First impressions

It's really hard to do justice to Cairo in writing. It's such an overwhelming environment to an outsider that it's hard to know where to begin. I can say though that my first day here in what might as well be the mother city of the Middle East included pretty much all the common stereotypes about its people and how they behave.

Before getting into that, I want to go back to my research questions and dichotomies, if you will. First of all, this IS a religious society. No question. Washing up this morning in the bathroom I was startled to hear a loud speaker outside calling people to prayer. One after another after another, the muezzins (prayer callers) all around started up with their chant. Different melodies all proclaiming the same message: God is Great, there is no god but Him, Mohammed is His Prophet, come and worship. I had heard that piety had become an "in" thing in Egypt and whoever told me that was definitely right. The word "Allah" (Arabic for God) is used so much just in ordinary conversation that sometimes--for a Westerner at least--it feels exhausting trying to keep up. "God bless you", "God protect you", "if God wills", "praise God", "only God knows". It's hard to know whether people are being sincere or if they are just saying it, but either way it's very much a part of Egyptian colloquial. Even on buildings and shops, one can see engravings or signs with God's Name proclaimed in different forms, whether it's a simple "Bism Allah" (in the name of God), or the entire Shahaddah (Muslim testimony of faith) written out in Arabic calligraphy, so that, I'm assuming, no one will doubt the shopkeeper's devotion. It doesn't hurt to have religiously-themed music blaring in your shop as well, something that I heard quite a bit just strolling through the alley ways.

One more thing about public displays of piety: the "zabibah". I really had a hard time believing this was true before I came here. I had read some article saying that more and more Egyptians these days were sporting a zabibah, which is basically an enlarged purple bump on one's forehead that is supposed to symbolize the frequency of one's prostrations on a prayer rug. Not sure whether people really get it from prayer or if it's created artificially (probably both), but in any case it is quite a sight to behold so many men of all ages with this very visible bump on their forehead. It's almost as if to say, "Don't think about opening your mouth to judge me, for I am clearly a religious man."

Oh, and of course, I've already been asked more times than I can count: "Are you Muslim?" And then when I indicate a negative, I get an "it's okay"... like as if I've completely missed the boat somehow but one day, with God's help, I'll get on it.

More thoughts--and pictures--soon.