Growing Individualism in Egypt
The US State Department has been funding English language instruction in conservative areas of Egypt with seemingly impressive results, according to the New York Times. Not only have young Egyptian girls and boys learned to read, speak and write in English, but they have learned to respect human differences and appreciate diversity (albeit an emphasis on American culture has been at the process’ core). Egypt is a highly conformist society, thus Egyptians think negatively of individualism.
“Everything in my life is different now,” said one of the students, a 16-year-old girl from a conservative, rural town. “Before, I was afraid to deal with anybody who was different, I thought it was bad. Now, I think it’s important to get to know other people and other cultures.”
In general, Egypt is pro-American, although some younger Egyptians resent American influences in their country. When the battles between Israel and Palestine worsen, students increasingly resent foreigners. The language and culture program, titled Access, has inadvertently built a tolerance for pluralism amongst the few involved. I strongly recommend reading the full article here .
