Things I am not especially qualified to pontificate on..

I started this post last night but fell asleep - I had a belly full of delicious food and not even Turkish coffee could snap me out of the ensuing coma. I joined co-workers for impromptu visit to an Iraqi restaurant after work, so I didn't have my camera (I like posting pictures of food adventures!) but you're not missing much because the dishes weren't too far off typical Egyptian cuisine. A bit heavier on the rice, and with flatter bread, but the same grilled meats and salads and vegetables. Sudanese and Yemeni restaurants are next on the list - hopefully sometime this weekend.

This week has had me thinking a lot about the current situation of women in the Middle East, sparked by publication of a piece by Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy in Foreign Policy. (You can read the full article here - its worth your 15 minutes). The article, titled "Why Do They Hate Us?", sparked a firestorm of extremely polarized debate in the blogosphere, picked up by everyone from NPR to Al Jazeera.

Eltahawy's basic premise is that the root of oppression of women in the Middle East is men's hatred for the opposite sex. She highlights the most horrific examples of gender discrimination and violence in Arab and Central Asian countries - FGM, lack of voting rights, child brides, sexual harassment, etc and laments the Arab Spring's return on the investments made by female revolutionaries and protestors. Its incendiary, its damning, and it made a lot of people (including many Arab women) very, very angry.

I applaud the Eltahawy's willingness to bring the skeletons out of the Arab world's closet. I am also in favor of shock value for waking people up to issues that are taboo. On top of that, she's just a damn good writer. But I have one major bone to pick with this piece - I don't buy it.

Distilling several thousand years of social, economic, and religious factors affecting women's status in the Arab world into a single element, "hatred", is so overly simplistic that it places all gender relations in a vacuum, governed solely by (an implication of all) Arab men's feelings toward women. No one can deny the deplorable women's rights records in the Middle East - but is this due to a collective societal hatred (whatever that word even means), or multiple elements that have contributed to a self-perpetuating system of oppression?

In my limited experience in Egypt, I see two bigger factors at play - power and wealth. The two are often inseparable. Those who have power and wealth hold on for dear life, and those who don't live with a palpable lack that affects almost every facet of their lives - what schools their children can attend, what jobs they can hold, where they can live, whether they can pay the bribes necessary to navigate the mundane bureaucracies of life. There are too many people clamoring for a piece of an ever-shrinking pie. In a system where women have long had less power and influence due to historical religious and cultural factors, it is in men's favor to perpetuate the current system and hold on to the superiority and power they currently have - whether through religion, politics, or unquestionable social norms.

Eltahawy ironically does a disservice to the empowerment of women in her argument. By painting women's situation as a result of a collective "hatred" on the part of men, she disempowers them to address the situation. Its a basic human tenet that you can't change anyone but yourself. You can reason, you can explain, you can try and convince - but in the end, it is the other person (or people) who have to decide to change their attitude and feelings. Institutions, policies, and cultural practices on the other hand, CAN be addressed, as they are external things.

This begs the question of how to change those external things. It seems there is no formula. My thought is that when women have the power to make their own decisions, these collective decisions will generate enough influence to tip the economic and power balance of the system. Of course, how do you even get to a point where women are able to make those decisions? Its a chicken and egg dilemma.

I have hope - Egyptian women are strong, opinionated, and have the advantage of having tasted several decades of work outside the home. I do not think a return to women's place in the home, as the Salafis would desire, will be accepted by either men or women - the household economic consequences are too dire.

Of course, change is slow, and the more powerful sectors of society will likely have their turn before women. Eltahawy ends her piece with the dramatic assessment that the Arab Spring was started by a Tunisian man, but will only be finished by a woman. Unfortunately, she is probably right.

"A bearded Tahrir"

This was supposed to be a post about food. Yesterday I had plans to eat out with friends at one of the handful of Uighur restaurants in Abbasiya, near al-Azhar university (in the northeast corner of the city).  Students who came to study at the university missed their regional cooking and opened these holes in the wall. The secret's out, and now they're just as popular with western expats as the Uighur community. Everything is cheap ($1.75-$2.50 per humongous dish) and amazing. I have been there before with my old roommate and a friend of his.

Beef and noodle soup (closest thing to pho in Cairo!) and stir fry noodles

Garlic green beans

Hand-pulled noodle soup and stir-fried red cabbage

Unfortunately, our plans were thwarted by the protests in Tahrir, which have become a weekly occurrence. Some weeks the gatherings are barely a blip on the radar, and some weeks, like in November, they flare up into violent clashes. This week there were no reports of violence, but several hundred thousand people gathered in the square to protest a variety of things. My friends live in Garden City, and for me to get to them to meet up or for us to eventually get out of downtown and head towards Abbasiya would have been tough to impossible with the traffic diversions and crowds.

It was a crazy week for politics in Egypt. The three main front-runners for president (elections are supposed to take place in a little less than a month) were all disqualified for various reasons.

 The ultra-Conservative Islamist candidate Hazem Abu Ismail was disqualified in what is basically a birther controversy - no candidate or their family members can hold citizenship of any other country, and it was discovered his mother obtained American citizenship before she passed away in California.

Omar Suleiman, Mubarak's former boogeyman/head torturer (actual title - "Intelligence Chief") was disqualified on a technicality of gathering just a few dozen signatures shy of the 30,000 necessary to qualify for candidacy.

And the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, multi-millionaire businessman Khairat al-Shater was disqualified because he was a political prisoner under Mubarak, and there is a rule on the books that must have been free from prison for at least 6 years before declaring candidacy.

Supporters of all three candidates converged in Tahrir to protest these disqualifications. Because 2 of 3 were from Islamist parties, the protestors were overwhelmingly of the conservative, Salafist flavor. The article covering the protests in this morning's paper ran with the title "A bearded Tahrir promises less unity than hoped" (in general, many conservative Muslims in Egypt keep a beard as a sign of piety).

The article describes general chaos as divergent political and social groups all shouted at simultaneous rallies in the Square. The rallies from Islamist parties took on a decidedly anti-Western, anti-American tone. This is nothing new - Mubarak had long been seen as selling out Egypt to the West throughout his dictatorship (er, presidency), and the Islamist parties he suppressed gained a sizable underground following by promising to reverse the foreign policy course and stand up to the West and in particular America. This is all coming to fruition now that these parties have the legal right to organize and possibly control Egypt's future. Whether the SCAF, which is currently running the show, will ever cede enough power to allow this to happen is debatable depending on where you fall on the conspiracy theory spectrum.

Regardless, this is an interesting time to be here. I noticed a blip in one of the Cairo papers last week (but now can't find it) noting that Egyptian officials visited France to observe presidential election proceedings this week - presumably to learn how to properly conduct a national election. This is the first time many Egyptians will have ever voted in a legitimate presidential election - several of my colleagues in their 40s and 50s had never voted in their lives.

Of course this is all going to go badly at first - when has democracy ever been a smooth transition? And in all honesty, this is all going to be complicated by the fact that we (America) have our meddling fingers (i.e. military funds) in the pot. But then again, when is politics not a circus? Anytime someone complains about the shenanigans going on in US politics currently, I direct them to this video Egyptian Parliament:

I could really go for some noodles.
Maybe next week, inshallah...

Ras Sudr, or how the British Empire collapsed..

"I caught the happy virus last night

When I was out singing beneath the stars

It is remarkably contagious -

So kiss me!" - Hafiz

I'm sitting balanced precariously on the edge of my couch. The air conditioner is on 22 C, and I'm slathered in aloe vera and trying very, very hard to ensure the minimum area of skin possible is in contact with the upholstery. When I forget and lean back, I'm quickly reminded that next time I decide to spend 2 days in the sun, I need to apply sunscreen more than once.

A good number of my co-workers are leaving in the next few months. As a sort of last group outing, we spent the weekend at Ras Sudr, a windy stretch of coast on the Sinai Peninsula. Technically, we were not supposed to be there since there is currently a travel ban on all road travel to Sinai for US Govt Personnel - but since we're contractors, we're technically not beholden to the same set of rules. We hired a driver, packed the six of us (plus one toddler) into a minivan, and headed out early Friday morning.

Just three hours out from Cairo, you find yourself in the middle of nowhere.

Blurry, but you get the idea

The eye can rest on miles and miles of unbroken sandy, rocky terrain. Its not the most interesting or colorful desert, but the expanse and sheer emptiness have an austere beauty of their own. The beaches on the Red Sea are simply where this emptiness meets the water. In some other places (I've heard Dahab especially) the desert rock and mountains make for a spectacular backdrop to the beach. In Ras Sudr, its pretty, but not especially so.

 We spent the day lounging on the beach, reading, drinking (you can BYOB and we came prepared with a case of Stella - no, not that Stella). This particular area is very windy and a big draw for windsurfers and kite surfers. The wind was pretty low this weekend, but it was great for us beginners. I have no pictures of me windsurfing (my camera isn't all that waterproof), but it was really amazing! The bay was very shallow and turquoise blue, and you could see reefs and sea urchins beneath the surface as you skimmed over the water.

 Most of the resorts in Ras Sudr are run by Egyptians, but have a kite/windsurfing operation run (and frequented mainly) by expats. Ours was run by a group of sunburned, hard-drinking Brits. In fact, this particular week they were hosting a large group of British students who were part of their university's windsurfing club. They were planning to be there for 10 (!) days, and from what I can tell, this was the daily schedule:
1) Roll out of bed, extremely hungover, at 9:45 and make it to breakfast just before it stops being served at 10
2) Fall asleep for an hour on the beach
3) Surf for 2 hours, or until dehydration overtakes you
4) Get another drink, and catch a nap and maybe some lunch
5) Surf some more
6) Dinner
7) Drink until 6am or passing out, whichever comes first
8) Repeat

Friday night, they were having some theme party based on a UK advert for some type of 411 service. They were all dressed like the runners, down to Magic Marker mustaches and wigs. I guess its turned into a pub crawl game in England, but since the average distance between bars in Egypt is about 100km, they just had to stay put and drink their faces off.

These kids did not screw around. Their drinking games were spectator sports. I have never before, and hopefully never will again, seen anyone play flip cup with full gin and tonics. How these people ever managed to subjugate half of the world's population is a mystery to me. I've heard several theories about why the British Empire failed, but clearly, Tanqueray was involved.

 It was strange to see this all play out in a country where 90% of the population eschews this sort of debauchery entirely. I have mixed feelings about this, but so does Egypt. They rely heavily on tourist dollars, and their current economic state is due in no small part to a huge decrease in tourism post-revolution. They realize that the vast majority of tourists want some booze and bikini time with their ancient antiquities - at the same time, they know that this aberrant behavior (in the eyes of the increasingly conservative Muslim population) is something that many Egyptians would rather not have in their country.

Its not that conservative Egyptians dont spend time at the beach. In Alexandria, where I overnight during my fieldwork in Damanhour, there are numerous beaches catering mostly to Egyptians on holiday. I was surprised to look out my window one morning and see a group of women swimming in the sea, fully clothed in long skirts and sleeves and headscarf. Woman who wear Niqab also wear it while swimming - its quite a sight when they emerge soaking wet in head to toe black from the water. The other option is the Burquini, which are actually kind of adorable, but are quite pricey (upwards of $80) and not a feasible option for poorer families (hence swimming in your clothes).

 Sinai's greatest attraction - which I hope no tourist development plan ever destroys - is the the quiet, clear air, something Cairo is severely lacking. I took some time to walk down the beach at night, away from the gin and the music and the Christmas lights strung around the bar, and sat down by the water. If you lay your head back on the sand and look up, you can see stars you never knew existed, so close they seem to be sitting on the end of your nose.

The coolest taxi driver in Cairo

Today must have been my lucky day, because I had the good fortune to get picked up by the self-proclaimed "coolest taxi driver in Cairo", Hamdy Ghoneim. For real - he has his own Youtube video! 

He is also a sushi chef and a tour guide! Finally - a man who can shepherd me unscathed through the mean streets of Cairo, make me sashimi for dinner, and end the evening with a romantic tour of the pyramids.

Unfortunately for me, he is already married. Mrs. Ghoneim, you don't know how lucky you are. 

Shokran, ya Masr..

"There is only one reason 

We have followed God into this world:

To encourage laughter, freedom, dance, 

And love.

Let a noble cry inside of you speak to me

Saying;

'Hafiz, Don't just sit there on the moon tonight 

Doing nothing -

Help unfurl my heart into the Friend's Mind,

Help..to heal my wounded wings!' "

Cairo has been kind to me this week. I arrived last week with bleary eyes, a heavy heart, and trepidation for the months to come. I braced myself for the usual assault of the chaos on my senses - but this time the traffic noise seems a bit softer, the sun a bit warmer, the smiles of the shopkeepers a bit more welcoming. Its as if the city read my grief in the coffee grounds left in the cup on my kitchen table, and offers its sympathies in small, deeply moving, gestures. 

I took an armful of suitcase-wrinkled garments down to be ironed by the unshaven, burly man on the ground floor of our apartment building, and was greeted with a big, tea-stained smile and, "Where are you?!?" (meaning, where have you been?). 

I was smothered with kisses by my female Egyptian co-workers, and given hearty pats on the back from their male counterparts.

My American co-workers have made sure I'm fed and beer-ed and given me the name of a renowned cleaning lady who is guaranteed to remove all traces of the sandstorms from my apartment. 

Even the sunsets from my balcony have been beautiful.

I'm grateful. 

I made a decision to not work myself to death quite yet, and took the time to do some enjoyable things this weekend. I finally hung the pictures and decorations in my new apartment, and slept a respectable 10 hours a night.

Easter weekend is going to pass us by since we work on Sundays, so my good friends B. and C. invited me to Easter dinner on Friday. There was no ham to be had in Zamalek, so we made salmon, asparagus, garlic potatoes, and arugula salad. Then we sat in their garden and ate cupcakes for dessert (their toddler preferred to munch on some leaves and dirty from the garden - she is making an effort to develop a robust immune system). 

Easter dinner! Auntie Emily was taking the picture.

Today I went with my friend A. to walk Islamic Cairo. It's a bit of a misnomer, since its no more Islamic than the rest of Cairo (except for say, Coptic Cairo - that will be another day trip). But it does contain the highest concentration of historic mosques, madrassas (Islamic schools), islamic architecture, and the old city walls. It was kind of amazing to think that the structures we were walking into were anywhere from 500-900 years old.

My favorite was the blue mosque - you step through the gate from the dusty, hot noisy street and into a cool, white tiled open expanse. It's like a drink of icewater for your eyes and ears. My pictures don't really do it justice.

 

 

Continuing on, we saw a lot of mashrabiya windows - beautiful wooden latticework like the picture below:

When women kept purdah (ie not leave the house once they were married), they were able to watch the activity in the streets below through these windows without being seen by other men. 

I'm really interested in decorative arts from the Middle East - I visited the Museum of Islamic Art last fall and could have spent a few days in there. It was even better to see some really well-preserved and restored examples up close.

I had to sneak a picture of A. - he's not very photogenic :) 

The ceilings are amazing 

Footbath for pre-prayer ablutions

Ivory inlay

Script from the Quran runs around the edge of the ceiling 

The grand finale was climbing one of the minarets of the al-Ghuri mosque. It was poorly lit, and we had to use a lighter to find out way up the spiral staircase. 

Halfway there

At the top, we had a 360 view of Cairo, in all its hazy, smoggy, crumbling glory.

View of the market below

So tonight I'll wash the Cairo dirt from my feet before I slip between bedsheets cooled by the air conditioning and sleep with a lighter heart, healed by the unexpected balm of a city thats welcomed me back with open arms.  

Welcome back - here's a sandstorm in your honor..

Landed back in Cairo today in the middle of a sandstorm. OK, it wasn't quite that dramatic, but you can't quite see the sun and my teeth feel gritty after walking to the store. Everything in my apartment is just as I'd left it, including a broken water heater in the kitchen and non-functional electricity in the bedroom. Ahlan wa sahlan, home sweet home!

I'm going to try and maintain the blog for my final months in Cairo. I let it fall into non-existence after my last work trip to Georgia (which I still haven't posted pictures from), and obviously a lot has happened since then. Rather than try and piece together all of November-March, I'll start from here and pick up a few loose ends along the way.

I'm feeling shellshocked and dazed these weeks, reeling from several losses and the resulting fallout.  At the same time, I'm a little excited to see how I can play the hand that I was dealt.

In the meantime, here is a picture of my last night in Amreeka for a while...

Thanks guys. I knew you wouldn't let me get on the plane without my hangover!