To a large degree, local so-called Salafists (at least the politicized ones) have been largely silenced, imprisoned, and otherwise "dealt with" since 2013.
Most of them have survived with their heads temporarily down, but not off. A massive reservoir of angry manpower waiting for the moment that the regime starts going wobbly.
If the history of totalitarian movements in Europe can be used as an analogy, the question of "who is going to rule Egypt in twenty years" is far from settled.
So, when a person's firsthand experience of Egypt was like that, naturally one of the first things that will come to mind is “Hmm, I wonder how the local Egyptian people felt about this procession.” I do find it hard to believe that the population has become less strict in its interpretation since 2013, even if their room for applying their beliefs politically has narrowed.
A non-trivial part of the Egyptian population is employed in tourism. It's not all about Ancient Egypt, but that's the main attraction, so many people not only are OK discussing it, they're making a living out of it. Ancient Egyptian history is taught in public school curriculum, etc. Even the national soccer team's nickname is the "Pharaohs".
I was told by Cairo elites that a major change in Egypt since the 1990s or so was the increasing pressure the masses were putting on the elites. For example, if you ran a business and you did not have the prayer bump on your forehead, your customers might question your religiosity and take their business elsewhere. And the stricter veiling of urban Egyptian women compared to accounts from the mid-20th-century was obvious. Again, I don’t know what might have changed in that regard since the revolution.
That people are employed in tourism to the Ancient Egyptian past does not necessarily mean acceptance of the Ancient Egyptian past. There are a number of Muslim countries that derive income from tourism that is at odds with a strict understanding of Islam, but devout Muslims are willing to look the other way (and perhaps tell themselves that this is just a temporary thing until the great sharia future ushers in an equitable economy for everyone).
Everyone does.
Serious question from someone who has been to Egypt but not fully digested the culture or the people. Thanks.
So it's viewed as part of the country's heritage but not necessarily culture or state.
Did Egyptians consider themselves a distinct nation under thousands of years of foreign rule, or did they consider themselves Romans at some point, then Greeks, then Islamic, etc (obviously not British)? Or did they always consider themselves an independent nation?
Edit:- also helped massively that Egypt controlled the Suez, and the proximity of Cairo and Alexandria (which Baghdad lacked) meant that the spice trade would inevitably make the Egyptians more prosperous. And of course prosperity leads to autonomy.
Thank you!
“Copt” means Egyptian and was used by the Turkish decedents ruling class to refer to Egyptians regardless of religion.
So all Egyptians are Copts. Some Copts are Christian
The church, sometimes referred to as the Coptic church literally meant “the Egyptian church” and played a key role and maybe to this day, for example with a bishop sent to Ethiopia.
As for “who think of themselves as a descendant of those mummies?” Pretty much all Egyptians do, the national soccer team is often referred to in Africa as “the pharaohs”. Of course some Arabs Turks Greeks Armenians British and French stayed over the 1000s of years but given the population was already well established over confined space(3% of Egypt is populated, mainly around the Nile and coast) the influx couldn’t overtake the indigenous population.
This is not just some fantasy / wishful thinking either. If you observe farming habits, certain traditions, specific tools, fishing, sailing etc, you can see a very long and continuous way of being. It is called “maat”
Some studies concluded 98% genetic makeup overlap between the ancient and modern Egyptians. There is such a thing as “Egyptian ethnic group”. Travel through the streets and you will see the resemblance. TV shows? Not so much.
With that said, the Egyptian constitution of 1920s declared “the Egyptian is anyone who wishes to declare themselves Egyptian”.