Why
you should come to Cairo. Now.
Perhaps more than most, I am known for
openly criticizing Cairo. This is because I am way past the infatuation phase
in my relationship with this city. I have said and continue to say that it is
dirty, crowded, chaotic, draining, dysfunctional, and frustrating. But one thing
I have never said about this place is that it is dangerous. If it were
dangerous, I would not live here. Neither would thousands of other foreigners
who live here alongside me. Okay, okay, the first week of the uprising was
pretty scary. I’ll give you that. But things calmed down soon after. Sure, there
is no real government right now, and there still isn’t as many police on the
streets as there used to be, but I could think of much more dangerous countries
that have functioning governments and plenty of police.
Despite what you hear from the media, Cairo
is safe. The problem with the media is that it broadcasts from Tahrir Square to
the near exclusion of the rest of the country. This results in a skewed version
of reality. Tahrir is not Egypt. It is a tiny sliver of Cairo that serves as a rallying point for political
agitators. Generally, what happens in Tahrir stays in Tahrir and does not
affect the country at large. In fact, half of the time, Egyptians don’t even
know what is happening there.
Certain personalities are also guilty of
promoting the myth that Egypt is a danger zone. They are either prone to
believing and spreading rumors, or are in the business of scaremongering. I
remember one Egyptian in the US scaring me out of returning to Cairo. He told
me people were being mugged and murdered in broad daylight, and that women were
being raped in public. He also said I would have to hire an armed driver to
escort me absolutely everywhere, including to the supermarket. While it is true
that incidents such as these have happened, there isn’t an epidemic of violent
crime sweeping the country. And while it is always a good idea to take the same
precautions you would take in any city, hiring an armed driver for your
protection is unnecessary.
Knowingly spreading these types of rumors
is unconscionable. So is blindly believing them. This myth that Cairo is
dangerous has delivered a near death blow to the tourism sector, the main
pillar of the Egyptian economy. Millions of Egyptians now find themselves
un(der)employed because of the steep decline in tourism—tour guides, taxi
drivers, wait staff, artists, vendors, etc. Life was hard enough before the ‘revolution.’
Now it is even more difficult.
Two things prompted me to write this post.
The first was the very low attendance at both of Cairo’s belly dance festivals
this summer. In the past, these festivals had attracted well over 500 students each
summer. In 2006 alone, the number of students at one festival was more than one
thousand! This summer, the number of attendees at both festivals was under 200.
While I expected attendance to be lower this year, I did not think it would be this low. I mean, it’s not like Cairo is
a war zone.
The second thing compelling me declare Cairo
is safe is my (very) bleak prognosis for the future. For reasons I will discuss in a future post, I
am not too optimistic about the changes that Egypt is about to undergo. Though
the country is still relatively safe and friendly towards foreigners, there is
no guarantee this will be the case tomorrow. For this reason, I urge all of my
readers not to take Egypt for granted. Yes, it will always exist on the map, but
it may be a very different country than the one we all know and love. Do not
put off your trip to Egypt until “things get better.” They may very well get worse. Do not assume that
Egypt will always welcome you with open arms. There are powerful forces in this
country that want that to stop.
Just last week, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign
Affairs announced it would ban individual foreign tourists from purchasing
tourist visas at the airport. Only individuals who purchased a tour package
from a recognized tourism company in Egypt would be allowed to enter the
country. Upon realizing the damage this would inflict on the economy, the
powers that be promptly rescinded that decision. But it demonstrates that cracking
down on tourism (including the thousands of “permanent tourists” that reside in
Egypt) is an idea that is gaining wider currency these days. For Heaven’s sake,
we even have the Muslim Brotherhood declaring war on the “rotten culture” of
the Pharaohs—you know, that same rotten culture that is the reason for tourism
to Egypt!
(You can read more about the Brotherhood’s plan
to cover the Sphinx’s face with wax here: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/90058045?Egypt%26%23146%3Bs%20Brotherhood%20declares%20war%20on%20the%20bikini. It’s a long article. Make sure you get to
the bottom of it).
Egypt needs you now more than ever. Your
presence and your dollars will help stimulate the economy, employ thousands of
people, and serve as a powerful reminder that Egypt CANNOT survive without
tourism. So, think about spending your next vacation in Egypt. Egypt is an
enchanting land with much to offer. Whether it is the “rotten culture” of the
Pharaohs, belly dance, Arabic language, or Islamic history, there is something
here for everyone. Not to mention that Egyptians are some of the most
hospitable and funniest people on the planet. They alone are worth a visit to
the Land of prophets and Pharaohs.
I totally agree with your post.I really didn't realize how strong and devastating the movement of Salafi and muslim brotherhood in Egypt until right after the revolution. For once, half of my colleagues at work turned out to be members of the muslim brotherhood. They were all undercover and I was shocked by their numbers afterward.
It is really sickening to me, although I am still optimistic that the majority of the Egyptian public will not accept them as a ruling force. But like you said sooner or later it might be a fact that we must deal with, well not for me to deal with anyway because I choose the highway.
Whatever their motives and their strict and extreme religious background. No matter whether they will or will not be able to turn around this country into something better. I simply don't want my country to hold this ugly extreme religious face, because when that happens I will curse the day I ever thought of protesting and rising up against the tyranny and corruption of the very people that created these kind of maniacs in the first place.
A.A
Thanks for your comment. I think the problem is that well-intentioned Egyptian liberals such as yourself are in denial of the reality on the ground. The Brotherhood and Salafists are indeed strong, as you say. Egyptians need to realize that and come up with an effective way of keeping them out of power, whatever that takes. The other issue is that they've been underground for so long that Egyptians are not used to seeing them so public, nor are they taking them seriously. I hope this revolution doesn't get hijacked the way so many other revolutions in history have. Only time will tell. In the meantime, sit tight!
i just cannot see it happening Muslim brotherhood maybe i am wrong but they are not good business man they have to many things that will hurt the growth of anything good and i just know to many egyptian even the ones who so call cover but you can see all there body parts will do well with this brotherhood fashion , hair , nails , hahah woman things and let n ot talk about the night life all this freedom they alreay have will be gone , i am not writing this in a good context of things but it soo deep and so much and i just do not see it happening i see maybe the militray running the show but anyway let hope for the best but i surely will be gone if they get in power that is a fact .. Patricia Merry B….
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Just curious as to how long you have lived in Cairo. I loved the time I spent there.
It'll be 4 years in September. I must note that this post is no longer accurate. The security situation has deteriorated so much that it is not as safe as it used to be.