Every ethnicity of the world has been stereotyped. When I listen to my European friends, they see Americans as loud, conceited, arrogant, and imperialists. The British are seen as overly polite. Black Americans are known for their rhythm, music, love of friend chicken and Cool-Aid, but there can be the sterotype of Blacks as being associated with gangs. And non-Asians have their view of Asians. A number of people in the world, especially now, have a view of Arabs as being terrorists, who with their Islamic religion desire to destroy humanity.
While there is often a hint of truth to stereoypes, we must be careful to not draw conclusions about cultures we haven’t taken time to understand. It is nice being back in the Middle East. I do think that the Arab world is one of the most misunderstood cultures in the world, and we must make an effort to understand people and cultures before we make blanket statements about a country as a whole. Not only do Westerners have stereotypical views of the Muslim world, but also they have stereotypical views of us Westerners.
I’m humbled by the kindness and hospitality of Egyptians. I first ran into this culture when my mom had two students at her school that were from Egypt, and I met their parents, who showed me a different kind of kindness than I had ever experienced in South Carolina. Then, in university in Washington, DC I made friends with an Egyptian, who became like a brother to me, and his parents became like me second parents. With them I was acquainted with Egyptian hospitality, food, and got to understand the country’s political situation.
Now that I’m here, I’m able to see the culture in the country and understand these kind-hearted people a little bit better. On my first day in riding the streets of Cairo, I was reminded of how cultural the world is with many languages, religions, and customs. It can be easy to forget this when you stay in one place for too long and don’t get out and see the world.
I’m also amazed by their zealousness for God, through their religion of Islam. God is sought through praying 5 times a day. They have their speha beads, a necklace of beads (like the Catholic rosary) where they recite: “La elah ela Allah (no God except Allah)” or “Allah akbar (Allah is the greatest one).”
Today I was reminded of patience, grace, and needing to lay down emotions when my friends and I met with 4 Islamic Imams. We talked about the authority of the Bible and the Koran, as well as the redemption of sins through Jesus. They listened and didn’t agree on some points, and I listened to their views and openly didn’t agree, but I had to put my emotions in check and stick to logical arguments to make my point. I learned more about Islam and didn’t realize how many things in the Bible Muslims believe to be true.
The imams were also quick to point out that Islam respects women and that women are the foundation of the home. They want the West to understand this.
Egypt is what you expect the Middle East to be. Cairo is crowded, traffic is horrible, on the superhighway you have cars going (60 mph) and on the shoulder there are men driving wagons with donkeys pulling them. Cairo is not organized like a Western city. It’s chaotic and it’s loud, but it’s cool, different, and I love it! And the food is flavorful, cheap, and tasty.
The Pyramids of Giza were breathtaking. They were everything I hoped them to be. The tour guide was funny and attuned to how to treat me as an American, as he recited his knowledge of my country. His name was Mohamed and he said, “People are the same. I understand them. I understand the people from Japan, and the Americans, and the French. I may not speak their language but I get them.”
“Tourism has gone down, and hotels and shopkeepers can feel the pinch, so come to Egypt, the country needs tourism like it had in years past!”
What’s interesting is that some tourist guides have been tour guides since they were children, and because of this they have been around so many cultures and languages that they can speak: Spanish, English, Arabic of course, German, etc well. But, they can’t read or write the language of their birth- Arabic. Yesterday, one man at the Mohamed Ali Mosque wanted to sell me something and I was trying to get away. He asked where I live and I said, “Germany.” And he started his sales pitch in German of why I should buy what he was selling. The man knew more German than me!
I would say that the part that I had to adjust to is not being able to hug my friend, or in walking down the street I am not able to walk beside him, as his wife has to be between us. In the Middle East men and women do not hug when greeting each other. Men greet each other with a two kisses on the cheek. And women greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. But the sexes don’t mix. If a woman is single she will shake a man’s hand, but if she is married she will not shake a man’s hand. She will just say hello.
It’s the culture, and in moments like these you have to be respectful of it and comply.
The economy has suffered since the 2011 revolution. Tourism has gone down, and hotels and shopkeepers can feel the pinch, so come to Egypt, the country needs tourism like it had in years past!
I’m off to Alexandria for the next few days, a much smaller and calmer city. I’m looking forward to it, and to see another Egyptian city.
Let us get to know a culture before we draw conclusions about it. And may we strive to always treat another culture with love, even if we don’t agree with its religion and the way they do things. Egypt is not perfect, but no country is!