Background:
Ṣaīdā, Samīra and Hind are Dutch students, studying Arabic at Leiden University in the Netherlands. All three are originally from Morocco and are now on exchange in Egypt. They share their experiences of living in Egypt and compare it to their Arab heritage.
Furthermore, Majdī Ḥussaīn, leader of the Labor Party in Egypt which was founded in 1978, discusses Egypt’s living conditions and what the government is doing to improve these.
Side A:
The girls were born and raised in the Netherlands and say that they are thus more used to an individualistic culture. They mention that although they are Arabs and thus have a closer heritage to Egypt than to the Netherlands, they feel more foreign to Egypt than the Netherlands. They are still getting used to the fact that even a trip to the grocery store or the butchery, people are always curious to find out as much as possible about you. Egyptians intervene in your personal space and ask you questions like “Are you Christian or Muslim? Married or single?” According to the girls, Western foreigners are more valued in Egypt than North African foreigners.
During Ramadan, the holy month of fasting from dawn to sunset, Ṣaīdā, Samīra and Hind all noticed that the streets are very populated, people are joyful and there is evidence of a comforting vibe. There are many tables in the streets that are filled with food, ready for ʾIfṭār. The girls mention that this aspect of Egypt reminds them more of their Arab heritage as in the Netherlands – where Muslims form a minority group – this is not the case.
At first, they admit to have had prejudices about the prevalence of terrorism in Egypt. Every time they would see a man with a long beard, they feared the man would be a terrorist, but they quickly realized that this is an extremely exaggerated view that is, according to them, prevalent in the West and thus the Netherlands as well.
Side B:
The Labor Party was founded in 1978, but its roots go back to 1933 when it was more commonly known as the Young Egypt Party. Sources state that the Young Egypt Party was a “radical nationalist” party with Islamic fundamentals. Their aim was to make Egypt the frontrunner of Islam and unite Sudan and Egypt. The party was founded by Ḥussaīn’s father Aḥmad Ḥussaīn. The party openly supported the Nazis of Germany and opposed Egypt’s occupiers at the time; the British.
Majdī Ḥussaīn argues the socialist phenomenon is one that is very close to Islam as they both emphasise social justice. The main issue with the Egyptian government is that they do not have a concrete plan, but they only rely on the International bank to help Egypt’s economy day by day says Ḥussaīn. The government does not have its own program or vision but abides only by the International Bank. He believes the standard of living in Egypt is going down as the privatization is making room for unemployment and thus the prices of resources are increasing exponentially. The government does not have a solution for the wealth gap and they are dealing with the issue without a strategy. Ḥussaīn thinks the international funds focus on how to keep the state balanced, but neglect the terrible condition of the economy or how to improve it. The country is wealthy and consists of many resources, but the wealth is unfairly distributed.
Furthermore, Ḥussaīn believes that the government is fighting a war against Islamic movements of all kinds, whether fanatic or moderate. He mentions the Muslim Brotherhood and his own political party; the Labor Party as examples of the moderate branch which are being fought. The government does not have anything against Islam per se, but according to Ḥussaīn, the regime thinks of Islam as a personal thing that has nothing to do with the entire society. He argues that the ruling party is in fact a very weak party, with a weak ideology that remains from when Nāsir was in power. The party does not have a consistent point of view and care only about keeping all the power to themselves. They allegedly take seats that do not even belong to them by means of ballot stuffing. Ḥussaīn says that if there were to be free and fair elections, NDP – the ruling party – would take no more than 40-60% of the votes as oppose to their current 97%. He argues that his own party would take around 20-30%.
The controversial Shaykh Yūsuf al-Badrī is brought up for discussion who argues that Egypt suffers from many societal issues such as the wealth gap, lack of Islamic rule and poor living standards. Al-Badrī believes that Islamic rule would define the course of living for all citizens. He would forbid whine and cabaret and so on. Ḥussaīn argues that although al-Badrī makes good points, forbidding whine and cabaret is not a priority to his political party. Ḥussaīn says both al-Badrī and himself were members of parliament, but disagreed on many subjects. He even goes as far by saying that al-Badrī defended Mubārak for three years and even voted for him as president.
