User:AshyCatInc./Modern Society in Egypt

Draft (Modern Society in Egypt)

Modern Egypt has been slowly developed over the years, technologically, politically, socially, and architecturally.

In Egypt, the country is divided by 27 governorates; Alexandria, Aswan, Asyut, Beheira, Beni Suef, Cairo, Dakahlia, Damietta, Faiyum, Gharbia, Giza, Helwan, Ismailia, Kafr el-Sheikh, Luxor, Matrouh, Minya, Monufia, El Wadi el Gedid or New Valley, North Sinai, Port Said, Qalyubia, Qena, Al Bahr Al Ahmar, Sharqia, Sohag, South Sinai, Suez. With each one having its own governor appointed by the president [currently of 2021, Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi], Cairo being Egypt's capitol and most populated city receives the most attention due to its long history, effective education system and adaptation to a successful economy mainly from its tourism.

Languages

Egyptians has evolved the Arabic language over time, expanding its vocabulary as it is integrated and mixed with other languages of different cultures. Modern Standard Arabic is the official language of modern Egypt, but not usually spoken. It is commonly used as the literary form of Arabic and can be easily translated to other common languages such as English and French (similar to the concept of Traditional and Simplified Chinese).

Egyptian Arabic is the most widely spoken language within Egypt as about 68% of natives and migrants speaks it. It was developed from the traditional Arabic due to the influential combination of other languages such as Coptic, Turkish, Ottoman, and even French and Italian. This made Arabic widespread and easier to communicate within those of other surrounding cultures.

This leaves the traditional Arabic spoken by only 1.6% of Egypt's population, often used for Islamic religious purposes.

Sa'idi Arabic [29%] also takes the place of Sudanese Arabic [1.6%] for similar reasons to the influence of Egyptian Arabic. The Sudanese immigrants developed into the Egyptian culture, adapting into their languages and evolving their own.

English has also been widely spoken within Egypt, with currently 35% of Egyptians speaking English as their second language. This is due to Egyptian schools having widely taught English to students for future business opportunities. English and French has been heavily influenced into the Arabic language because of the high rate of tourism from westerners. This also lead to public signs and boards having English translations around main urban areas commonly used for tourism, such as Cairo and Alexandria.

Traditions and Social Norms

Religion and Ethnicity

Islamic Muslim religions makes up about 90% of Egypt's population and are still heavily practiced within all of Egypt, specifically under the Sunni branch. Prayer is done five times a day, interrupting any activities after the call of the Adhan by the muezzin. Muslims participate in Ramadan, lessening their work hours to six a day and fasting from sunrise to sunset for a month. Those who do not participate in Ramadan, usually other religions, are not allowed to consume any food or drink, smoke, or chew gum in public. Fridays are considered the Holy Day used for worship and prayer, so most to all businesses would be closed every Friday.

The rest of Egypt's population are Christians, making about 10% of Egypt, followed by Judaism with less than a few hundred followers. Most of those Christians are of Coptic origins, others being Greek and Roman.

Egyptians make up 91% of the total population. The other 9% are Greeks, Turks, Nubians of the Nile and many smaller ethnic groups and tribes, making up the minority.

Everyday Customs and Daily Habits

The Poor

Entering the 21st century, Egypt is still one of many countries heavily stuck in the poverty trap. Due to continuous rise in an already high population, Egypt's poverty is nowhere near situated, lacking the resources, such as healthcare, clean drinking water, education, and job opportunities, to care for the majority. In 2018, Egyptians lived under the poverty line of 32.5%, 4.7% higher than in 2015, with the maximum pay average being under two dollars a day (in rural areas). This lead to the banning of unauthorized protests and restriction of criticism towards the government after the poor and Middle-class retaliated due to the spike of pricing on goods. Patience is definitely key for the a country-wide improvement that has been needed for centuries.

Although population has been rising gradually over the past 70 years [population of 103,719,211 on March 12, 2021], poverty slowly decreases due to the assistance of programs such as the Habitat for Humanity, which has helped lessen the lack of housing and renovation in the slums, and CARE, which has helped organize and make better quality schooling and learning available for the not-so fortunate children. Even with the slow growth in the economy, rising to 5.6% GDP in 2020, Egypt still lives in a hierarchy between the wealthy and poor.

With 34.2% of Egypt's population being under the age of 15, 7.3% of children and young adults between the ages of 6 and 20 drop out of school in order to work and financially support their families. This is also due to the lack of efficient teaching, skill-required jobs, and many overcrowded schools.

Economy

In March of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic struck the world. Of all countries affected by this event, Egypt's economy was one of few that was not heavily touched and therefore did not go into a recession between the months of March and July of 2020 due to high domestic consumption. The negative effect, though, was the lack of tourism which (as stated before) is a large ration of Egypt's economy, making up 5.5% of the GDP and 9.5% of employment for those who work in that field. Fortunately, the rate of GDP will have a positively strong growth due to the economic reforms and is believed to be one of the highest within the African continent.