Native Peoples & Religion
Egypt’s native people and their religion have changed drastically since ancient Egyptian times. Egypt’s native and most common language is
Arabic. According to Hobbs, this tongue “originated in and around the Arabian Peninsula.” Unlike modern Egyptians, their ancient ancestor’s language was called Coptic. Most Egyptians are Muslims who practice Islam (Hobbs, 2003). Muslims believe there is only one God whose name is Allah, and the prophet Muhammad is God’s messenger. The most important minor religious group in Egypt is the Coptic Christians. This branch of Christianity celebrates the same holidays as other Christians but on different days (Hobbs, 2003).
Despite Egypt’s astonishingly limited available living space, the population is growing rapidly. In 2002, there were about seventy million people populating Egypt, and ninety-five percent of them lived in the Nile Valley and Delta Region (Hobbs, 2003). As of 2015, this number skyrocketed to ninety-one million people (The World Bank, 2016). Most Egyptians “believe that having more children will actually help them lead more prosperous lives.” The reasoning behind this is the higher amount of children they have, the more family members are able to work. Depending of the amount of people in the family who are working, the family's income can be increased (Hobbs, 2003). Unlike the United States, Egypt does not have a law against child labor which causes the logic of children adding to their parent’s income feasible (Hobbs, 2003).
Other interesting facts about Egyptians include their clothing, schooling, and women rights. Egyptian’s clothing often reflects their religion, and level of wealth. Most wealthy, urban Muslims and Christian Egyptians wear clothes similar to those worn by North Americans. People who are Muslim and have less wealth usually wear the traditional Islamic garment Boraas, 2002). Public education is free, but the system is crowded with limited teachers. Education for all kids six to fourteen years of age is required, but it is not always enforced. In fact, “about 85 percent of elementary-age children go to school” (Boraas, 2002). Women's rights in Egypt today are extremely minimal compared to men’s rights. Women are also highly subject to gender discrimination, harassment, and abuse (informed COMMENT, 2015).
Egypt’s native people and their religion have changed drastically since ancient Egyptian times. Egypt’s native and most common language is
Arabic. According to Hobbs, this tongue “originated in and around the Arabian Peninsula.” Unlike modern Egyptians, their ancient ancestor’s language was called Coptic. Most Egyptians are Muslims who practice Islam (Hobbs, 2003). Muslims believe there is only one God whose name is Allah, and the prophet Muhammad is God’s messenger. The most important minor religious group in Egypt is the Coptic Christians. This branch of Christianity celebrates the same holidays as other Christians but on different days (Hobbs, 2003).
Despite Egypt’s astonishingly limited available living space, the population is growing rapidly. In 2002, there were about seventy million people populating Egypt, and ninety-five percent of them lived in the Nile Valley and Delta Region (Hobbs, 2003). As of 2015, this number skyrocketed to ninety-one million people (The World Bank, 2016). Most Egyptians “believe that having more children will actually help them lead more prosperous lives.” The reasoning behind this is the higher amount of children they have, the more family members are able to work. Depending of the amount of people in the family who are working, the family's income can be increased (Hobbs, 2003). Unlike the United States, Egypt does not have a law against child labor which causes the logic of children adding to their parent’s income feasible (Hobbs, 2003).
Other interesting facts about Egyptians include their clothing, schooling, and women rights. Egyptian’s clothing often reflects their religion, and level of wealth. Most wealthy, urban Muslims and Christian Egyptians wear clothes similar to those worn by North Americans. People who are Muslim and have less wealth usually wear the traditional Islamic garment Boraas, 2002). Public education is free, but the system is crowded with limited teachers. Education for all kids six to fourteen years of age is required, but it is not always enforced. In fact, “about 85 percent of elementary-age children go to school” (Boraas, 2002). Women's rights in Egypt today are extremely minimal compared to men’s rights. Women are also highly subject to gender discrimination, harassment, and abuse (informed COMMENT, 2015).