2 annotation. Final version

      Reasons for the crisis of identity in Egyptian society

Jessica Villaseñor 

100409908 

 

In the first annotation I explained some characteristics of women in Egyptian society. In this annotation I will explore the crisis of identity in this country and the reasons for it. I present here two articles from international newspapers that gives us clear understanding of the topic.

Article:Egypt: Crisis of identity

Analyzing the current problems in the Egyptian society, Roger Hardy, a reporter from the BBC News, points out the contradictions between the Muslim religion and the sights of modernity in the country. This article supports my argument about the incongruence of the real Egyptian identity and modern state created by the Government. It is a peculiarity that a country with 90% of its population professing Islam could perfectly fit in the conventional definition of modernity  just like the one that Hardy shows  “I see a modernist as a person that lives in today’s world, [someone] who knows what’s going on” (2002). The signals of modernity, such as telecommunications are undoubtedly present in Egypt.

        This western form of modernity has brought in its wake uncertainty, confusion; a real fragmentation of the society.  Different groups have different solutions for this crisis. Some of them had been trying to approach to the West, others had done a reinterpretation of the Koran (the holy book of Islam) but “in the light of modern conditions” (Hardy, 2002).  Others had concluded that Islam has to maintain as pure as possible and fight the battles against the West.

       
         On the other hand, the government kept a pro-west policy for many years meanwhile the society was wearing out. The actual crisis is the result of these inaccurate policies (Hardy, 2002). This is a context of the struggle they live in the pursuit of their identity. 

Article: What caused the Revolution in Egypt?

Duncan Green, from The Guardian, seeks for the reasons of disconformities of Egyptian people that may have led to the Revolution in 2011. Green (2011) mentions “the foreign policy had …divorced from public opinion for many years”. There is a disagreement between the voice of society, the free media and the government in recent years which led to “the erosion of legitimacy”. As example we can mention that even though Egypt’s population is mostly Arabic, it got far from the rest of Arabic countries, and from their customs. 

           
        Since a Revolution is a large-scale event, I cannot say that Egyptian Government behavior in international scenario is the main causes for the crisis, but it is one of them. The government in recent years did not represent the identity and customs of the society until the point that it broke down into groups that are seeking for solutions. Turning back to the veil would be one of the signs of one of these groups’ solutions.

References

-Green, D. (2011, February 11). What caused the Revolution in Egypt? The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/poverty-matters/2011/feb/17/what-caused-egyptian-revolution

-Hardy, R. (2002, July 16). Egypt: Crisis of identity. BBC News. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/2002/islamic_world/2131219.stm