Egypt torn between freedom and conservatism

There is growing religious conservatism in a part of the country while the other part is trying to live its life freely, trying to retain the vestiges of secularism

‘J ust so you are aware, in our lounge we have a ‘No Hijabs Allowed’ rule,” said the hostess over the phone to me the last time I was in Cairo. I am an Egyptian woman living in Dubai. I travel to Egypt regularly. Mostly during the summer and sometimes during the year to catch up with my family, who reside there. During my last trip to Cairo, I called to make a reservation at a popular lounge and restaurant concept located by the Nile, which was known to be a hot spot for upscale dining.

After informing the hostess how many people would attend, what time the reservation should be and whether it was a special occasion, the pleasant sounding woman delivered the aforementioned discriminatory statement without a hint of regret or shame. It was said in a very matter-of fact way. Here in Dubai when listing out their terms and conditions, they tell you not to wear flip flops, but in Egypt they tell you not to wear your hijab.

Ask restaurant owners why they don’t want women in headscarves sitting in their lounges or clubs and many of them will say that it cramps the style of the place. It’s apparently not ‘cool’ to be covered. It has been that way for the past few years. And in Egypt, if you want to be at a cool place, then you better look the part. That’s just the way it is. Many resorts have started banning women wearing their burkinis in pools. Why? Because those ‘ugly’ suits do not go with the aesthetics that the establishment wants to portray.

Egypt has seen a proliferation of upper-crust hot spots with the rapid development of posh spaces. From the way people dress, eat and dance you would never guess that there was an “Arab Spring” followed by a rise of extremism. You wouldn’t really know that a major part of the population lives under the poverty line, but that’s another problem for another time.

Cairo and the North Coast are full of numerous fashionable nightspots that are packed with a young crowd dressed in Ibiza-inspired outfits. In the summer, just take one look around beach clubs at the North Coast and if a girl isn’t in a two piece suit, or a guy is wearing shorts that are a hint too short, they might as well leave.

On the other side of the spectrum, Egyptian actress Rania Yousuf is facing trial next month after being charged with public obscenity when she attended the closing ceremony of a film festival in Cairo wearing a see-through embroidered gauze dress that revealed the entirety of her legs. Rania Yousuf’s trial, which is scheduled to begin on January 12, follows a complaint to the chief prosecutor by a group of lawyers against the actress. Rania faces up to five years in prison if convicted.

Shedding a new light

As you can see, Egypt is a land of contradictions. This constant state of confusion and cognitive dissonance is one part creeping puritanism that has stifled freedom in Egypt in recent decades, another part millennials actively trying to shed a new light on a conservative country to show that young people can dress how they want to dress, whether that’s a headscarf or a bikini.

It is difficult to know what people in Egypt want. Even I can’t figure it out when I’m there. Other Arab nations are more straightforward. Either they embrace being conservative or they embrace being non-judgmental (Dubai and Lebanon come to mind).

In Egypt, part of the country supports the growing religious conservatism, (i.e. those who complained and raised cases against Rania), while the other part is just trying to live its life freely, trying to retain the vestiges of secularism. Egypt wants to have night clubs, parties and fabulous red carpet events. Yet we still want to condemn those who dress the way they want to.

Egypt doesn’t have a true identity. It’s torn between wanting to be modern, tourism friendly and “cool” and maintaining an archaic way of punishing those who dare to be themselves.

As you can see, Egypt is a land of contradiction. This constant state of confusion and cognitive dissonance has stifled freedom in the country.