Before arriving in Egypt, I was obviously aware that the majority of the country's populace was Muslim, and that religion played a crucial role in the social and political environment here. However, I had not realized the true extent to which so many of Egypt’s citizens adhere to Islam. While not everyone abides by religious regulations, the overwhelming majority—even in an incredibly Westernized setting such as the American University in Cairo—do. On one hand, their devotion to such rules as abstaining from alcohol consumption, or total fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan, is an impressive display of faith that is less easily found in the United States. Some incidents, however, have made me question the impact of such religious tenacity on the development of Egyptian society.
One such event occurred during the second lecture of my "Introduction to Cultural Anthropology" class. My professor was explaining the characteristics of anthropology, one of which is that it is evolutionary, meaning it examines humans as they and their societies have developed and changed throughout their entire history. He paused for a moment, scanning the class, which was full of about 30 Egyptian students, in addition to me and one girl from Canada.
"You," he began, pointing at me. "When did human history begin?"
"Well," I replied, "It's difficult to say exactly, since we've evolved over time."
"Did we always look the way we do now?" he countered.
"No, we used to have different mental and physical characteristics," I answered.
A hint of a smile spread across his face, as he finally arrived at the question he had intended on posing to me. "Did humans evolve from apes?"
Thinking I grasped what the consequences of my reply would be, I answered cautiously, "Many scientists believe so."
The response was immediate and severe. Whisperings echoed throughout the room, both in Arabic and English, angrily insisting that these students did not believe this theory. I had known that Islam, like Christianity, tells a creation story which disputes evolutionism, but I had no idea that the theory would be so vehemently denied by such a vast majority of Egyptians. In the United States, this trend occurs mainly in what some would consider extremely religious populations, as most Americans have developed an understanding of Judeo-Christian religious values in cooperation with science. Yet this is clearly not the case in Muslim Egypt, where nearly all the students of the most elite college in the nation do not believe that humans evolved from apes. Here evolution is not taught as a theory supported by a great deal of irrefutable scientific evidence; perhaps it is not truly taught at all.
Reflecting later on the furious murmurings of my classmates, I pondered the effect that this unwavering belief in creationism has on social advancement. It reminded me of Copernicus. Just as his heliocentric model of the universe was deemed heretical at first, it had to be accepted eventually in order for scientists to make any sort of advancement in the disciplines of astrology and astronomy. Through my Western lens, an incredible amount of knowledge is based upon the idea that humans descended from apes and developed over thousands of years until they reached their present form. Darwin's theory has contributed to research in nearly every scholarly field, from biology to anthropology to philosophy. To me, this raises a crucial question of how Egypt can possibly reach its full developmental potential, if evolutionary theory cannot serve as a basis for academic progress.
This is just one of many examples I have discovered in Egypt of how religious ideals can sometimes seem at odds with the aims of development, as understood in the Western context. Every time I pass a Saudi woman on the streets, literally every inch of her body—except sometimes her eyes—covered in black cloth, I wonder how that country will ever achieve a form of gender equality. During the month of Ramadan, productivity in nearly every industry decreases, due to shortened business hours and workers' lack of energy resulting from the mandated fasting, a feat which is particularly draining in Cairo's extreme heat.
Though there is no clear solution to Egypt's struggles in development, my experiences have led me to believe that religion must play a crucial role. The infinite importance of Islam in the life of so many citizens means that it could serve as a tool to resolving some challenges to progress. However, the nation must first analyze how religion has come to shape society, and consider how to employ this influence to improve the quality of life for all its people.
"You," he began, pointing at me. "When did human history begin?"
"Well," I replied, "It's difficult to say exactly, since we've evolved over time."
"Did we always look the way we do now?" he countered.
"No, we used to have different mental and physical characteristics," I answered.
A hint of a smile spread across his face, as he finally arrived at the question he had intended on posing to me. "Did humans evolve from apes?"
Thinking I grasped what the consequences of my reply would be, I answered cautiously, "Many scientists believe so."
The response was immediate and severe. Whisperings echoed throughout the room, both in Arabic and English, angrily insisting that these students did not believe this theory. I had known that Islam, like Christianity, tells a creation story which disputes evolutionism, but I had no idea that the theory would be so vehemently denied by such a vast majority of Egyptians. In the United States, this trend occurs mainly in what some would consider extremely religious populations, as most Americans have developed an understanding of Judeo-Christian religious values in cooperation with science. Yet this is clearly not the case in Muslim Egypt, where nearly all the students of the most elite college in the nation do not believe that humans evolved from apes. Here evolution is not taught as a theory supported by a great deal of irrefutable scientific evidence; perhaps it is not truly taught at all.
Reflecting later on the furious murmurings of my classmates, I pondered the effect that this unwavering belief in creationism has on social advancement. It reminded me of Copernicus. Just as his heliocentric model of the universe was deemed heretical at first, it had to be accepted eventually in order for scientists to make any sort of advancement in the disciplines of astrology and astronomy. Through my Western lens, an incredible amount of knowledge is based upon the idea that humans descended from apes and developed over thousands of years until they reached their present form. Darwin's theory has contributed to research in nearly every scholarly field, from biology to anthropology to philosophy. To me, this raises a crucial question of how Egypt can possibly reach its full developmental potential, if evolutionary theory cannot serve as a basis for academic progress.
This is just one of many examples I have discovered in Egypt of how religious ideals can sometimes seem at odds with the aims of development, as understood in the Western context. Every time I pass a Saudi woman on the streets, literally every inch of her body—except sometimes her eyes—covered in black cloth, I wonder how that country will ever achieve a form of gender equality. During the month of Ramadan, productivity in nearly every industry decreases, due to shortened business hours and workers' lack of energy resulting from the mandated fasting, a feat which is particularly draining in Cairo's extreme heat.
Though there is no clear solution to Egypt's struggles in development, my experiences have led me to believe that religion must play a crucial role. The infinite importance of Islam in the life of so many citizens means that it could serve as a tool to resolving some challenges to progress. However, the nation must first analyze how religion has come to shape society, and consider how to employ this influence to improve the quality of life for all its people.
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