My Teenage Life in Egypt

CUSTOMS AND CULTURES OF THE WORLD

MY TEENAGE LIFE IN

EGYPT

CUSTOMS AND CULTURES OF THE WORLD

My Teenage Life in AUSTRALIA My Teenage Life in BRAZIL My Teenage Life in CHINA My Teenage Life in EGYPT My Teenage Life in GREECE

My Teenage Life in INDIA My Teenage Life in JAPAN My Teenage Life in MEXICO My Teenage Life in NEPAL My Teenage Life in RUSSIA My Teenage Life in SOUTH AFRICA Our Teenage Life in the NAVAJO NATION

CUSTOMS AND CULTURES OF THE WORLD

MY TEENAGE LIFE IN

By Jim Whiting with Muhammad Nabil Series Foreword by Kum-Kum Bhavnani EGYPT

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Whiting, Jim, 1943- author. | Nabåil, Muhammad, author. | Bhavnani, Kum-Kum, writer of foreword. Title: My teenage life in Egypt / by Jim Whiting with Muhammad Nabil ; series foreword by Kum-Kum Bhavnani. Other titles: Customs and cultures of the world. Description: First printing. | Broomall, PA : Mason Crest, 2017. | Series: Customs and cultures of the world | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017003632| ISBN 9781422239032 (hardback) | ISBN 9781422238998 (series) | ISBN 9781422278826 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Teenagers--Egypt--Juvenile literature. | Youth--Egypt--Social conditions--Juvenile literature. | Egypt--Social life and customs--Juvenile literature. Classification: LCC HQ799.E3 W45 2017 | DDC 305.2350962--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc. gov/2017003632

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C ontents

Series Foreword by Kum-Kum Bhavnani, UCSB..................... 6

Meet Muhammad!................................ 8 Egypt: An Introduction. ...................... 12 Muhammad’S School Life................18 Time to Eat!.........................................22 Egyptian Customs. ............................. 24 Egyptian Culture ................................ 30

Muhammad’S Town...........................36 Egypt’s Economy and Politics............ 38 Muhammad’S Free Time...................44 Muhammad’s Faith............................48 The Future of Egypt............................ 50 Muhammad’s Country.................... 58

Text-Dependent Questions..................................................... 60 Research Projects.................................................................. 61 Find Out More......................................................................... 62 Series Glossary of Key Terms................................................ 63 Index/Author........................................................................... 64

Key Icons to Look For

Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text, while building vocabulary skills.

Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Text-Dependent Questions: These questions send the reader back to the text for more careful attention to the evidence presented here. Research Projects: Readers are pointed toward areas of further inquiry connected to each chapter. Suggestions are provided for projects that encourage deeper research and analysis. Series Glossary of Key Terms: This back-of-the-book glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

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S eries F oreword Culture: Parts =Whole

C ulture makes us human. Many of us think of culture assomethingthatbelongstoaperson, a group, or even a country. We talk about the food of a region as being part of its culture (tacos, pupusas, tamales, and burritos all are part of ourunderstandingof food fromMex- ico, andSouthandCentralAmerica). We might also talk about the clothes asbeing important toculture (saris in India, kimonos in Japan, hijabs or gallibayas in Egypt, or beaded shirts in theNavajoNation). Imaginetryingtosumup“American” cultureusingjustexampleslikethese! Yet culture does not just belong to a personorevenacountry. It isnot only about food and clothes or music and art, because those things by them- selves cannot tell the whole story.

Culture is also about how we live our lives. It is about our lived experiences of our societies and of all theworldswe inhabit. And in this series—CustomsandCulturesof the World—you will meet young people who will share their experiences of the cultures andworlds they inhabit. How does a teenager growing up in South Africa make sense of the history of apartheid, the 1994 democratic elections, and of what is happening now? That is as integral to ourworld’s culture as the ancient ruins in Greece, the pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, the Himalayas above Nepal, and the Amazon rain forests in Brazil. But these examples are not enough. Greece is also known for its financial uncertainties, Egypt is

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known for the uprisings in Tahrir Square, China is known for its rapid developmentof megacities,Australia is known for its amazing animals, andBrazil isknown for theOlympics and its football [soccer] team. And there are many more examples for eachnation, region, andperson, and some of these examples are featured in these books. The question is: How do you, growing up in a particular country, view your own culture? What do you think of as culture? What is your lived experience of it? Howdo you come to understand and engage with cultures that are not familiar to you? And, perhaps most importantly, why do you/wewant to do this?Andhowdoes reading about andexperiencingother cultureshelp you understand your own? It is perhaps a cliché to say culture forms the central core of our humanity and our dignity. If that’s true, how do young adults talk about your own cultures? How do you simultaneously understand how people apparently “different” fromyou live their lives, and engage

with their cultures? One way is to read the stories in this series. The “authors” are just like you, even though they live in different places and in different cultures. We com- municatedwith these youngwriters over the Internet, whichhas become the greatest gathering of cultures ever. The Internet is now central to the culture of almost everyone, with youngpeople leading thewayonhow to use it to expand the horizons of all of us. From those of us born in earlier generations, thank you for opening that cultural avenue! Let me finish by saying that culture allows us to open ourminds, think about worlds different from the ones we live in, and to imagine how people very different from us live their lives. This series of books is just the start of the process, but a crucial start. I hope you enjoy them. —Kum-Kum Bhavnani Professor of sociology and feminist and global studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an award-winning international filmmaker.

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Meet Muhammad!

About my family: there are five of us and we are happy with that. Mum, dad, me, and my brother and sister. I like to say that their presence is a bless . . . however, sometimes a mess!

My brother is six years my junior. My sister is three years my senior. The more we fight, the closer we get. That’s how it works here; our emotions for each other are unexpectedly strong, even if it could all fall down, we’re happy to build that back up again. Even if life squeezes a lemon inside of our eyes, there’s always a bottle of water for everyone to pour for a little for relief.

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My father works as an accountant for the Ministry of Social Insurance. He’s such a hard worker, the kind of person who is a needle in a stack of straw—a rare thing indeed. His attitude is always, “yes, please, hand [me] this mission.”

The Reader

My Mom’s Job

My mother is an Arabic [language] high school teacher and my savior at this point, because I sometimes have an excessive amount of those grammatical mistakes and when it comes to that, she is the one for helping me fix them.

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Meet Muhammad

The Reader

My House

I live in a house on the main road, with a backdoor in the adjacent lane. The lane starts with my neighbor’s shop, owned by Mr. Shaaban, he’s a wheat/ flour seller and a really silent man. Next is his storage, and then his house. In front of this, there are columns of floor tiles that belong to Mr. Ameen, adjacent to the tiles shop there’s my aunt’s house. At the end of the lane there’s the backdoor of our house that leads to the backyard.

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Egyptian Family Life Family is very important to people in Egypt. Many people live with their parents for a long time, and nearly everyone gets married at some point in their lives. One study said 98 percent of people in Egypt marry. A single person living alone is very rare. People in Egypt feel that their actions reflect very much on their family, so they are careful not to do anything that would bring shame to their rel- atives. Some young people are trying to create a more “Western” life, but the pull of family in Egypt is very strong. (Note: The photo is not of Muhammad’s family.)

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Egypt: An Introduction

W ith one of the world’s oldest continuing civilizations and with a vital place geographically on the world map, Egypt has long been a center of the world. Everyone is probably familiar with the huge stone pyramids that symbolize the country. Built thousands of years ago tohouse the remains of their kings, known as pharaohs, these ancient monuments stand shoulder-to-shoulderwitha crowdedmajor city. Together, they forma physical symbolof thecountry’sconstant clashbetweenancientandmodern. The nation of Egypt is located in the northeast corner of Africa. A small portion lies in the Sinai Peninsula in Asia, bordering the country of Israel. Libya borders Egypt to the west, while Sudan borders it to the south. The Red Sea forms most of the eastern border. Egypt’s total land area is 384,845 square miles. It is larger than Texas (268,597 square miles) and much smaller than Alaska (663,300 square miles). Words to Understand dynasties  long periods of time during which one extended family rules a place hieroglyphics  a form of writing used by ancient Egyptians that uses pictures or symbols instead of letters

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The country is almost en- tirely barren desert. The cli- mate is hot and dry, with very little rainfall. Because of that, the key factor in the develop- ment of ancient Egypt was the Nile River. The Nile actually begins as two rivers—the Blue Nile originating at Lake Tana inEthiopia, and theWhiteNile, rising near Lake Victoria in Kenya and Tanzania. The two branches meet at Khartoum in Sudan and flow into the Mediterranean Sea.

The Nile River flows north from central Africa through Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea.

A Long History

Written historical records begin more than 5,000 years ago, when a pha- raohnamedNarmer (also known asMenes) united the kingdoms of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt was the land between the southern border of Egypt and the point where the river forms several branches called the Delta. The Delta region was known as Lower Egypt. The crown the pharaohs wore was called the pschent . It combined the white crown of Upper Egypt and the red crown of Lower Egypt. Narmer began a series of 29 different dynasties that ruled Egypt for nearly 3,000 years. Perhaps the most stunning achievement during this long period was the construction of the three Great Pyramids of Giza.

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The pyramids were actually burial chambers for the pharaohs. They date back about 4,500 years. According to estimates, 20,000 men worked for 20 years to construct each of them. The largest one is the burial place of the pharaohKhufu. Rising 481 feet (146m), it was theworld’s tallest manmade structure until the year 1300. Nearly all the pharaohs were men. The most notable female pharaoh was Hatshepsut. She ruled from about 1480 bce to 1460. She was often portrayed as a man with a beard.

Thepharaohsweretheheadof thegovernment and were believed to be the earthly represen- tatives of the gods. A man called the vizier helped the pharaohs run the country, while others known as scribes kept careful records. Themajority of the people were farmers and paid taxes in the form of part of their crops. “Gift of the Nile” In thoseancient times, traveling insmall boats along theNilewas the easiestmethod of mov- ing through the land. Farmore important, the Nileoverflowed itsbanks inmidsummerevery year. When the floodwaters receded several weeks later, they left behind a thick layer of nutrient-rich silt that enabled Egyptians to grow life-sustaining crops. As a result, Egypt was often called “The Gift of the Nile.” The Egyptians had three seasons built around the annual flooding. Akhet marked the actual period of flooding. Peret was the

King Tut Tutankhamen, better known as King Tut, is probably the most famous Egyptian pharaoh. He began ruling about 3,300 years ago when he was only eight or nine. He died while he was a teenager. As a result, most historians believe he had little or no historical signifi- cance. So why is he so famous? Grave robbers plundered the tombs of all the other pharaohs many centuries ago. But they never found King Tut’s tomb. So when archaeologists discovered it in 1922, it was still packed full of the fabulous treasures that had been buried with King Tut. Exhibits of these treasures sometimes travel to different parts of the world. They always attract huge crowds.

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time for sowing and grow- ing crops. Shemu was the harvest period. TheAswan HighDam,built in1970,now allows the government to control the flow of the riv- er’s water and the Nile no longerfloods itsbanks. Still, nearly all the population of the Egypt lives close to the river. Expanding Boundaries One of themost significant historical periods began about 1550 bce . Under the leadershipof powerful pha- raohs suchasThutmose III, Akhenaten, andRameses II, Egypt expanded its borders and took over much of the surrounding region.

A traditional type of sailboat known as a dhow had plied the waters of the Nile for centuries. As highway and irrigation source, the river is key to life.

The Greek leader Alexander the Great added Egypt to his conquests in 332 bce , founding the still-existing city of Alexandria. When he died soon afterward, one of his generals, Ptolemy, became pharaoh. He and his descendants ruled Egypt for nearly 300 years. Cleopatra, the final Ptole- maic pharaoh, died in 30 bce . At that point, Egypt lost its independence and became a province of the Roman Empire.

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Muslim Control Shortly after the religion of Islam was founded in the early 600s by the prophet Muhammad, Muslim forces conquered Egypt. Several Muslim dynasties controlled Egypt for nearly 1,000 years as part of the Ottoman Empire, which was based in Istanbul, Turkey. Surprisingly, few people outside of the general region were aware of Egypt. That changed in 1798 when the French emperor Napoleon invad- ed Egypt. One of his men, Jean-François Champollion, discovered what became known as the Rosetta Stone. This large fragment of an even larger tablet has three identical inscriptions: one in hieroglyphics , another in

a different type of Egyptianwrit- ing, while the thirdwas a formof Greek. ChampollionknewGreek so he was able to translate the hieroglyphics. That made many more people aware of Egypt and its former glory. Another important devel- opment came in 1869 when the Suez Canal opened. Before that, ships had to travel around the southern tip of Africa to get to Asia. The new canal linked the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, shortening thevoyage toAsia by thousands of miles. Thisdevel- opment proved to be especially important to the British Empire.

Visitors to the British Museum in London can see the actual Rosetta Stone on display there, taken by English forces from Napoleon.

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Egyptian tanks roll across the Suez Canal on a temporary bridge during action from the 1967 war that did not turn out well for Egypt.

It controlled India, so the Suez Canal made it much easier to get there. The British gained control of Egypt in 1882, as well, but by 1922 Egypt had limited independence. The head of the government was a king. In 1953, under the leadership of army officer Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt became fully independent for the first time in nearly 2,000 years. Its

history since then has been turbulent. It has been involved in the ongoing conflicts between Israel and variousArab states aswell as disputes among those Arab states, a situation which shows few signs of being resolved. Egypt’s internal politics have also been chaotic (see Economy and Politics, page 38). 

Hieroglyphics explained.

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E G Y P T

MuhammAd’s SchoOl LIfe

The Reader

My School Life

My school is a school, the usual kind of school with all of the drama and misunderstandings . . . with all the non-understanding teachers and the blessing of having some who knows how to help. I study a frightening stack of subjects so large that I simply see it as a burden, especially to those people who have so much going in their lives. Because some of the students here work right after school, I honestly think that this is so much for them to endure. I was in a school so much like this one but I have to say: my art was not appreciated, my humanity was vulnerable, and I was expecting to crash anytime. However, I have changed to another school, and what I like about this school is that my paintings are appreciated and I get sincere compliments that I’d have loved to have received back in the day. What I don’t like about my new school is what I don’t like about any other school—the system and the consideration of us as machines. How am I supposed to study 7 subjects, get As, stay awake in class, sleep 8 hours a day, yet get to school at 8 am , and be expected to be fully appreciative of the educational system? Machines work hard, but they break down, and when they do in their human forms, it’s hard to find a compatible grease monkey.

All of the above leads me to conclude that I’m disgruntled with the arthritic education system in Egypt.

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My paintings are appreciated and [given] sincere compliments...

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MuhammAd’s SchoOl LIfe

My Schedule

AM 8 Mechanics 8:45 English 9:30 Computer Tech. 10:15 Arabic 11 Break 11:30 Physics PM 12:15 French 1 Dismissal* *Usually!

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Going to School in Egypt Students in Egypt attend two years of kindergarten and then grades 1-9 of pri- mary and middle education in public and private schools. When entering grade 10, there are three paths students can take that last from three to five years. General studies leads usually to exams that can earn them places in universities. Vocational and technical studies are designed to focus on career paths that don’t need university study. Students that do choose universities have more than 170 to choose from in the country. About 30 percent of students take that path. A parallel system called Al-Azhar offers families and students lessons that focus on an Islamic education system. Students from 5–15 attend single-gender classes in all subjects. Some move on to Al-Azhar University as well.

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Time to Eat!

About my food: I like all kinds of food, however, my favorite is peas. And of course pizza, I mean who doesn’t like pizza?

The Reader

Traditional Food

My favorite traditional food is kushari. It’s a

mixture of rice, macaroni, and lentils and on top you add tomato sauce and garlic if you want. It tastes great, but you don’t want to be overdosing on kushari.

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In addition to that, I’m a veggie lover, I eat meat but my main meat is vegetables and vegetables and vegetables.

VEGETABLES! VEGETABLES! VEGETABLES!

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Egyptian Customs

I slam is the official religion of Egypt. As a result, many of the coun- try’s national holidays are connected to Muslim celebrations. Because the Muslim calendar is based on the lunar cycle , it is 11 days shorter (12 days during leap years) than the one in common use. Muslim holidays therefore don’t have a fixed date, but instead they slowly move through the various seasons. One of themost important of theseMuslimholidays isMawlidan-Nabi. It honors the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam. Muslims say special prayers, decorate their cities with bright lights, and provide gifts for their children. Egyptians also use the term “mawlid” to honor the birthdays of other important religious figures. Ramadan Another importantMuslimobservance is Ramadan.Muhammad received his first revelations during the month of Ramadan, so during the entire Words to Understand anthropologist  person who studies the origin and development of human societies in different parts of the world henna  a plant whose leaves are ground up and made into dye to color hair and create body paint lunar cycle  the period of time from one new moon to the next, 29.5 days. Calen- dars based on the lunar cycle have 354 days in the year.

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These Egyptian children are holding fanous , or lanterns, that for centuries have been a symbol of the holy month of Ramadan.

month,Muslims fast during daytime hours. Theybelieve fasting encourag- es them to look inward and strengthen their faith. They also have special prayers and focus on charitable giving. Ramadan endswitha festival called Eid al-Fitr, which opens with a big feast that features extensive desserts and gift giving and lasts for three days. Seventy days after Eid al-Fitr, Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha, another three-day festival. It commemorates the story of God commanding Abra- ham to sacrifice his son. Abraham was sad but willing to do as he had been commanded until at the last moment the angel Gabriel sacrificed a ram instead. The festival honors Abraham’s obedience. Throughout the country, Muslims slaughter one of those animals as a sacrifice. They keep

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one-third of the meat for themselves, give their relatives another third, and donate the remaining third to the poor. Sniff the Breeze! Muslims and non-Muslims alike celebrate Sham el-Nassim. It literally means “sniff the breeze” and celebrates the beginning of spring. It always falls on the day after the day that Coptic Orthodox Christians (see page 30 ) celebrate their feast of Easter, sometime in April or May. Sham el-Nassim

dates back at least 4,000 years; in those early days, ancient Egyptians offered salted fish, lettuce, andonions to the gods. Today, families usually spend the entire day enjoying a picnic that may include those three foods. They also like to color eggs in bright colors. Egyptian Copts celebrate Christmas on January 7. This date is based on the Coptic calendar,which in turn isbasedon theancient Egyptian calendar. Like nearly the rest of the world, Egyp- tians celebrate January 1 as New Year’s Day. However, most also observe the Islamic New Year on the first day of Muharram, the first month in the Islamic calendar. As with other such holidays, it falls on different calendar days based on themoon. In 2018, for example, it was September 10. In addition to these holidays and obser- vances,Muslimsusually takeFridayoff. They attend special services at their mosques.

The Hajj Some 100,000 Egyptians

join an estimated two million other Muslims in the annual pilgrimage to the city of Mec- ca, Saudi Arabia. Mecca is the holiest city for Muslims and this pilgrimage is called the Hajj. All Muslims who are physically and financially able are expected to undertake the Hajj at least once during their lives. It lasts for six days. During this time pilgrims wear white clothing and per- form a number of rituals. Some of these rituals are connected with Muhammad, while others are connected with the prophet Abraham. Muslims believe that Muhammad is a descendent of Abraham’s son Ishmael. It may be the world’s largest annual assembly of people.

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Artists create beautiful decorated eggs for the festival called Sham el-Nassim.

Revolution Day The most important non-Islamic holiday is Revolution Day, July 23. On that date in 1952, a group of army officers that included Nasser overthrew themonarchy. Thatmarked the beginning of themodernEgyptiannation. Egyptians celebratewithconcerts, patriotic speeches, andmilitaryparades. Like most countries throughout the world, Egypt celebrates May 1 as Labor Day. It’s also commonly referred to as International Workers Day. The day honors workers and the jobs they do to help keep the country running smoothly. Businesses, government offices, and schools are all closed so everyone can spend the day with family and friends. The presi- dent oversees an official celebration in Cairo.

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Six days earlier, Egypt celebrates Sinai Liberation Day. In 1967, Israeli forces dealt Egypt and other Arab nations a crushing defeat. Israel took control of theSinai Peninsula, an important part of Egypt. Thepeace treaty that Egyptian president Anwar Sadat signed in 1979 called for Israel to withdraw from the Sinai, and the last Israeli troops left there on April 25, 1982. On this public holiday, Egyptian air force jets trace colorful patterns in the sky, while military bands play concerts throughout the country. Henna

Some Egyptian customs date back to the time of the pha- raohs. For example, brides in ancient times had their hands and feet painted with henna beforetheirweddings.Thatwas believed tobring good luckand good health. Today brides sit for several hours while their friends and family members create detailed designs with henna. Another modern ceremo- ny with ancient roots is the Sebou, which means “seven” in Arabic. Seven days after the birth of a child, the parents carry the infant around their home. Centuries ago,manyba- bies died within a few days of

President Anwar Sadat (1918–1981) helped create a peace treaty that returned the Sinai peninsula to Egyptian control.

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Henna is almost like a 3-D tattoo, but it is not permanent. This Egyptian custom has spread to Europe and America as well.

birth. So as anthropologist Hania Sholkamy explains, “The ritual itself is all about advising the newborn about warding off evil spirits, about

strengthening it, about giving it, you know, guts and a will to live.” Friends and family members bang on pots and pans to create loud noiseswhich helpmake the baby brave. They also sprinkle salt around the house for protection. The celebration concludeswithanelaborate feast.Many shops sell Sebou-relatedmerchandise suchas urns, candles, and party favors. 

History Channel: Islam

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Egyptian Culture

L ike many countries in the Middle East, Egypt’s culture is deeply affected by Islam. The vastmajority of Egyptians practice the religion of Islam, and it is the country’s official religion. While estimates vary, the most commonly accepted figure is that Muslims comprise about 85-90 cul- ture of the population. Egypt is dotted with mosques, which are Muslim places of worship. The adhan , or call to prayer, occurs five times a day and regulates the pace of Egyptian daily life. Cairo is nicknamed “the city of 1,000 minarets ,” reflecting how important Islam is. Islam’s importance is further reflected in the country’s constitution. Any new laws must conform to Sharia, or Islamic law. The constitution also extends freedomof religion to the three religions associated with the Biblical prophet Abraham. These are Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. The Copts Nearly all the Egyptians who aren’t Muslims belong to the Coptic Ortho- dox branch of Christianity. It arose in the first century CE and eventually became the dominant religion in Egypt. By then, no traces of the religion

Words to Understand minarets  high slender towers situated next to a mosque. A muezzin issues the adhan from a balcony.

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The minarets of this mosque in Cairo are the tall towers. From the top of those towers, speakers send out the call to prayer for Muslims five times a day.

of ancient Egypt and its many gods remained. When Muslim forces con- quered Egypt, most Coptics converted to Islam. The ones who didn’t were allowed to continue practicing their religion, but they had to pay a tax called the jizyah to the government. For the most part, members of the two religions get along well today. In fact, if a Copt greets a Muslim and both say “I’ll see you tomorrow,” each one of themwill reply, “Inshallah.” That means, “If God is willing.” Clothing and Food Egypt’s strong religious beliefs influence the way people dress and act. Both genders usuallywear conservative clothing. Anyone wearing shorts is likely to be a tourist. Women often wear scarves or other form of head covering.

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A type of bread called pita is the most common food in Egypt. People eat it at nearly every meal. They even use it as a utensil, wiping up sauces on their plates. Islamic law forbids eating pork, and not many people raise cattle. Therefore the most common meat dishes are sheep and chicken. Fish from the sea or Lake Nasser (formed by the Aswan High Dam) are also popular. Some typical dishes are s hishkebab , falafel (deep-fried patties made of ground chickpeas or fava beans), and koshari , which some people consider as the national dish (a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni). Language The Rise of Islam

About the year 610, a prosper- ous merchant named Muham- mad said the angel Gabriel appeared to him in a vision. Gabriel told Muhammad to be the messenger of Allah. Allah is the Arabic word for God. Gabriel ordered him to preach the word of Allah to the people of the city of Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Most Meccans believed in numerous gods, and they op- posed Muhammed and his new religion of Islam. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina in 622. Eight years later Mu- hammad’s forces were strong enough to return to Mecca. Though Muhammad died in 632, his followers quickly began expanding Islam throughout the region.

Besides bringing Islam to Egypt, the Muslim invasion had another effect. It introduced the Arabic language, which has become the primary language of Egypt. Nearly everyone in the country speaks a type of Arabic known as Egyptian Arabic. Before the arrival of Muslim forces, most Egyptians spoke Coptic. It had descended from the ancient Egyptian language. Today Coptic is mainly spoken during services of the Coptic Church. Many Egyptians also speak English and French. Street signs are often printed in both Arabic and English. Art and Literature Egyptians are very proud of their artistic past. Many statues and sculptures honor the gods and pharaohs. People today are still very

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interested in ancient Egyptian arts and crafts. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo is probably the best place to experience the country’sgloriouspast.Themu- seum boasts more than 120,000 individual items. Not all can be displayed at one time, but some of themost popular attractions are mummies and gold masks of pharaohs. In recent times, Egypt has been at the center of arts and literature in the Arab World. It has produced many notable poets and writers. Perhaps the best known isNaguibMahfouz, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1988. During his 70-year career he published 34 novels, hundreds of short sto- ries, anddozens of movie scripts. Music

A replica of the mighty Sphinx stands guard in front of Cairo’s Egyptian Museum, home to thousand of amazing antiquities.

For thousands of years, music has played an important part in Egyptian cultural life. Today a variety of musicians performing traditional and contemporary music attracts millions of listeners, both in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world. Many Egyptians, especially the younger ones, also enjoy listening to Western rock music.

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Egypt’smost famous singer is UmmKulthum, the “Lady of Cairo.” Starting in the 1930s, her concerts were broadcast throughout the Arab world. Life came to a virtual stand- still as people tuned in to hear her. She also appeared inmany films. Some people say she is themost influential Arabwom- an in recent times. She died in 1975, and Cairo’s Kawkab al-Sharq Museum honors her accomplishments. Sports Soccer isbyfar themostpopular sport inEgypt.Childrenplaythe gameonathleticfieldsandinthe streets.Egypthasaleagueof the country’s best teams called the

Umm Kulthum (1898–1975) was more than just a singer, and became a national icon for her talent and personality.

Premier League. Fans pack stadiums and gather around TV sets to watch their favorite teams. The Al Ahly team based in Cairo has won 20 major international club team trophies. Only Spain’s famed Barcelona Football Club, featuring superstar Lionel Messi, has won as many. The national team is called “The Pharaohs” and is the most successful national team in Africa. The team has won the Africa Cup of Nations seven times—the next-closest teams have four titles. The Pharaohs played in theWorld Cup in 1934 and 1990 but didn’t win any games.

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ManyEgyptians also enjoyplaying andwatch- ing basketball. As with soccer, themen’s national team is themost successful African teamand has qualified for sevenOlympics and sixWorldCham- pionships. It haswonfiveAfrican championships and finished second six times. Egyptian weight- lifters, boxers, andwrestlers have won numerous Olympic and world championship medals. The national handball team is becoming a force in international competitions. 

Egypt and the Nile

Members of Egypt’s national soccer team stand at attention during the playing of the National Anthem before an international match.

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E G Y P T

Muhammad’s Town

The Reader

Beni Suef

I live in the Governorate of Beni Suef in Egypt. It’s a simple yet complicated, calm place and the entrance to Upper Egypt. I have lived there ever since I was born, when I took my first look at this world seeing my wheat- colored skin with my deep-black eyes.

I took this photo of sunset over the Nile River. Beni Suef is located along this river, so vital and important for our whole country.

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SIMPLE YET COMPLICATED

The Reader

Beni Suef

If I’m forced to be honest, I like it here, but I don’t like it here. I like the memories and the feelings, I like the whispers of my scratched name and juvenile words on the walls of my house. But I can’t sleep with my past like this. Facing this new version of my life, the updated version that came with even more bugs and crashing systems, made me think again about my future here. I don’t like my town but I deeply appreciate my bed and box of memories stacked underneath. My neighborhood is a place of a paradoxically complicated atmosphere. I may not be acquainted with all of my neighbors but I’m looking from a distance just to stay connected, however not attached.

My favorite neighbors are the Riyads, Christian, beautiful yet crazy people whose company is favorable.

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E G Y P T

Egyptian Economy and Politics

E gypt has the second-largest economy in the Arab world. Only Saudi Arabia has a larger one. Despite its size, Egypt imports more goods than it exports. As a result, Egypt has to borrow large sums of money from other countries to survive financially. Many people in Egypt live in poverty. Estimates range from 20 to 25 percent. One of the main reasons is Egypt’s explosive population growth. The population has nearly doubled in less than 30 years, but the economy hasn’t kept pacewith this growth. Unemployment ismore than 10 percent and it can be especially difficult for younger Egyptians to find jobs. Words to Understand pharmaceuticals  drugs used as medicine state of emergency  situation in which the government suspends some rights of its people because of what it believes is a serious threat transit fees  money paid by ships and other types of transportation for the right to use canals, roadways, and other methods of getting from one point to another. unicameral legislature  a single legislative body

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The rich soil of the lands along the Nile River create large fields for farming, such as these south of Cairo.

Fellahin About 30 percent of the population works in agriculture. A typical farm in Egypt has about four acres. Farmers are also known as fellahin , an Arabic wordmeaning “a person who ploughs.” As has been the case since ancient times, virtually all of the country’s agricultural production takes place within a few miles of the Nile River. The most important agricul- tural products are cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits like dates, and animals such as sheep, water buffalo, and goats. Another 20 percent of workers are employed in a variety of indus- tries. The main ones are automobile manufacturing, pharmaceuticals , construction, textiles, chemicals, and steelmaking.

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Service Sector The remainder of the work force is in the service sector. Banking and insurance and transportation, which includes the nation’s railways, road network, airplanes, and administering the Suez Canal, are the largest. An average of about 50 ships pass through the canal’s 120-mile (193-km) length every day. Each vessel pays an average of $250,000 in transit fees .

Communications are a third component of the service sector. Egypt has long been considered the information center of the Arab world, with the hub in Cairo. The countryalsohas a thrivingfilmindustry. Many people call Cairo the “Hollywood of the ArabWorld”becausedozensof filmsareproduced there everyyear. The annual Cairo International Film Festival attracts movies from throughout the world. Youssef Chahine is the country’s most famous director; he has made more than 40 films. He won a lifetime achievement award at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in 1997. He also launched the career of Omar Sharif, the best-knownEgyptianmovie actor. Sharif starred in such classicfilms as Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and Doctor Zhivago (1965). Visiting Egypt More than2,500years ago, a famousGreekauthor named Herodotus traveled to Egypt. “Nowhere are there so many marvelous things,” he wrote.

Abu Simbel Many historians believe that Rameses II, who reigned from about 1280 to 1215 bce , was the greatest Egyptian pharaoh. Rameses would totally agree. To display his greatness to his people, he constructed two massive temples cut into a solid rock cliff near the border with Sudan. The entrance to the larger temple has four massive statues of Rameses seated on his throne. Each statue towers nearly 70 feet. The construction of the Aswan High Dam in 1970 would have totally submerged the temples. An international effort saved them. The temples and statues were sawed into cubes weighing several tons apiece and reassembled at a higher point. The task required 3,000 workers, cost $42 million, and took four years to complete.

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Millions of people today agreewith Herodotus and have made tourism the most important part of the service sector. It is one of Egypt’s key industries, both in terms of the number of people it employs to take care of the tourists who visit the country and also the amount of money these tourists spend while they are in Egypt. The Great Pyramids at Giza are an obvious attraction. Leisurely multi-day cruises on the Nile are popular.Many of these cruises visit Luxor, site of temples and many burial sites of the pharaohs. Nearby isKarnak, theworld’ssecond-largest ancient religious site, which con- tains several massive temples built bydifferent pharaohs duringanum- ber of centuries. Hardy travelers

The three main pyramids at Giza stand just south of Cairo, along with smaller pyramids and the statue called the Sphinx.

venture several hundredmiles further south toAbu Simbel. The Egyptian Museum in Cairo features the treasures of King Tut andmanymummies. Many people visit Egypt for reasons unconnected to the ancient past. Theyflock to thenumerous sandybeaches along theRedSea for swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and sunbathing. Unfortunately, terrorists murdered 58 tourists at Luxor in 1997. Cou- pledwith recent political instability, this important source of revenue has seen a significant decline, which harms the economy.

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E G Y P T

This is a scene from one of the many marches and gatherings from the Arab Spring protests in 2011 and 2012 in Egypt, which saw the birth of a new government.

The Government Egypt’s government is officially a republic. Apresident andprimeminister divide power in the executive branch. A unicameral legislature has nearly 600members. They belong to one of more than 100 political parties. In theory, these two branches administer the country as a democracy. In reality, the president wields most of the authority. Gamal Abdel Nasser was actually the second president even though he was the leader of the group that overthrew themonarchy. He took office in 1956, andmade many advances including the construction of the vital Aswan High Dam. However, many people believe he laid the groundwork for the increasing power of the presidency. He also led the country to a disastrous defeat by Israel in 1967, in which Egypt lost the Sinai Peninsula. Nasser died in office of a heart attack three years later.

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Nasser’s Successors Nasser’s deputy Anwar Sadat became president in 1970. Sadat made the economymore open and encouraged foreign companies to come to Egypt. He also signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, for which he shared the Nobel PeacePrizewith Israeli PrimeMinisterMenachemBegin. The treaty made Sadat unpopularwithmany people, even thoughEgypt regained the Sinai Peninsula. Sadat was assassinated two years later. After Sadat’s death, vice president Hosni Mubarak became president. Almost immediately he declared a “ state of emergency .” Under its terms, he had almost dictatorial powers. Though hewas re-elected several times, the Egyptian people became increasingly unhappy with him. That unhappiness came to a head in January 2011. The “Arab Spring” Riots and protests against a dictatorial government in Tunisia had bro- ken out in late 2010. People in Egypt and other Arab countries also began protesting against their governments. These protests became known as the “Arab Spring.” The name referred to people wanting a greater voice in their governments. For nearly three weeks, television broadcasts fo- cused on Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Asmany as 300,000 people packed it every night. Nearly 1,000 people were killed during the protests, but eventually Mubarak was forced to resign. Mohamed Morsi was elected in June 2012 to replace him. He was the first democratically elected president inEgypt’s history. Themilitary over- threwhima year later. General Abdul Fatah al-Sisi, chief of the Egyptian armed forces, became the country’s sixth president. The promises of the Arab Spring remain unfulfilled. 

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E G Y P T

Muhammad’s Free Time

The Reader

My Free Time In my spare time, I usually read, I sit down and grab a book and plow through. Sometimes I paint or draw, other times I write, but the whole thing of writing is more than just a hobby. I’m not really interested in sports, so you could say that I’m obsessed with the size of my brain more than the size of my muscles. I like to read anything that is good. My favorite book is, “Under This Unbroken Sky” by the author Shandi Mitchell (left).

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LANA DEL REY!

Who doesn’t listen to music? It’s hard for me to spend a day without a good song playing in the background!

My favorite music genre is Pop, Rock, Indie, R&B, and 90s Alternative. My favorite singers are Lana Del Rey, Amy Winehouse, and Lady Gaga. My favorite band is ‘Made In Heights’ and ‘Oh Wonder’, and certainly ‘The Rolling Stones’.

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E G Y P T

MuhammAd’s Free Time

My favorite kind of movies are drama and tragedy, and my favorite movies include Magnolia, The Color Purple, Cake, The Secret Life of Bees, The Book Thief, Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close, American Beauty, The Age of Adaline, and more.

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The Reader

My Free Time

I don’t always hang out with my friends, I’ve always tried to keep things floating on the surface and not to dive much in any relationship with people, excluding my best friend, he knows a little more than anyone, not because I’m not social, it’s because these people aren’t long-time-friends material. But in some cases, it just feels so good to be with them, to have a laugh with a person not a phone. Recently, I was on a trip with them, we went to Cairo for a look at the ancient Coptic and Islamic architecture and monuments. We visited the Hanging Church, the Mosque of Amr Ebn El Aas and a lot more. It was a really nice time and the rapture grew at the point we were having our holy Papa John’s pizza at the restaurant.

HANGING OUT AT HANGING CHURCH

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Muhammad’s Faith

The Reader My Faith

Religion is a huge part of my life, but being an Egyptian Muslim is such a paradox, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing but I just think that people are holding on to religion from the wrong side. An example: They have no mercy on animals or plants. They’re clinging to their traditions more than their peaceful religion, and claiming that this is what religion is all about, and it’s not. But for me, my relationship with God is stronger than any other relationship in my life. When I was a kid, I saw God in each and every beautiful thing, I was treating beautiful things carefully just to keep their beauty sprouting as long as possible while other kids made fun of me because I was not fighting with them using tree branches.

God is beauty, freedom, love and justice.

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Islam in Egypt Islam is an ancient religion that has been the dominant faith in many Middle Eastern countries for centuries. Like Christianity, Islam has some different paths within the larger faith. In Egypt, nearly all Muslims (people who follow Islam) are part of the Sunni group. A small number are in the Shia group. More than 90 percent of people in Egypt are part of Islam. Some are also Muslims but do not say that they are part of one of the groups. As in many Middle Eastern, predom- inantly Muslim nations, the impact of the faith on the nation’s politics is large. The ongoing struggle in Egypt and other such lands is just how much that impact should be.

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E G Y P T

The Future of Egypt

A s Egyptians look forward the future, they see numerous challenges. The countryneeds to take care of its increasing number of people. Egypt’s population boom is driven in part by improved health care at both ends of the spectrum. Infant mortality decreased from113 per 1,000 births in 1980 to just 18 per 1,000 in 2012. Life expectancy has increased from an average age of 48 in 1960 to 71 in 2012. The bottom line is that more and more people are surviving infancy and living much longer. Huge Classrooms These increasing numbers create strains in several areas of society. For example, the school system is overburdened and classes exceeding 100 students per room are common. Many eighth graders have difficulty in reading andwriting. In aworldwide era of continual technological expan- sion, this deficiency places Egyptians at a disadvantage. Words to Understand catastrophic  incredibly damaging to life and property brazen  acting excessively shockingly and boldly destabilize  damage, disrupt, undermine runoff  water that flows from the land back into large bodies of water satellite  something relatively small that is near a larger body and influenced by it

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