r/arabs Oct 27 '24

مجلس Cultural Exchange: r/JewsOfConscience

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110 Upvotes

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8

u/conscience_journey Oct 27 '24

My family was planning a trip to Egypt but then my wife’s parents said it was too dangerous. How do I prove they are wrong?

11

u/TheRealMudi Oct 27 '24

By going lol If you ever mention being Jewish, I would also mention that you support Palestine. Unfortunately most people will correlate being Jewish with being Zionist. I myself was there a few months ago.

6

u/conscience_journey Oct 27 '24

Well my wife and I are fine with going. But my wife’s parents were going to come with us, so I need to show them that it’s fine. Like lots of Americans I think they have some unconscious bias that the Middle East is dangerous everywhere.

6

u/TheRealMudi Oct 27 '24

Try the following arguments:

  • Egypt is a politically stable country
  • Egypt has a strong intelligence and military apparatus
  • the Egyptian population is regarded to be kind and funny (excluding the hagglers around the pyramids, those suck ass)
  • the government cares more about the safety of tourists and their well being than it does that of Egyptians to preserve it's image. Which means you're already safer than the everyday Egyptian.
  • touristic places such as Cairo, Alexandria, Hurghada, Luxor, are very safe and have a sprawling night life. This could not be achieved if safety was a major concern.

Don't travel by train, you can get a private driver to take you from city to city or buses. Have common sense as a tourist. Don't go to Sinai. Stay away from Sharm El Sheikh if you plan on going to other places in Egypt afterwards or other Arabic nations, in addition to not supporting Zionism.

4

u/conscience_journey Oct 27 '24

Thanks. I know my father-in-law will definitely get taken by the grifters by the pyramids lol.

8

u/swiftieorwhtvr Oct 27 '24

this real funny guy i follow went to egypt and had a blast! his names jacob berger! unfortunately its so common to correlate being jewish with being a zionist but my whole family and almost everyone i know is absolutely pro-jewish! (almost bc theres a few bs kids ive come across. never met an anti-semetic adult back home tho) if u do end up going, i hope u have a great time !! this egyptian guy will be happy to answer any questions youve got :) 🫶🏼

0

u/llamaguci Oct 28 '24

he's a white saviour, not so great person

5

u/Strange_Philospher Oct 27 '24

https://www.economicsandpeace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/GPI-2024-web.pdf

Egypt is safer than the USA.

My advice will be 1st always move in groups 2- There are lots of people who will try to decieve u into buying things, so it's better to confine ur movement to the tourist sites and always have a tour guide.

2

u/Myruim Oct 27 '24

If you aren’t visibly Jewish, I just wouldn’t mention it given the current climate. But if you happen to mention you are if somebody probes out of curiosity, as others said just make sure they know you’re not Zionist. I have found that people actually love having their expectations subverted when it comes to this.

2

u/Oneeyebrowsystem Oct 28 '24 edited Oct 28 '24

I spent 3 weeks in Egypt a few years ago and from my experience: The great mass of Egyptians and other people in the world know there is a difference between people and the government. There are literally tens of thousands of Jewish tourists who visit Egypt every year (probably more, but I am just being conservative). Nothing will happen...I know a Jewish person who have been to Syria and said that the trip changed his life and realized how the media radicalized him against Arabs and Muslims and how friendly people are there.

Also, I would say if you are a Westerner of any kind, they will treat you well no matter what (unless they are trying to scam you or sell you something, but that happens with everyone). I would say that Gulf Arabs are the only group of people who are notoriously mistreated by Egyptians interacting with tourists unfortunately.

Please enjoy your trip!