.
In the minds of Egyptians, from those in power down to the least of its citizens, the concept of democracy remains in its infancy. Leadership divisions include revolutionaries, who could not sustain power although their democratic idealism brought about the first stages of the 25 January 2011 revolution; Islamists to the far right including, but not limited to the Salafi, an extreme group determined to bring Egypt under complete Shari’a law with all its decrees, limitations, and demands; the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, a combative group within itself, but one attempting to juggle Islamic extremists with democratic idealism, a problem of massive proportions especially in a country suffering more than 50% illiteracy.
Egypt’s political and religious bases don’t often function in harmony. While some in the political arena attempt to incorporate secularism into its policies, the religious factions refuse, sometimes with belligerence, to adopt anything other than strict Shari’a law into their country’s laws and procedures. What sets Shari’a law apart from the understood forms of democratic law codes, whether American, English, Napoleonic, or other adaptive forms of practiced law? Shari’a law is based solely on the Qur’an and is implemented according to the interpretations of Imams, Islamic spiritual leaders. In some countries, interpretations of Shari’a law reach a severity far above that of other countries, for example, the implementation of Shari’a in countries such as Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan, even Pakistan, have in the past made Egypt appear very western and sometimes lax in its legal system. Egypt’s varied and rich history even over the past sixty years created a dichotomy of leadership and confused laws that, during the course of independence from colonial rule, set Egypt’s rulers a difficult path.
To understand this very complicated situation, a brief examination of Egypt’s recent historical changes may prove enlightening. In 1952, the Egyptians, led by a group of semi-Marxist radicals following Abdul Gamal Nasser, overthrew the last of the Ottoman kings of Egypt, King Faisal. They quickly established a regime which removed property from wealthy plantation owners usually known as Pashas, and began dividing up land into smaller farming parcels. They also introduced systems based on the communistic principles of government provisions for everyone, from education to health. Unfortunately, the extremes to which they went divested the Egyptian people of initiative or even the desire to be individually productive. A further unhappy result of this situation came from the application of Shari’a law. Property is actually divided among heirs, thus reducing the size of any viable farmland, ending in an increase in poverty as these farmers become mere subsistence livers rather than having a way to earn a substantial living. With poverty on the increase, illiteracy virtually unchanged, political problems rising, the question remains, is it safe to work in, travel to, or study in Egypt, and if so, where, for how long, when are the most favorable times to be in Egypt?
Cairo and Alexandria are the major and most important centers for study and work in Cairo, with most people settling in Cairo with its many foreign universities, schools, and businesses. Being in Egypt now may present a few more difficulties, the events of the past month a tragedy by any measurement. Most Egyptians do not agree with the violence created by the infamous You Tube video. Other problems involve money; traders work harder to earn the fewer tourist dollars. However, as in the past, most Egyptians are kind, welcoming, and happy to meet anyone interested in their country, but precautions must be taken, more so now than in the past. In places, some crime such as theft, virtually unheard of in earlier times, is on the increase, so visitor beware, but with care. Egypt’s mysteries, its lovely temples, the beautiful Nile, the Valley of the Kings, and so many other magical places still await. There is so much to do and see, bringing the incredible Egyptian past to visibility. If the opportunity offers, plan carefully, make prior contacts, seek advice from those who know Egypt well, but by all means, visit, work, or study in the land once belonging to Pharoahs.
No comments:
Post a Comment