Egypt and its People - Report Example

The Tie that Binds Background Study of Egypt and its People Why the Study is Important: Tabula Rasa, a term coined by 17th century philosopher, John Locke, describes mind of an infant. It says that an infant is a clean slate and all the things that happen around him during early formative years become part of his personality. This notion, later called nurturist school, developed into a great school of thought among sociologist and anthropologists. This observable fact is so much integral to social development of a person that anthropologists can even extrapolate direction of a society or culture. Thus, when an individual undergoes through the process of socialization, he or she is expected to follow norms and folkways inherent to his ambiance. And in this way the Clean Slate (Tabula Rasa) is engrossed with rudimentary directives of a society. These directives not only help in aligning humans into nearly similar groups, but also help in defining their general propensity and disposition in life. They are basic to what we call human development. (Subhan, 1174) Human development is seen as a construct of different aspects. These aspects are governed by thinking pattern based on Tabula Rasa theory. Social, Cultural, Moral, Political and even economic aspects are therefore influenced by this thinking pattern. This concept is also reinforced by researchers in the fields of psychology. With these aspects in mind the background study of an immigrant can be helpful in many ways. It will help in identifying his psycho-social disposition and his ability to integrate into more accommodating societies like that of US. The subject here is an immigrant who lives in Saint Louis, Missouri USA. His early life has the great land of Egypt in his formative phase. Irrespective of his current position and pursuits, it would be natural for him be the spokesman of his nurturing during those formative year. Annals of history provide a great deal of information about people of Egypt. To ascertain this one has to go through different aspects of the region which have now matured enough for its people to think and act in a certain way. Egypt and its People: The rich history of Egypt comprises of stages that explicitly mark anthropogenic stages. It is right at the heart of Egypt, anthropologists can discover the early stages of human development. The central point of Egyptian history orbits around the Nile which has been home to great civilization. Even today it supports millions of people who are related to it as growers. As early as 10th millennium BC, Egypt was home to primitive societies that consisted of hunter-gatherers. They were not dense yet found the land accommodating. Thereby these primitive groups evolved into grain grinding societies which started of a new era of animal husbandry in them. At this stage the Nile was mature enough to become abode to more refined social set-up. Towards the end of 6,000 BC this Neolithic (agriculture based) society matured enough to form a consolidated society. In human history, timeline as known to historians tells that the social system was first of its kind. This social set-up consisted of dynastic rule and extensive labor based economy. Nile was extensively used for growing. This economic set-up due to Nile even after thousands of years has remained the same. However the attraction of Egypt resides in the discoveries of work of ruling dynasties that ruled from 2700 to 2000 BC. The discoveries like Rosetta stone provide rich information about people of that age. It tells that people of Egypt were distinct according to their placement in the region. Upper and lower regions were in contact yet they were ethnocentric and remain the same for centuries. However the spatial changes in borders cause cultural diffusion during Ptolemaic period (330 BC). Political set-up migrated from dynastic rule to foreign rule during 332 BC when Romans and Persian rivalry started for the control of this region. Syria, Egypt and Levant (Palestine, Israel etc.) were actually the battle ground for Persian and Roman emperors. However Egypt remained an international power during the times of later Pharaohs. The region was swept by Romans and Persians one by one. However Roman rule impacted the most. During this rule Egypt was enriched by Christianity- an Abrahamic Religion. This enlightened migration from Fetishism to Monotheism and Polytheism was brought in 1st century by Saint Mark the Evangelist. Later, transition of this region from Roman to Byzantine era started a wave of persecution of Christianity which could not undermine the basis of Christianity in Egypt. Coptic Church ultimately survived these political upheavals. (Barton, 1-3) It was during 7th Century that this region started off for a transition that was seemingly the ultimate destiny of the region. Islam was brought to Egypt by Arabs and during 12th and 13th century Cairo became an esteemed seat of learning. Even today Al-Azhar university of Egypt is one of the great seats of learning for Islamic Theology and Jurisprudence (Armstrong, 69). The transition between one after another dynasty for the rule of Egypt consistently kept socio-cultural and religious edifice of Egyptians intact. European rule in northern Africa has less to do with any significant impact owing to their brief stay. Their impact on Egyptian society will be discussed later. However, Ottomans during early 19th century, though enfeebled due to harsh contact with Europe, remained in power. It was not until 1882 that Egypt became British protectorate till 1953. 1952 was the year of revolution which expelled British and Dynastic rule of Muhammad Ali dynasty was formed. This dynastic rule and military regimes seemingly ended recently when President Dr. Morsi was elected as Prime Minister of the great land of Egypt. It can be seen that instead of revolutionary ideas, revolutionary instincts run among Egyptians. They can be called as broody people, who despite possessing great seat of learning for a civilization (Islamic in this case), are prudent in taking up a change. Yet the change they have called for is exemplary in demand and mindful of the pace of human development across the world. This brief on Egyptian History and Political upheavals define their disposition of not being hasty and indeed not indifferent about their social settings. It is also pertinent to mention here that Egyptian present is highly influenced by religion. Present crisis in Egypt has its roots in Muslim-Coptic relationship. Mass majority of people of Egypt has a well-defined aim for the establishment of a rule which accepts sovereignty of God and the Parliament shall exercise the powers while remain under the guidance of Islamic code of governance. This influence is mainly due to long influence of Islam on the society and education of the people. Al-Azhar University, where millions of people consult, across the world for religious edicts on social and religious life, has been the epicenter of social formation in Egypt. Similarly the political thought of the people of Egypt is also mature enough to form Islam compliant democracy. This form of democracy binds their selection of leader who has profound faith in formation of a welfare state which caters for the temporal and spiritual growth of people alongside. Most of the tribes in Egypt are followers of Sufi orders (Mystic-Spiritual religious doctrine). These Sufi orders are distinct in theories like personal introspection and brotherhood among men. Thus it can rightly be said that spirituality is a great potential of the Egyptian society which can be their political future. The people of Egypt are ethnically diverse which have a number of great religions of the world like Islam, Christianity, and Baha’is etc. They show an epic example of co-existence in the region. Among the ancient people of Egypt, Copts and majority of Egyptian have same ethnicity while the later retained Christianity even when Muslim rule swept the region- dismembering Roman-Byzantine rule in Egypt. The ethnic minorities in Egypt are formed by Nubians, Bedouins, Dom, Beja and Berbers. Mostly of them are nomads while the Nubians and Berbers have played a special role throughout the history of Egypt. The Berbers can be compared to Pashtuns of Africa for their relentless fighting spirit for the cause of their land and assets. (USCC, TL: 639-2009) The Egyptian culture transformed from 8th century till the formation of Fatimid rule. The culture keeps Islamic values intact and has typical Arab nature. The norms and folkways are based on moral system of Islam. However it is prone to cultural diffusion due to elements of Sufism and Revivalist movements among traditional propensity of the people. The people have highly self-conscious and show potential of adopting modesty in almost every phase of life. The basic features of Egyptian Society are rich in hospitality and paying positive regard to peers. Elders are kept in high esteem. Professions like health and Scholars are paid more than due regard. The social fabric is strong patriarchal where institution of family is highly intact. Social life is highly influenced by Mosque and Church. Like the Spanish, Egyptians are highly expressive. General interaction of individuals is characterized by shaking hands with and constant eye contact among same gender. Typical festivals among the Egyptians are same as in the rest of the Islamic world with special attention to the Revolution day celebration. Sham-al-Naseem is the Coptic Egyptian festival among the Christians. Unlike people of highly nationalized nations, Egyptian people are highly accommodating. This multiculturalism and interfaith harmony is the base of co-existence. It is evident that riots based on religion are not at all intense as can be seen in ethnically diverse African nations. (Iskander, 2) Foreign rule in Egypt has been brief. The adventure of napoleon around 1800 was thrashed by Ottomans. Later until 1850s when ottomans fell prey to internal power crisis lost this region to the British. However the European rule could not sustain the Arab freemen lands. Unlike the other British colonies which are today highly westernized, Egypt is not seen to have so much of bend towards adopting European lifestyle. This fact is due to strong inherent nature of social order among them. The Pan-Arabism is key feature of their propensity with interfaith and multicultural harmony. It will be a strange for most of the readers that Egypt was the first ever school of humanity. The findings of Rosetta and Library of Alexandria are the basis of Greek philosophy. This research was conducted in a detailed thesis by Dr. George James of University of Arkansas USA, in his landmark work named ‘Stolen legacy’. The cradle of humanity and all modern thought was Egypt rather Greek and the so called gang of three. (James, 11) Dr. Muhammad Hamidullah in his book, Sermons of Bahawalpur (Introduction to Islam) has spoken of Egypt as closely related to Saudi Arabia. This relation sprawls over different aspects of Social, Cultural, Religious and Governance. It was not until the occupation of Fatmid that Egypt remained as a contrasting state. It was later again joined with Arabia during the times of great ottomans (Hamidullah, 205). The religion has been the language of communication between them. It is indeed very interesting to note that the initial Saudi state was swept away by the rulers in Egypt with the backing of Ottomans in 1811 and 1818. However the relationship is bonded with faith despite governments and their policies fluctuate with time. Presently the wave of change, that is known to be as the Arab Spring, is the tipping point for Arab nations. It has shown that Egyptians are true to their colors. The result of elections and rise Muslim Brotherhood tells their major approval and likings. It is thus ascertainable that Egyptian society is theist in nature and is in the process of transformation. This transformation is towards freedom-of-choice that will further mature into pragmatism instead of traditionalism. References Armstrong, Karen. "A New Order." Islam: A Short History. London: Phoenix, 2001. 69-70. Print. Barton, Richard. "Internet History Sourcebooks." FORDHAM.EDU. Fordham University NewYork, 1998. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. . USCC. "Egypt: Timeline of History & Culture." Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands. US DoD, 2014. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. HAMIDULLAH, M. "General History of Islam." Introduction to Islam. 5th Ed. Pakistan: Ashraf, 1979. 195-207. Print. Iskander, Elizabeth. "Religion and politics in Egypt today: Ideological Trends and Future Prospects Elizabeth Iskander Monier Academia.edu." academia.edu. N.p., 2012. Web. 12 Mar. 2014. https://www.academia.edu/1897715/Religion_and_politics_in_Egypt_today_Ideological_Trends_and_Future_Prospects James, George G. Stolen Legacy: Greek Philosophy is Stolen Egyptian Philosophy. 7-11 ed. Pine Bluff, Arkansas: The Journal of Pan African Studies, 1954. Print. Subhan, Muhammad I. "Human Mind is a Tabula Rasa." IJCRB3.3 (2011): 1173-1176. Web. July 2011 Read More

This economic set-up due to Nile even after thousands of years has remained the same. However the attraction of Egypt resides in the discoveries of work of ruling dynasties that ruled from 2700 to 2000 BC. The discoveries like Rosetta stone provide rich information about people of that age. It tells that people of Egypt were distinct according to their placement in the region. Upper and lower regions were in contact yet they were ethnocentric and remain the same for centuries. However the spatial changes in borders cause cultural diffusion during Ptolemaic period (330 BC).

Political set-up migrated from dynastic rule to foreign rule during 332 BC when Romans and Persian rivalry started for the control of this region. Syria, Egypt and Levant (Palestine, Israel etc.) were actually the battle ground for Persian and Roman emperors. However Egypt remained an international power during the times of later Pharaohs. The region was swept by Romans and Persians one by one. However Roman rule impacted the most. During this rule Egypt was enriched by Christianity- an Abrahamic Religion.

This enlightened migration from Fetishism to Monotheism and Polytheism was brought in 1st century by Saint Mark the Evangelist. Later, transition of this region from Roman to Byzantine era started a wave of persecution of Christianity which could not undermine the basis of Christianity in Egypt. Coptic Church ultimately survived these political upheavals. (Barton, 1-3) It was during 7th Century that this region started off for a transition that was seemingly the ultimate destiny of the region.

Islam was brought to Egypt by Arabs and during 12th and 13th century Cairo became an esteemed seat of learning. Even today Al-Azhar university of Egypt is one of the great seats of learning for Islamic Theology and Jurisprudence (Armstrong, 69). The transition between one after another dynasty for the rule of Egypt consistently kept socio-cultural and religious edifice of Egyptians intact. European rule in northern Africa has less to do with any significant impact owing to their brief stay. Their impact on Egyptian society will be discussed later.

However, Ottomans during early 19th century, though enfeebled due to harsh contact with Europe, remained in power. It was not until 1882 that Egypt became British protectorate till 1953. 1952 was the year of revolution which expelled British and Dynastic rule of Muhammad Ali dynasty was formed. This dynastic rule and military regimes seemingly ended recently when President Dr. Morsi was elected as Prime Minister of the great land of Egypt. It can be seen that instead of revolutionary ideas, revolutionary instincts run among Egyptians.

They can be called as broody people, who despite possessing great seat of learning for a civilization (Islamic in this case), are prudent in taking up a change. Yet the change they have called for is exemplary in demand and mindful of the pace of human development across the world. This brief on Egyptian History and Political upheavals define their disposition of not being hasty and indeed not indifferent about their social settings. It is also pertinent to mention here that Egyptian present is highly influenced by religion.

Present crisis in Egypt has its roots in Muslim-Coptic relationship. Mass majority of people of Egypt has a well-defined aim for the establishment of a rule which accepts sovereignty of God and the Parliament shall exercise the powers while remain under the guidance of Islamic code of governance. This influence is mainly due to long influence of Islam on the society and education of the people. Al-Azhar University, where millions of people consult, across the world for religious edicts on social and religious life, has been the epicenter of social formation in Egypt.

Similarly the political thought of the people of Egypt is also mature enough to form Islam compliant democracy. This form of democracy binds their selection of leader who has profound faith in formation of a welfare state which caters for the temporal and spiritual growth of people alongside.

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