Cairo, the 9th July, 2010

Why I love friday mornings in Cairo


Friday is the national holiday and also the day when most muslims run towards mosques and communal matresses laied on the floor in the middle of many streets of Cairo.
You can easily pass by and see crowds of men gathered (no women in this mix because it's considered haram/forbidden by God and it would distract the fidel's concentration in the praying, well...no comment on this one because my sarcasm is taking the day off!) on the streets with their heads stuck to the floor in full prayer ritual.

What I most love about Cairo's friday mornings is the 12.00h main prayer when you can almost listen to the silence hanging above the city and most streets are empty and relatively quiet.
I like to walk without being pestered by men and see some emptiness in a city where, wherever you go, there is always people staring at you.

It feels great to grab a taxi and move in the city in a fast pace (totally impossible in normal circumstances) and see the empty streets breathing a little of peace.

What I most love about Fridays is to confirm that religion has nothing to do with Spirituality (check sexual harassement from men while they are praying in the street and you'll know what I am speaking about)and mosques/churches do not substitute the REAL temple which is your own CONSCIOUSNESS.

Friday mornings in Cairo are lovely because, despite the generalized hypocrisy, you can actually feel an upgraded sense of PEACE and that's priceless.