Understanding Egypt is also understanding Islam.

I have nothing against any RELIGION. Actually, I have a big respect for all forms of RELIGION, that is anything and everything that Re-UNITES people with each other and with their Divine source/root.

The fact that the so called "religions" of this world have been dividing, oppressing, exploiting, dominating, mistreating human beings while they manipulate their minds (for political benefits of the powerful and finantially rich people) is another subject.

While working as a dancer and living in Egypt I have been curious about many things I never managed to understand. That s one of the perks of LIVING in such a "different" place. That includes a way of thinking (or better said, NOT thinking), acting, living. Islam is a BIG part of this "difference" that separates me from this land and one that I could never really get used to.

Sure I love the beautiful voice of a "muezzin" calling for the prayer or a beautiful recitation of the Coran. Sure I also love the sense of compassion, community, mutual help and support that comes from the practice of this religion. BUT...I cannot accept the hipocrisy, anti natura rules and oppression that is also going around Islam in Egypt (and worse, in many other arabic countries). Denying Human Nature is only turning human beings into monsters. Oppressing WOMEN is only oppressing more than half Humanity. Not allowing people to QUESTION their own religion and to act according to their own conscience is the easy way to create silly machines that only do what they´re told to do, as well trained dogs. That may be the interest of the political powers (which know, learning from History, that Religions have always been a huge help when it comes to exploitation) but, I think (so sorry for daring to "THINK"!) not of the interest of the people.

Egypt is not EGYPT anymore for many centuries. Its pharaonic origin is still around, you can smell it in the air but only if you have the special "radars" for it. If not, pharaonic Egypt is only a picture of touristic panflets, History books, half broken monuments full of dust and sadness spread all over Egypt.

Many colonizers occupied Egypt but none has left such as strong stamp on it as the Arabs (making sure that original EGYPTIANS are not ARABS). In that stamp there is a king: Islam.

This legacy has been reinforced, year by year, by many powers at stake (egyptian emmigrants that went to the Gulf areas and Saudi Arabia to work returning to Egypt with religious extremist ideas they picked up in these countries, Saudi Arabian money injected in Egypt with the conditions of another type of "control", foreign interests that want an uneducated, easily dominating people in this country, for their own profit and benefits).

Then again...nothing against Islam but all against ignorance, oppression, hipocrisy and ANY religion that does not make people more HUMAN, more ALIVE, HAPPIER, more intelligent, more active, more of themselves and less of the crap many try to sell them as "the word of God".

There is also a difference between Islam and the way egyptians - and others - practice what they call Islam. The Coran itself is written in classical arabic ("fuss´ha") which is something not understandable for most egyptians. So there are the sheiks and all the others who offer themselves to READ and INTERPRET what illiterate people cannot.

From this point, all kinds of lies, manipulating and stupidity are born and real ISLAM seems to be substituted by an invented version of Islam that serves the purposes of a few powerful groups.

Understanding Islam is understanding contemporary Egypt and, no doubt, one of the big reasons why Oriental Dance is being chased, criticized, point at as cheap prostitution and such for many generations.

Simply because I refuse dogmas and prejudices of any kind, I insist on knowing more.

Here s the book I am LOVING:

"Inside ISLAM,

The Faith, the People and the conflicts of the world´s fastest growing religion"

Several authors

*Also reading "José e Pilar", a compilation of interviews given by the portuguese writer José Saramago (Winner of the Nobel Prize of Literature) and Pilar, his wife.

Curiously enough, Saramago was an atheist (he didn´t believe in the existence of God).

Accepting other people´s points of view, faiths, will, even their ignorance (at our eyes) is a huge help when it comes to LEARNING. The ones who are so sure of their own dogmas and reject to put them to the test are usually the ones who stay in the past, frozen in their own little, limited world. As a professional DANCER, ARTIST, it is my duty and pleasure to LEARN from everybody and listen to all kinds of things, knowing that my own BRAIN and CONSCIENCE will filter what s GOOD and what ´s simple damn bullshit.

Knowing Oriental Dance is so much more than "just dance"...

I´ve said it on and on...