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| Egyptian voices – conservative and progressive – clamour to be heard | Egyptian voices – conservative and progressive – clamour to be heard |
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| Last weekend, the owners of the 4Win hotel in Hurghada uncorked the entire contents of their drinks cabinet, and poured it down their stairs. Attended by a Salafi sheikh, and by supporters chanting "Allah is great", the event was a first for Hurghada. It marked the opening of the first hotel in the Red Sea resort – a westernised tourist town where much of the signage is in English and Russian – that promises to cater for religiously conservative guests. | Last weekend, the owners of the 4Win hotel in Hurghada uncorked the entire contents of their drinks cabinet, and poured it down their stairs. Attended by a Salafi sheikh, and by supporters chanting "Allah is great", the event was a first for Hurghada. It marked the opening of the first hotel in the Red Sea resort – a westernised tourist town where much of the signage is in English and Russian – that promises to cater for religiously conservative guests. |
| "At the moment, many Middle Eastern men won't come to Hurghada because they won't get the privacy they require," said 4Win's manager and co-owner, Abdelbasset Omar. "We're trying to fill that gap in the market." | "At the moment, many Middle Eastern men won't come to Hurghada because they won't get the privacy they require," said 4Win's manager and co-owner, Abdelbasset Omar. "We're trying to fill that gap in the market." |
| Omar said female guests will stay on a segregated, women-only floor guarded by female security personnel, and will also have the option of swimming in a segregated pool. The bar is alcohol-free, while images of musicians Elvis Presley and Shakira – the residue of the hotel's previous life as a conventional establishment – have been removed from the walls. But the transformation is not entirely complete: paid-for pornography channels have not yet been removed from the hotel's televisions. | Omar said female guests will stay on a segregated, women-only floor guarded by female security personnel, and will also have the option of swimming in a segregated pool. The bar is alcohol-free, while images of musicians Elvis Presley and Shakira – the residue of the hotel's previous life as a conventional establishment – have been removed from the walls. But the transformation is not entirely complete: paid-for pornography channels have not yet been removed from the hotel's televisions. |
| "It gives me the chance to enjoy tourism in my own country in a way that does not contradict my beliefs," said one of the hotel's first guests, Abdel Rahman – an electronics engineer from Cairo. "Especially the privacy for women – they can enjoy swimming now with no problems." | "It gives me the chance to enjoy tourism in my own country in a way that does not contradict my beliefs," said one of the hotel's first guests, Abdel Rahman – an electronics engineer from Cairo. "Especially the privacy for women – they can enjoy swimming now with no problems." |
| "I'm very glad that this hotel has been opened," said Sheikh Khaled Saeed, who spoke at the hotel's opening. "It helps better reflect a real image of Egyptian society." | "I'm very glad that this hotel has been opened," said Sheikh Khaled Saeed, who spoke at the hotel's opening. "It helps better reflect a real image of Egyptian society." |
| Western tourism in Egypt has fallen since the 2011 uprising – one local hotelier said his hotel's occupancy was down by 50%, while nationwide numbers have fallen by over a fifth in the past two years. In this light, 4Win's existence is partly seen as a clever attempt to make up for the shortfall with a different kind of tourist. "It's a smart move," said Adel Ibrahim, the owner of Canary Hotel, another Hurghada inn. "It'll attract conservative guests – both from the Gulf countries and from Egypt." | Western tourism in Egypt has fallen since the 2011 uprising – one local hotelier said his hotel's occupancy was down by 50%, while nationwide numbers have fallen by over a fifth in the past two years. In this light, 4Win's existence is partly seen as a clever attempt to make up for the shortfall with a different kind of tourist. "It's a smart move," said Adel Ibrahim, the owner of Canary Hotel, another Hurghada inn. "It'll attract conservative guests – both from the Gulf countries and from Egypt." |
| 4Win is not Egypt's first no-alcohol hotel, and nor were such businesses unheard of before Egypt's 2011 uprising. But for some, the hotel – particularly its touristy location, and its segregated nature – is nevertheless one of several developments that suggest Egypt has become more Islamised since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. "The previous regime wouldn't have allowed this kind of hotel because such a hotel wouldn't have reflected the image that Mubarak would have wanted to have of Egypt," said Omar. "Now Islamists have a bigger chance to express themselves," said Abdel Rahman. | 4Win is not Egypt's first no-alcohol hotel, and nor were such businesses unheard of before Egypt's 2011 uprising. But for some, the hotel – particularly its touristy location, and its segregated nature – is nevertheless one of several developments that suggest Egypt has become more Islamised since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. "The previous regime wouldn't have allowed this kind of hotel because such a hotel wouldn't have reflected the image that Mubarak would have wanted to have of Egypt," said Omar. "Now Islamists have a bigger chance to express themselves," said Abdel Rahman. |
| Islamists are not a homogenous bloc. In fact, ultra-orthodox Salafist politicians are increasingly at odds with the less doctrinal Muslim Brotherhood, whose associates are Egypt's largest political force. But more generally, both their members and their ideas have nevertheless become increasingly visible. | Islamists are not a homogenous bloc. In fact, ultra-orthodox Salafist politicians are increasingly at odds with the less doctrinal Muslim Brotherhood, whose associates are Egypt's largest political force. But more generally, both their members and their ideas have nevertheless become increasingly visible. |
| Between them, Islamist parties have a majority in parliament – however divided they may now be. President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood affiliate, seeks to introduce the controversial sukuk, an Islamist version of a government bond. Islamic singers – banned under Mubarak – are making a comeback. Alcohol restrictions have been tightened – while in a middle-class district of east Cairo, a new segregated Salafi cafe has garnered much media attention. Elsewhere in Hurghada this week, threats from Islamists forced the closure of an anti-Islamist play. | Between them, Islamist parties have a majority in parliament – however divided they may now be. President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood affiliate, seeks to introduce the controversial sukuk, an Islamist version of a government bond. Islamic singers – banned under Mubarak – are making a comeback. Alcohol restrictions have been tightened – while in a middle-class district of east Cairo, a new segregated Salafi cafe has garnered much media attention. Elsewhere in Hurghada this week, threats from Islamists forced the closure of an anti-Islamist play. |
| But elsewhere, liberals and leftists emphasised that the 2011 uprising has amplified progressive voices as well conservative ones. "To highlight what the Salafis or the Muslim Brotherhood are doing misses out the larger picture," said professor Khaled Fahmy, a prominent commentator and head of history at the American University in Cairo. "For sure, since the revolution we have seen a religious discourse that is very pronounced and even extremist. But we have also seen an amazing effervescence of art, of music and of poetry." | But elsewhere, liberals and leftists emphasised that the 2011 uprising has amplified progressive voices as well conservative ones. "To highlight what the Salafis or the Muslim Brotherhood are doing misses out the larger picture," said professor Khaled Fahmy, a prominent commentator and head of history at the American University in Cairo. "For sure, since the revolution we have seen a religious discourse that is very pronounced and even extremist. But we have also seen an amazing effervescence of art, of music and of poetry." |
| Fahmy pointed to the graffiti artists whose murals now cover many Egyptian city centres; political poets such as Mostafa Ibrahim; and arts events such as Cairo's downtown contemporary arts festival (D-caf) – all of whose work was partly enabled by the political vacuum created by the 2011 uprising. | Fahmy pointed to the graffiti artists whose murals now cover many Egyptian city centres; political poets such as Mostafa Ibrahim; and arts events such as Cairo's downtown contemporary arts festival (D-caf) – all of whose work was partly enabled by the political vacuum created by the 2011 uprising. |
| Despite the rise of political Islam, in some quarters the uprising has also led to an increase in secular activism. On the same weekend as the 4Win Hotel opened, a group of young Egyptians stood outside the famous Library of Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast. They called themselves the Almaneyoun, or the Secularists, and they chanted: "No to the Islamic state. No to religious rule. Egypt is a secular state." Above their heads they held their state ID cards – with the controversial section that states their religion symbolically scrubbed off. | Despite the rise of political Islam, in some quarters the uprising has also led to an increase in secular activism. On the same weekend as the 4Win Hotel opened, a group of young Egyptians stood outside the famous Library of Alexandria, on the Mediterranean coast. They called themselves the Almaneyoun, or the Secularists, and they chanted: "No to the Islamic state. No to religious rule. Egypt is a secular state." Above their heads they held their state ID cards – with the controversial section that states their religion symbolically scrubbed off. |
| The Secularists remain a tiny group in a country where even the civil-minded often still have a high level of religiosity. But they claim they are growing, and will soon open several new outposts in the Nile delta. One of their leaders in Alexandria is even a former Salafi. "You can loudly say that this is a spring for secular movements as well," said the group's co-founder, Ahmed Samer. "The more Islamists try to push their ideas on people, the more people will try to reject it." | The Secularists remain a tiny group in a country where even the civil-minded often still have a high level of religiosity. But they claim they are growing, and will soon open several new outposts in the Nile delta. One of their leaders in Alexandria is even a former Salafi. "You can loudly say that this is a spring for secular movements as well," said the group's co-founder, Ahmed Samer. "The more Islamists try to push their ideas on people, the more people will try to reject it." |
| In Cairo, two journalists have started a similar campaign – "None of your business" – that aims to remove references to religion from state ID cards. Meanwhile, two months ago hundreds of students gathered in the unlikely setting of a mosque to discuss atheism – a taboo subject for many Egyptians. "Could we ever imagine such a gathering occurring before the revolution that overthrew Mubarak?" wrote one of the attendees, journalist Mohamed Abdelfattah. "No. Would Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood–backed government wish to silence such a thing? Of course. But it can't." | In Cairo, two journalists have started a similar campaign – "None of your business" – that aims to remove references to religion from state ID cards. Meanwhile, two months ago hundreds of students gathered in the unlikely setting of a mosque to discuss atheism – a taboo subject for many Egyptians. "Could we ever imagine such a gathering occurring before the revolution that overthrew Mubarak?" wrote one of the attendees, journalist Mohamed Abdelfattah. "No. Would Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood–backed government wish to silence such a thing? Of course. But it can't." |
| Additional reporting by Mowaffaq Safadi | Additional reporting by Mowaffaq Safadi |
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