We May Speak Arabic, But We Are Not Arabs

Rainy Day in Cairo - Photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Two weeks visiting Egypt hardly qualifies one as an expert in the region, but it is sufficient time to gain some impressions and correlate them with the current unrest in the country. In 2007 we toured the country in conjunction with a tour sponsored by the local university. Our window to the Egyptian people was our guide, a Nubian from the south part of the country with a doctorate degree in Egyptology.

Until 9/11 about 25% of Egypt's GNP was related to the tourist industry. Egyptian security agencies consequently attempted to stymie any activity which would discourage tourists from visiting the county. Despite these efforts, terrorist acts occurred against Westerners in Egypt which stifled the tourist business for a relatively short period of time, but 9/11 virtually brought American tourism to a standstill.

We flew on Egypt Air from New York to Cairo, and as with much of the Egyptian service industry, an all male crew attended to our needs. In 1999 an aircraft from the same airline plunged into the Atlantic as the Egyptian copilot killed the pilot, and while proclaiming “Allah, Akbar!” killed himself and all passengers aboard. This crew felt less inclined to change the itinerary, and we landed without incident at the planned destination.

At nearly 16 million people the Cairo metropolitan area was by far the largest in Africa and easily overwhelmed transportation systems which served the city. The van ride to the hotel on the Nile was a time consuming affair since Cairo is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The skyline was filled with minarets and nearly every roof of every apartment was crammed with television dishes – an indication that this highly religious society was increasingly more connected to the outside world.

When site seeing around the Cairo during the day, our group was accompanied by a security officer armed with an automatic weapon. His presence offered some element of deterrence, but in the case of a motivated assailant he could not have prevented an attack. In Luxor we roamed freely without a guide in the souk while the merchants aggressively tried to sell their wares. As business savvy as they were, they invariably tried to make a sale with one of the men in our group. Didn’t they realize in our Western culture, they were far more likely to sell merchandise to women tourists?

One evening our group boarded a lavish barge for a cruise on the Nile which offered plenty of food, liquor, belly dancers, and dervishes. How bizarre that in this county where 90% of the inhabitants are abstemious Sunni Muslims, a large proportion of the customers were locals who drank alcohol openly. Despite being accompanied by veiled women, they enjoyed entertainment provided by sensuous and scantily clad belly dancers.

Contrary to what had be reported in the popular press, we found the Egyptians to pleasant and gracious hosts. When either talking with them in casual conversation or interacting with the merchants in the souk, there was not the slightest hint of hostility toward Americans. Generally, the grievance was with American foreign policy which supported dictators in the Middle East whose policies were frequently at odds with the people they governed. Most Egyptians do not have a problem with non democratic government as long it confers stability, minimizes corruption, and promotes an economic environment conducive to wealth diffusion throughout society. Furthermore, Egyptians felt American interests were weighted in favor of Israel at the expense of the Muslim world. It was difficult to tell whether this was scapegoating based on political propaganda or informed opinion.

While having tea with an educated Egyptian in a cafe on the Nile, I asked what he thought of Saddam Hussein. It was my impression we would find common ground in agreeing he was a reprehensible madman who perpetrated atrocities on the Iraqi people. To my surprise he referred to Saddam as a strong leader and did not seem to be troubled with human rights abuses. He echoed the sentiments of many of his countrymen who feel strength and stability trumps the ambiguities of representative government.

Our guide was an educated and sophisticated man who in addition to discussing Egypt's storied past also talked about his country's future. He adamantly stated Egypt's culture is over 5000 years old and despite the influence of the the Arabs, Egypt has weathered many conquerors during its long history. “We may speak Arabic, but we are not Arabs,” he reminded me. “When oil is long gone, only Egypt and Iraq will survive, since they are ancient cultures and the only ones which have a permanent supply of water in this thirsty land.”

It is not surprising unrest has struck Egypt. 80 million Egyptians are crowded into a livable area the size of Maryland, and 30% of them live below the poverty level. Resources are limited and the government rife with corruption. In countries such as Egypt where political parties are repressed, the only venues of political organization are the military and the mosque. Moderates rarely control the agenda under these unsettled circumstances. Extremist Muslims are embedded in the movement which unseated Mubarak, but hardline military officers control the tanks. The recipe does not bode well for an easy transition.