to book a holiday to Egypt?

[DonutForMyself]

I was on the verge of booking a DC-free week away for DP and myself but when I mentioned that Egypt was the cheapest option, a friend pointed out that Eygpt was on the brink of civil war. As I don't watch TV news my usual source of current affairs/news is FB & MN so I had no idea.

The official advice is that the tourist areas are ok, so would IBU to still go? What are the chances of getting stuck out there or involved in any trouble if we stay within the hotel?

[thenightsky]

The Egyptian people need support from people like us who are lucky enough to live in a stable country. They are good people, they have have a sense of responsibility, a work ethic and a commitment to their families that would shame many of our citizens

I so agree with this.

[thenightsky]

ah yes.. sofatel was next door.. we used their fab teriyaki grill on the Dine Around deal.

[CloudsAndTrees]

I think we stayed at the Hyatt as well, but it was a long time ago and I can barely remember. And it was a diving holiday so we were on a boat most of the time.

[bico]

Well the people I know in Egypt have said for months not to even think of visiting.

[Hissy]

blogs.fco.gov.uk/jameswatt/about-james/



Or you could search for it on the Egyptian centre for women's rights. Or the BBC, it's not a secret.

The Egyptian people do NOT need our currency supporting a morally corrupt/bankrupt society.

They are NOT family centered, they merely tolerate children until they are old enough to be useful.the only thing that motivates them is the Man of the House's will and money.

Oh sure, they'll give the outsiders the impression they care, but it's only to extract as much money out of you as possible.

They are taught this at school, it's part of the curriculum.

Perhaps the facebook/twitter youth may see that things have to change, than women do have a right to go outside their homes, NOT be raped during marriage, or AFTER they die (that's true too).

It's a young population, so soon the power will shift to the youth. Let's hope they pay attention to rights issues in the world at large and strive for thé same as other countries have.

There is no police force, there is no security, no health and safety. Health care, hospitals? Not to be recommended.

It was a dreadful place to live when I was there. It's worse now because you are not really safe.

By giving this country money you're allowing it to carry on as it is. That's wrong. It needs to change.

[mimidolittle]

They are NOT family centered, they merely tolerate children until they are old enough to be useful.the only thing that motivates them is the Man of the House's will and money.

Oh sure, they'll give the outsiders the impression they care, but it's only to extract as much money out of you as possible.

They are taught this at school, it's part of the curriculum.

@ Hissy I too lived in Egypt for a few years both in Sharm and the more rural areas and I can't disagree with you more. The Egyptian people I met were/are the warmest, most family orientated people I have known. I felt safe and looked after at all times. It's a shame that your nasty marriage has forced you to to be so bitter towards a whole nation. I'm not saying that it is perfect, there are some terrible things going on there but the majority of people just want to have a secure future and to be able look after their family.

I actually feel quite upset about your post.

[bico]

mimi I don't recognise Egyptian people from that post either.

[Scarletohello]

According to reports, 90% of women in Egypt have undergone fgm so not a country that upholds women's rights. Hope if they get a more moderate government things will change...

[TheRealFellatio]

Really Scarlett? Where id you get that figure from? I was not aware that Egypt renowned for practising FGM at all. Not arguing with you - just amazed if the figure is that high that I hadn't heard about it - unlike say Sudan.

[Kungfutea]

Aside from the coup in Egypt there's also an insurgency in Sinai. I certainly wouldn't go to any resorts in Sinai. Yes, they are remote but that's the whole point. Something could kick off there with al-Qaeda and you're screwed. The etyptian army will run for the hills rsther than protect tourists and the authorities will be more concerned about a cover up than getting you evacuated. I'd personally feel safer somewhere like hurghada on the other side of the red sea but I'd avoid Egypt now anyway.

[DolomitesDonkey]

YABU to be ignorant of foreign affairs. :(

Clouds you can read media reports (if you keep an eye on current affairs that is). Over 90% of women aged 15-24 have undergone FGM and over 99% of women have been sexually assaulted.

Personally, as a woman - I wouldn't go to a country which routinely uses rape as a form of oppression.

[Kungfutea]

No, it's about 90% for women aged 15-49 who have undergone fgm based on the 2008 Egypt demographic and health survey. It's less for younger women (74% for ages 15-17). Still high but moving in the right direction.

On what data are you basing this 99% of Egyptian women sexually assaulted? You're basically saying ALL Egyptian women have been sexually assaulted!

Personally, I like to see the data before I believe media reports Dolomites.

[DolomitesDonkey]

You can google it, it was in national media just yesterday. PM me and I'll teach you how to use Google.

[LtEveDallas]

If you are going to be mocking DolomitesDonkey, you really ought to be sure of your facts.

According to a report by the UN, the Cairo Demographic Center and Egypt's Institute of National Planning, more than 99% of the hundreds of Egyptian women who participated in the study reported some kind of sexual harassment or assault, from verbal abuse to rape. The women came from seven of Egypt's 27 provinces

That isn't actually ALL Egyptian women. That is those that took part in the study. It is also 'some kind of sexual harassment or assault' which includes verbal abuse, not just rape.

Maybe you need some teaching too?

[Casperthefriendlyspook]

I was in Cairo last week for work. We pretty much stayed in the hotel, and were taxied to where we were working - both on the northern side of the city. There was a definite tension there, but our colleagues there were saying as long as we stayed in that area we would be ok. I wouldn't have gone if it hadnt been work, and I probably wouldn't go there on holiday at the moment either....

[AuntieStella]

There's a massive difference between verbal harassment and rape though. And earlier posters were not making it clear that the stats included more than rape.

And depending on how the survey defined "verbal harassment" I expect that UK would reach or exceed 99% too.

[Kungfutea]

The survey didn't just include verbal harrassment, dirty looks were included as well!. And the report says that women were specifically chosen in places where sexual harrassment is more common.

Here's the UN report.
www.unwomen.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Sexual-Harassment-Study-Egypt-Final-EN.pdf

So Dolomites is wrong in stating that 99% of women in Egypt have been sexually assaulted, as well as getting the fgm data wrong as well :(

Its not that there isn't a huge problem in Egypt with how they treat women, but scaremongering and exaggerating ( and poor research methods) don't help.

[WeleaseWodger]

From an Egyptian's public Facebook post


Mohamed Raouf Ghoneim
Yesterday at 12:27pm ·
To all my friends, abroad and at home, who seem sceptical about what happened in Egypt, and who insist that it is more of a military coup than a people's revolution, and who are genuinely worried that it was against democracy:
Let me state first that i am one of those who protested the loudest against military rule for the whole fifteen months of their reign in my country, since take-over from Mubarak in Feb 2011 till hand-over to Morsi in Jun 2012.
The reason why I was against military rule is because I know what it means, not through Forsyth and Ambler novels, or documentaries on History Channel, or bits and pieces of news on CNN and FOX, but because I saw its implications with my own eyes and lived its consequences on my own flesh.
So yes, i DO know the threats of military rule, and i DO realize that forcing a rule, or keeping it in power, through military might is a very dangerous thing - thank you very much.
But i ALSO know - dear friends - that it is completely hypocritical that the US media keeps spotlighting the fact that demonstrations in Egypt are against a democratically elected president, and that it turned out to be a military coup against democracy, but forgets to mention that the US ARMY'S presence in the Gulf area is mainly to "protect and defend" the regimes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia, two "friendly" monarchial dictatorships, which have never held any democratic process, against the threat of possible aggression from Iran, a "ennemy" regime with a democratically elected president - just like Morsi.
And I ALSO find it highly pathetic that the US media's memory always functions to perfection when remembering in amazing clarity how many Jews were tortured and killed by the Nazis, but miraculously seems to have forgotten that Hitler was a democratically elected president just like Morsi, and that Morsi, a declared fascist against his own people and against all who believe in anything other than his own belief, has repeatedly and openly denied that very same holocaust.
ANYWAY, we Egyptians decided we will NOT wait until our democratically elected president switches in US eyes from "friend" to "ennemy", so that this same mighty US media machine - now calling him legitimate - would all of a sudden have ignored the minor fact about him being democratically elected, while cheering the US ARMY to come and bombard and destroy my country, which will then have become part of "the axis of evil" and "a dangerous ennemy nation that harbors and sponsors global terrorism".
SO, if you are really worried about what happens around the world, don't worry that much about us, and START AT HOME, by using the great gift of democracy you have been blessed with, to stop your government from supporting and sponsoring "friendly" terrorists.
And should you have really fallen for this media idiocy about democracy, military coup and the overthrow of legitimacy, please DO make a mental note of the following facts:
1.Hitler and Morsi were both democratically elected - while Jesus, Ghandi and Mother Teresa were NOT.
2.We are fighting in Egypt TODAY against religious fascism and terrorism - so your children don't have to die by it TOMORROW.
3.MEDIA has a memory, but it's a very selective memory - and has a conscience, but this conscience has an ON/OFF button.
4.A military coup is when an army acts upon its own will and replaces a civilian ruler with one of their own, and NOT when the army obeys the orders of millions of their countrymen on the streets demanding that, and when they oust the ruler to replace him with the highest ranked supreme court judge, until a real constitution has been written, and a new ruler has really been chosen by the people.
IN ALL CASES, the peaceful Egyptian revolution continues, with or without anybody's support, and we Egyptians are well aware of the threats ahead, but we are also damn proud of ourselves, and of our army which has acted upon the will of the people and not against it.
Egypt sends positive vibes and loads of love to the rest of the free world - on our first morning back amongst THE FREE!!!
God bless all
A very proud

[sherbetpips]

There is also the factor that it can be 45 degrees plus on most days in July, not fun for kids and the sea and pools re like bathwater.
Hissy since when is Dubai cheap, used to be years ago and the only reason its cheap'er' in the summer is its too hot to go outside?