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Not that I agree with Salafists at all, but it's odd that many people's reaction to this is to mention them. To a large degree, local so-called Salafists (at l

Not that I agree with Salafists at all, but it's odd that many people's reaction to this is to mention them. To a large degree, local so-called Salafists (at least the politicized ones) have been largely silenced, imprisoned, and otherwise "dealt with" since 2013.

HenryKissinger 6y ago
Good.
- Ozzie_osman 6y ago
  People have been imprisoned, tortured physically and mentally, and killed for being part of (or just being accused of being a part of) certain religious/political groups. I find it hard to say "good" about that, even if I disagree with the group they are a part of.
- TheMblabla 6y ago
  Is this a cosplay account? the real Henry kissinger probably would be in favor of political prisoners.
  - yk 6y ago
    Considering there was a US backed coup, I have a hunch considering Kissingers realpolitik in this case.
Mediterraneo10 6y ago
I spent two months hitchhiking around Egypt in 2008, after coming down from Europe and passing through the countries along the way. I found Egypt to be by far the most Salafist-leaning of the countries I passed through, far stricter in its understanding of Islam than Turkey or the Levant. When mentioning the Ancient Egyptian past to the average Egyptian (i.e. not some Cairo elites), the response was usually that even talking about all that was haram. So, when a person's firsthand experience of Egypt was like that, naturally one of the first things that will come to mind is “Hmm, I wonder how the local Egyptian people felt about this procession.” I do find it hard to believe that the population has become less strict in its interpretation since 2013, even if their room for applying their beliefs politically has narrowed.
- Ozzie_osman 6y ago
  Sorry you had that experience. I grew up in Egypt and don't think it's representative. Some regions might be like that, or you may have gotten unlucky. A non-trivial part of the Egyptian population is employed in tourism. It's not all about Ancient Egypt, but that's the main attraction, so many people not only are OK discussing it, they're making a living out of it. Ancient Egyptian history is taught in public school curriculum, etc. Even the national soccer team's nickname is the "Pharaohs".
  - Mediterraneo10 6y ago
    I feel my experience was representative, because Egypt clearly consists mainly of a somewhat freethinking elite around the capital and a conservative proletariat within the capital's poorer districts and everywhere else in the country. The elite might have the power to decide the public school curriculum, for example, and if you spent all your time within the elite it might seem like a whole world in itself. Nevertheless the religious masses still vastly outnumber them. I was told by Cairo elites that a major change in Egypt since the 1990s or so was the increasing pressure the masses were putting on the elites. For example, if you ran a business and you did not have the prayer bump on your forehead, your customers might question your religiosity and take their business elsewhere. And the stricter veiling of urban Egyptian women compared to accounts from the mid-20th-century was obvious. Again, I don’t know what might have changed in that regard since the revolution. That people are employed in tourism to the Ancient Egyptian past does not necessarily mean acceptance of the Ancient Egyptian past. There are a number of Muslim countries that derive income from tourism that is at odds with a strict understanding of Islam, but devout Muslims are willing to look the other way (and perhaps tell themselves that this is just a temporary thing until the great sharia future ushers in an equitable economy for everyone).
    - simlevesque 6y ago
      > I feel my experience was representative Everyone does.
  - dotancohen 6y ago
inglor_cz 6y ago
I know what happens to prominent Salafists under Sisi, but that is no guarantee of future development. Most of them have survived with their heads temporarily down, but not off. A massive reservoir of angry manpower waiting for the moment that the regime starts going wobbly. If the history of totalitarian movements in Europe can be used as an analogy, the question of "who is going to rule Egypt in twenty years" is far from settled.

HenryKissinger 6y ago

Good.

Ozzie_osman 6y ago
People have been imprisoned, tortured physically and mentally, and killed for being part of (or just being accused of being a part of) certain religious/political groups. I find it hard to say "good" about that, even if I disagree with the group they are a part of.
TheMblabla 6y ago
Is this a cosplay account? the real Henry kissinger probably would be in favor of political prisoners.
- yk 6y ago
  Considering there was a US backed coup, I have a hunch considering Kissingers realpolitik in this case.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago

I spent two months hitchhiking around Egypt in 2008, after coming down from Europe and passing through the countries along the way. I found Egypt to be by far the most Salafist-leaning of the countries I passed through, far stricter in its understanding of Islam than Turkey or the Levant. When mentioning the Ancient Egyptian past to the average Egyptian (i.e. not some Cairo elites), the response was usually that even talking about all that was haram. So, when a person's firsthand experience of Egypt was like that, naturally one of the first things that will come to mind is “Hmm, I wonder how the local Egyptian people felt about this procession.” I do find it hard to believe that the population has become less strict in its interpretation since 2013, even if their room for applying their beliefs politically has narrowed.

Ozzie_osman 6y ago
Sorry you had that experience. I grew up in Egypt and don't think it's representative. Some regions might be like that, or you may have gotten unlucky. A non-trivial part of the Egyptian population is employed in tourism. It's not all about Ancient Egypt, but that's the main attraction, so many people not only are OK discussing it, they're making a living out of it. Ancient Egyptian history is taught in public school curriculum, etc. Even the national soccer team's nickname is the "Pharaohs".
- Mediterraneo10 6y ago
  I feel my experience was representative, because Egypt clearly consists mainly of a somewhat freethinking elite around the capital and a conservative proletariat within the capital's poorer districts and everywhere else in the country. The elite might have the power to decide the public school curriculum, for example, and if you spent all your time within the elite it might seem like a whole world in itself. Nevertheless the religious masses still vastly outnumber them. I was told by Cairo elites that a major change in Egypt since the 1990s or so was the increasing pressure the masses were putting on the elites. For example, if you ran a business and you did not have the prayer bump on your forehead, your customers might question your religiosity and take their business elsewhere. And the stricter veiling of urban Egyptian women compared to accounts from the mid-20th-century was obvious. Again, I don’t know what might have changed in that regard since the revolution. That people are employed in tourism to the Ancient Egyptian past does not necessarily mean acceptance of the Ancient Egyptian past. There are a number of Muslim countries that derive income from tourism that is at odds with a strict understanding of Islam, but devout Muslims are willing to look the other way (and perhaps tell themselves that this is just a temporary thing until the great sharia future ushers in an equitable economy for everyone).
  - simlevesque 6y ago
    > I feel my experience was representative Everyone does.
- dotancohen 6y ago

inglor_cz 6y ago

I know what happens to prominent Salafists under Sisi, but that is no guarantee of future development. Most of them have survived with their heads temporarily down, but not off. A massive reservoir of angry manpower waiting for the moment that the regime starts going wobbly. If the history of totalitarian movements in Europe can be used as an analogy, the question of "who is going to rule Egypt in twenty years" is far from settled.