“There is a concept in Egypt called hamdullah, which means ‘thank God.’ Even if you are poor, you still thank God”. It is a funny concept, to thank God when you are poor. It creates a sort of tension within someone - why would anyone want to be poor? And more than that, why would anyone want to thank God for being poor? This is one of the many ways that my partner, Nouran (Noonoo) Ghannam has portrayed to me the tension that is so evident among young people in Cairo, Egypt. Noonoo is 22 years old, graduated from the American University in Cairo with a degree in political science, and lives in Cairo with her family. She lived in Cairo for her entire life, except when she had to move to other countries around the Middle East for her …show more content…
Even though her family may disagree with her political stances, she fosters discussion with them and is able to make them think more critically and make better informed decisions by majoring in political science. Second, I portray how her family’s tension influences her internally, by strongly aligning with Nasser but voting for the Muslim Brotherhood in the 2012 Elections - which she participated in and thus helped move along the outcome. And third, I show how Noonoo tries to separate her private life from her public life - creating more tension in wanting to be involved in politics, but not allowing herself to pursue a career in it as well. Nouran has lived her whole live in Cairo, except for the years when she moved around the Middle East to accommodate for her father’s job. She studied at the American University in Cairo and majored in political science. She still lives with her family and loves going to the beach. It is important to recognize one of the first leaders of Egypt, Nasser, when exploring the tensions that are prevalent in Egypt. Nasser regained control of the Suez Canal, which was “previously under the control of [France and Britain]” in 1956. Regaining the Suez Canal and nationalising it was a mark of his power, and he was thereafter an influential figure in Egypt’s history. As stated before, Noonoo strongly aligns with Nasser because she is in awe of him for standing up to the colonial powers and fighting for the
Egypt was born in 1903 and raised near Clarksville in northeast rural Texas (Ward, 2011). She lived with her parents and older half sister, Sudie, for the first five years of her life. Egypt’s father was a teacher who valued education and emphasized the importance of reading, writing, and oral presentation to his children. When Egypt was five years old, her mother died. After this tragic event, Egypt and Sudie were sent to live on a farm with their maternal grandparents because their father felt incapable of raising two daughters alone. Egypt’s
The Suez Crisis was an incident that first commenced on the 29th of October, 1956, in which Israeli military forces entered the Sinai Peninsular and attacked Egyptian positions, driving them back. By the next day, Israeli forces had reached the Suez Canal, after taking a majority of the Sinai Peninsular. (Best, Hanhimaki, Maiolo & Schulze, 2008, p.432). Britain and France then both issued an ultimatum, for both Israeli and Egyptian forces to withdraw from the Suez Canal, citing its safety from the violence of war as extremely important. After Gamal Abder Nasser, Egypt’s President at the time, rejected the ultimatum, on the 30th
Amongst the turbid and dysfunction that is the Middle East lies the nation of Egypt. Egypt, a major country of the Middle East, is habitually considered stereotypical of Middle Eastern civilization, but further research guides one to the conclusion that Egypt is far from a generic Middle Eastern country. Egypt has a strong tradition of nationalism that has been formed during its history, giving it a national unity that is often non-existent in other Middle Eastern nations (1). This, as well as other advantages that Egypt has gained during its past, has allowed it to rise above the problems plaguing the rest of the Middle East and to form basically its
In The Complete Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, she provides a detailed account of what it was like to live amidst the Islamic revolution. She does so by depicting her life through a series of comic strips, which allows the reader to gain a better understanding of expressions and emotions of the characters throughout the story. In this unique coming of age story, Marji constantly struggles with the pressure to conform to cultural norms, most notably in the three different schools she attends: her elementary school in Tehran, her high school in Vienna, and at the university in Tehran.
In July 1956, international tensions expanded control of the Suez canal, a 193 km-long man-made waterway in Egypt, where is the strategic importance of tense world politics, connecting the Middle East to Europe and having a significant effect for the trade between Europe and Eastern countries.By 1956, Pearson became a federal cabinet minister to solve many international affairs. Everything was smoothly running until Egypt nationalized Suez Canal and the crisis reached boiling point. Britain and
Owing to events like the 9/11 attacks against the World Trade Center in New York City in the United States and the Arab Spring in North African and the Middle Eastern countries, there is a growing interest in the West from people who want to know what is happening with the Arab world. Margaret Nydell in the book, Understanding Arabs , provides information to instruct those who want to increase their understanding about the Arab people in general. Nydell describes Arab beliefs, values, and concepts related to friendship, family, social structure, and to many other areas. The text examines the Arab countries based in three regions: North Africa, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula. It gives an updated representation of the Arab world and serves as introductory reading to promote understanding of the cultures represented among Arabs.
“You were born in the mother of all lands.” To my parents, Egypt’s title of being the “mother” of the world was irrefutable. However, growing up, the sun-scorched country I was born in meant little to nothing to me. I was occupied with post-immigration life in Virginia, and Egypt became a distant fabrication. However, when financial hardships began to weigh too heavily on my father’s shoulders, he made the economic choice to send my sisters and I to Egypt.
Suleiman’s overall growth from a young boy into a man is entirely different from Western traditions, as he follows Baba, Moosa and others traditions in the story where Libyan society has turned them into ones who fight for respect and dignity, rather than earn it. These arguments created are fully based on situations written by Matar which are observed by myself in an effort to point out the unjustly situations. However, the title of the novel, In the Country of Men, likely gave the readers the impression that most of the story would be based on manhood and what being a man really means in a country like Libya. In the novel, men who have earned the respect of others have solidified their primary status of being in complete and total control, where having some sort of ‘power’ entails commanding all women and children affiliated with him. In the story, women had no choice but to serve the men, seeming almost customary, proving that in this instance, gender domination is evident.
The Suez Crisis of 1956 was a military and political confrontation in Egypt that involved France, Britain, and Israel. This began when Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt’s president at the time, nationalized the Suez Canal, which was previously controlled by the French and British. Nasser took control of the canal after the United States and Britain withdrew their funds to help Nasser build the Aswan High Dam. The Americans and the British decided not to finance the Dam after inquiring knowledge of Egypt’s military and political ties to the Soviet Union. Once the canal was seized, the British and French feared that Nasser would stop shipping petroleum to them- which would have been detrimental to their economies.
This paper explores the religion, history, and food culture of Egypt. It discusses the geographic setting and environment that affects the food availability and water supply for the Muslims. The distinct eating and dietary habits are explained and how they have evolved into modern society. Also, Egypt’s national food is listed along with the history behind it. Lastly, the paper explores the different holiday and religious celebrations that Muslims celebrate and what foods are consumed during each feast.
The book introduces us to a few people such as: Majid Hussain of Jos, Nigeria, Nart Bajoi, a lawyer and systems engineer, Syrian, Mohammed Kazkji, electrician, Damascus, Sina Habte, chemical engineer, Eritrean, Dani Habte, civil engineer, Eritrean, Hanan al-Hasan and family, Syrian. These families were well established in their countries and lived well off until the turmoil started about religion, and
Badran, M. (1995) Feminists, Islam and Nation, Gender and the Making of Modern Egypt, Princeton, Princeton University Press
In 1956, Gemal Abdul Nassir announced that he wanted the nationalization of the Suez Canal. This canal has been operated by Britain and France since the 18th century and due to this, tensions rose between Egypt, Britain and France. Israel regarded Gemal Abdul Nassir as a threat to its national security and due to this it was easy for Britain and France to convince Israel in the invasion of Egypt and the overthrowing of its president. Israel invaded Sinai Peninsula, Britain and France landed their troops later on the pretence of separating the fighting parties. This was the start of the Suez crisis. The USA condemned their actions and forced the three parties to withdraw and this made it possible
The Suez war began in 1956 when the President Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal. Due to the canal’s great importance to the British and they colluded with Israel and France to regain control of the canal. The Suez Canal was especially important to the British because it connected the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean through the Red Sea. (Milner) This strategic location allowed them to trade and move across the world giving them control of their colonies. However, on July 26, 1956 President Nasser decided to nationalize the Suez Canal due to his anger at the British for withdrawing their loan offer to Egypt. (Milner) Consequently, the nationalization of the canal was a strategic move to lessen the British’s economic and political control of Egypt, which had lasted since 1882. Many Egyptians were unhappy with British’s occupation of their country so Nasser’s policies were popular in the Middle East. This was because the “expression of national
In the novels Midaq Alley and The Yacoubian Building, we are shown the ongoing, daily struggles of the working-poor in both colonial and postcolonial Egypt. Both share central, overarching themes such as debauchery, desperation, and unstable political situations. The two settings are both examples of microcosms, “cities within a city”. Midaq Alley is a small, dead-end neighborhood in 1940’s Cairo that consists of various shops and apartments. Within each of these buildings are characters that live completely separate lives but all have the same aspirations, to experience the world outside and the wealth it has. The Yacoubian Building is also set in Cairo during the turbulent 1990’s. Similarly, the characters were all tenants of a large apartment building, living in cramped and decrepit spaces.