Friday, January 20, 2012

Questions for Egypt/Hosam El Metaher


Egypt & the Pyramids
Dear Hosam,

Here are a few lingering questions that we have about Egypt, her literature (love poems, leiden hymns, proverbs from the tombs and video (Kollena Ensan):

Post your questions under Comments:

22 comments:

  1. What is exactly is going on with the turmoil of Egypt? How has this revolt affected Egypt? Was there any changes that had been made?

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    Replies
    1. That’s really complicated question. However, the answer can be as simple as, what happened in Egypt was just a reaction. The Egyptian people were tired of the unwise economical, educational, and political decisions of the previous president (Mubarak) especially in the last ten years- Mubrak ruled for 30 years. The situation exploded on the 25th of January 2011, and in 18 days, Mubarak resigned.
      Since that, hundreds of political and economical decisions have been taken, as for example, increasing salaries, hiring people and as for the political side, having a new “free” elected Parliament and a president with limited authority and periods.

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  2. What is the role/prevalence of religion in modern day Egypt, and have attitudes toward/about religion affected recent national events?

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    1. Islam is the official religion of Egypt as the majority of Egyptians are Muslims- around 80%, I guess. The rest is mainly Christian. Religion in Egypt is a very important part of the people lives. In other words, all the Egyptian laws and traditions have to be in harmony with the religion. We also do have many national religion celebrations. By the way, as all the Arabic countries are mainly Muslims, we do share the same events with them, as in “Eid Alftr”- three days after the fasting month for Muslims.

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  3. What is Ancient Egyptian religion's role in modern society? How does it fit, and does it affect politics or current events?

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    Replies
    1. Ancient Egyptians (7000 years ago) had different believes. They believed in the nature as their Gods, as in the Sun, Wind, and Water. They were looking and searching for the truth all the time. However, we did learn a lot from them. We studied their thoughts, philosophy, and science as much as we could.
      For now, there is Islam as the official religion for the society, as I clarified in my previous answer. However, politics and religion cannot be in the same page. In other words, if you combined politics and religion, they will spoil each other.

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  4. In follow up of the current political change, Are there any current problems with the new form of government? If so, what is the overall cause/source?

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    Replies
    1. With no doubt, the current government is facing a lot of challenges with high expectations from the people. One of the main challenges is the political one. I believe Egypt will be more aware of its own resources which will help to take more strong political decisions.

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  5. Do Egyptians feel a higher obligation to their religion or to their country in today's world? In other words, do you feel more connections to people through religion or through national pride?

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    1. We are very connected by our nationality – Egyptians. It does not really matter what is your religion is, as well as, you understand your duties as a good citizen. In other words, religion is not one of the citizenships requirements.

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  6. In the video, it shows a large chorus of people of different races singing together. Is modern Egypt really as diverse (ie. cultures, races, etc.) as it shows in the video?

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    Replies
    1. Well, try to answer the following questions:
      1. Is Egypt in Africa?
      2. Are their black Egyptians and white Egyptians?
      3. Is Egypt the only connection between Africa and Asia?
      4. Is Egypt an Arabic country?
      5. Is Egypt in the Middle East?
      6. Is the only connection between the red and white seas is in Egypt?
      7. Does Egypt have desert and river?

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  7. Are provocative topics still open in modern Egypt?

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    Replies
    1. It depends on how you define the word “provocative”.

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  8. What are the roles of a husband and wife in modern-day Egypt? It is similar to the roles of ancient times?

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    1. In Egypt, husband and wife roles are quite different from the US and a little bit similar to the ancient Egyptian one.
      Egyptian woman has the right to get educated and find a job…however, once married, she has the right to just stay at home and take care of her husband and children. If she chooses to, the husband has to take care of all the financial needs.

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  9. In your opinion what is Egypt's greatest gift to the world?

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    1. I would change the word “gift” to “contributions”. For the ancient Egyptian civilization, please check
      http://www.love-egypt.com/egypt-civilization.html
      For the modern society, please check
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Egyptians

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  10. At the time the proverbs were written, did Egypt have any physical connections with India,or more specifically, Buddhism?

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    1. Not really, as far as I know, the Ancient Egyptian time (7000 years ago) was kind of earlier than the Buddhism which started in 623 BCE, I guess.

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  11. In the Kollena Ensan music video, there is a reference to a higher power,but which religion is it referring to?

    In the lyrics of the song, there is a line that says "Asmar is a dark-skinned artist" but who is Asmar?

    What is the connection to the Nile River in the song?

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    Replies
    1. It does not refer to any specific religion. It just indicates that although of our differences in religion, race, and language, we all have belief in the same values….and this is how we are all connected.
      “Asmar” is an Arabic word means Black…It refers to the African citizen, as Egypt is part of Africa. The song was in the African Football Club competition..So it has to be somehow related to all Africa.
      The River Nile is a historical connection between the African countries as it is passed by 10 countries and ends in Egypt. For more information, please check
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nile

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