The Last Egyptian Belly Dancer

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  • Posted By: hj-590 @ 06/03/2008 4:49:32 PM

    As far as I'm concerned, this is the biggest problem in the Middle East right now," says mobile-phone billionaire Naquib Sawiris.
    People like Naquib shock me, with the war going on in Iraq, dozens on innocent people dying each day, losing belly dancers and media is DEFINITELY NOT the biggest problem in Middle East. People like him need a reality check!

    • Posted By: snewss @ 06/03/2008 5:00:33 PM

      Read the article again, the biggest problem isn't the bellydancers, it's the SaudiArabization of Egypt.

  • Posted By: hj-590 @ 06/03/2008 4:47:45 PM

    "As far as I'm concerned, this is the biggest problem in the Middle East right now," says mobile-phone billionaire Naquib Sawiris.
    You have to be kidding, with the war going on in Iraq, losing bellydancers is definitely not the biggest problem in Middle East right now! People like you seriously need a reality check!

  • Posted By: snewss @ 06/03/2008 4:34:59 PM

    Here's what Saudis do in Egypt FYI ... The Saudi women roll up to the Hard Rock Cafe by the Grand Hyatt all covered up from head to toe, as soon as they get inside, they rip it all off down to what looks like a bikini outfit and start dancing on the tables. Wahabiism my ass

  • Posted By: selena087 @ 06/03/2008 2:20:07 PM

    any any1 mourning the loss of bellydancers can go to HELL. EGYPTIANS are making these choices, its their choice and im sure it does them a ton of good. man i hate it how ppl think that their filthy way of life needs to be thrust upon everyone, willing or no. what a biased writer i swear he sounds like he would be thrilled to see islam being stomped out of egypt instead of a few fat belly dancers. Who gives a damn if its culture? Isnt it obvious that the ppl to whom this culture belongs arechanging it themselves?????????

    • Posted By: sselander @ 06/03/2008 4:33:54 PM

      Hey SELENA! For this post, I nominate you "MOST IGNORANT" for the day. Congratulations.

    • Posted By: sselander @ 06/03/2008 4:23:47 PM

      I don't think ANY Egyptian citizens are making these decisions, unless they are hard-up for money. In which case, some people will do anything for money. Some people would eat *** for money. That doesn't mean they like it or want its continued presence in their lives.

    • Posted By: shocked2see @ 06/03/2008 3:16:09 PM

      But they are not! Saudi's are not Egyptian. This has nothing to do with Islam. Islam is alive and well, and flourishing in fact, already in Egypt. This is about extremists telling others how they have to behave, or more to the point, not giving them any other options! Who cares if it's culture? Without a cultural identity there is no point of a national identity, so let's just get rid of all nationalistic pride, all individualism, and all creativity while we're at it!

    • Posted By: BDancerAkai @ 06/03/2008 2:30:55 PM

      Can i ask, why the hatred for belly dancers?
      dont you think that is your own pre-conceived notions?
      Yes, Egyptians are partially making their own choices, but are also being influenced by Saudi influence.

  • Posted By: selena087 @ 06/03/2008 2:26:03 PM

    when i taught preschoolers in lebanon the little boys would come in on ASHURA day wearing green bands and looking like they were ready to kill some1. when i asked them what was wrong theysaid...they killed them. they killed them. they killed hasan. i want to kill THEM.
    anyway u prob arent very educated abt ur religion u shud go bak 2 the books.

    • Posted By: sselander @ 06/03/2008 4:19:27 PM

      What is the point of this post? Sounds like you just reinforced what everyone is saying, that these religious fanatics are scary.

  • Posted By: dedoal @ 06/03/2008 4:18:39 PM

    F*&k saudi arabia and all those religious nut bags over there! news flash "there is no god we are just bacteria on this planet" lucky for them we don't go over there and take their oil...oh wait bush is their buddy

  • Posted By: Iamnotamused @ 06/03/2008 4:17:35 PM

    Hmm, the US is becoming like Egypt except that we are just bought and owned by the Chinese. Imagine that.

  • Posted By: snewss @ 06/03/2008 4:10:06 PM

    Are you guys kidding (the ones who think this is a good thing). Egypt will turn into the next Afghanistan if nothing is done about this. I think it's deplorable that Saudis can come in to Egypt and dictate how things are run. Giving them control of the movie industry means you are handing your culture over to someone else to take care of for you, wake up you Egyptians! One billionare (Naguib) no matter how much money he has, will not be able to make the change, it takes the collective of all citizens to stand up and want that change to happen. I see too many Egyptians that just sit there and complain about it but don't do anything to resolve this. If every Egyptian with "westernized" thinking just leaves the country then you're left with a bunch of social retards to run the show.

  • Posted By: esauer @ 06/03/2008 3:36:48 PM

    wow, so much ignorance on this comment page. Bellydancing is not remotely like stripteasing. The last time I checked, you didn't have strippers strip at your wedding for good luck. We actually should be very concerened that Saudis are trying to spread very strict, narrow Wahabbi principles throughout the Middle East by hijacking other cultures. Egypt has long been one of the more liberal parts of the region. Should this happen it will become even more difficult for western cultures to make peace with the region. Additionally, Wahabbiism has spun off many, if not most, of the Islamic extremism out there today. Which means that we can expect even more to appear.

    • Posted By: Eman @ 06/03/2008 4:09:25 PM

      Strip teasing and belly dancing are the same! Both play music have women dance in little to nothing sexual attire to entice mien. Second who gives so called Luck the dancer or God? God All Mighty! Now some use belly dancing in more arenas like weeding parties in the women's side, but its origin was to seduce Sultans and now women wear less than the women who started it. I am well educated regarding its origin use today in Muslim and non-Muslim societies.

  • Posted By: revolution_if_no_resolution @ 06/03/2008 4:09:12 PM

    Religion corrupts everything. Once you let your moral compas be guided by religion you will fall. All great countries and dynasties eventually fall due to the overzealous nature of religious beliefs and their enforcers. Read up on your word history. It's just because we are living it that we find it appalling. It happened years ago and is doomed to repeat itself. We, society of all race and religion, will eventually fail and the cycle will begin anew.

  • Posted By: curlyfries110 @ 06/03/2008 3:01:55 PM

    Wow Islam and its different branches seem almost as confusing as Christianity and all its forms.. I am learning alot today. This is good.

    • Posted By: sselander @ 06/03/2008 4:09:07 PM

      Learn how to spell. A LOT.

  • Posted By: Eman @ 06/03/2008 3:20:35 PM

    Great! The best of this entire nation are pious, something obscure here in the US. Those poor women were duped into dancing for money, it's the same as strip teasing. This move will help Egyptians God willing to have more regard for women and make women value themselves more by refraining from degrading jobs, and create a better way for women in need to earn a living.

    • Posted By: sselander @ 06/03/2008 4:05:49 PM

      Pious- dutiful reverence to God. What you are saying is basically forcing religion onto a culture. That's disgusting. Also, belly dancing is NOTHING like strip teasing. It's an art form. Reading from the Koran for money, with a veil over your face because you are a woman . . . now that's degrading.

  • Posted By: Jalna @ 06/03/2008 4:02:26 PM

    Why is it that people must try to fource their value system on others, it seems to me that they are following in the footsteps of another tyranical country ("do as I say or else") The United States of America.

  • Posted By: dedoal @ 06/03/2008 3:59:12 PM

    TO SRJ1: IF YOU WISH WE WHERE MORE LIKE THOSE GREEDY MO#%@ F&%@#S GO MOVE THERE! WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE,IF I WANT TO WATCH PORNO AND GET WASTED AS LONG AS I DON'T DISTURB ANY ONE WHO GIVES A CRAP? THAT IS THE AMERICAN WAY, DON'T TELL ME HOW TO THINK!

  • Posted By: bluesouth73 @ 06/03/2008 3:42:22 PM

    the problem isnt saudi or egypt or the usa the problem is poor people .the poor are easy to push around.the very rich love to keep the poor ,ery poor.if look at all of the terrorist countries thats the set up ,ery rich and very poor hardly any middle class so that way they can be controled.they use religion as an excuse most very rich people could care less about religion think about it ,how many suicide bombers are rich ummm none
    alot of people in the middle east say how the usa is evil and money is the problem and western influence is the problem just look at the arabs and what kind of cars they drive and what they eat and the houses "palaces"they live in well they dont seem to mind western influence.

    • Posted By: redleopard @ 06/03/2008 3:55:40 PM

      Well put! They love western / European / Asian technology by way of cellphones, Rolls Royces, Yachts, and Fighter Jets while they shout "infidels!" at them.

  • Posted By: adirondack_1 @ 06/03/2008 3:49:27 PM

    "before they invested in terrorism" They seemed to be able to find justification for it when it suited their needs so whats to stop them from doing it again? The religion hasn't changed, the government hasn't changed and their values haven't changed. Now they are promoting Wahabbism, for what purpose other than to recruit from Egypts poor disgruntled masses? I'll be watching for another militancy to form.

  • Posted By: Angelheart @ 06/03/2008 3:02:19 PM

    Thank God someone on this planet still has a moral compass. We are a pernicious society. I dislike most of the movies that are made now. I find them cheap & vulgar. You wouldn't see a Paris Hilton in Saudi Arabia. I love my freedom as an American, however, I don't like the direction it is going in. We have a new T.V show coming on the air about "Swingers in the 1970's" Give me a break...is this really entertaining? God Bless the Saudi's

    • Posted By: bluesouth73 @ 06/03/2008 3:48:40 PM

      who has a moral compass do you mean the billionare arabs with there mercedes and there palaces meanwhile there people are starving on the streets is that the ones with compass.by the way the movie industry is a billion dollar a year industry who care what you think about the movies,don't go see them ,but i guess someone is because they sell alot of tickets.your 8 bucks won't change that.also the show about the swingers well yea that happened alot in the 70's so trying to pretend things like that don't happen won't make it go away.....IT'S CALLED FREEDOM.....move to saudi or egypt if you don't like it

    • Posted By: shocked2see @ 06/03/2008 3:43:42 PM

      Angelheart you criticize the American entertainment and praise the Saudi's for their "moral compass" (by who's standard?!?), but they aren't have any effect on American entertainment. They're affecting the Egyptian industry which already has great morals! All they are doing is restricted things to the point of where only religious movies can be made. Seriously, an empty bed is taboo?!? what the hell?!?!!?

  • Posted By: redleopard @ 06/03/2008 3:46:46 PM

    I've travelled around the Mediterranean and have seen different cultures who have their own special "dances". Greece, Spain, Italy, Romania, Israel have their own way of expressing themselves through dance or celebration. Most nations do; so why is Egypt being targeted for how they express themselves?

  • Posted By: esauer @ 06/03/2008 3:37:31 PM

    wow, so much ignorance on this comment page. Bellydancing is not remotely like stripteasing. The last time I checked, you didn't have strippers strip at your wedding for good luck. We actually should be very concerened that Saudis are trying to spread very strict, narrow Wahabbi principles throughout the Middle East by hijacking other cultures. Egypt has long been one of the more liberal parts of the region. Should this happen it will become even more difficult for western cultures to make peace with the region. Additionally, Wahabbiism has spun off many, if not most, of the Islamic extremism out there today. Which means that we can expect even more to appear.

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