What I did learn from visiting Egypt is that the people may be poor in material possessions and in money but they are the most kind and generous people I have ever met. Theirs is a genuine, from-the-heart kindness that everyone I met exuded in everyday life. They are genuinely caring and endearing. The country is predominantly Muslim yet Coptic churches are next to mosques and people get along. There is no prejudice or racial strife. All shades from beige to black are equal. The only chasm is between the ultra-wealthy and the poor. Unfortunately, there is no Middle Class to speak of in Egypt. Yet, there is no “keeping up with the Jones’s” mentality. People live simply and happily and are content with the little they have. They smile freely and laugh and exude a joy for living. Theirs is not an easy life. Everyone works harder than I’ve ever encountered, yet they have pride in what they do.
So much of what we hear and read about in the United States is negative about the Middle East. There is good and bad in every culture and extremists of every religion exist. In Egypt, I found that people admire Americans (and not just our money) and see us as setting a standard. We are accepted as friends. Muslim people are people of deep religious faith. The call to prayer resonates from every minaret in the city and people stop what they are doing to pray. We had guides who were Muslim and those who were Christian. They are all exemplary human beings. If we Americans could only open our eyes and be as honest and kind as the people of Egypt, we would be light years ahead of where we are, Granted, Egypt’s history is longer than ours. I just hope we don’t have to wait centuries for peace, love an harmony to permeate our society.
Dance is a universal sisterhood.
So much of what we hear and read about in the United States is negative about the Middle East. There is good and bad in every culture and extremists of every religion exist. In Egypt, I found that people admire Americans (and not just our money) and see us as setting a standard. We are accepted as friends. Muslim people are people of deep religious faith. The call to prayer resonates from every minaret in the city and people stop what they are doing to pray. We had guides who were Muslim and those who were Christian. They are all exemplary human beings. If we Americans could only open our eyes and be as honest and kind as the people of Egypt, we would be light years ahead of where we are, Granted, Egypt’s history is longer than ours. I just hope we don’t have to wait centuries for peace, love an harmony to permeate our society.
Dance is a universal sisterhood.
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