CAIRO: When I arrived in Cairo earlier this year, I was struck by the feeling of community. Even in a crowded and continually growing city of 20 million, I’ve found the majority of Egyptians to be incredibly welcoming – hospitable almost beyond belief. Graciously turning down tea, food, or assistance from any Egyptian, close friend or complete stranger, is a skill I have not acquired to date.
In the past week, this attitude has changed dramatically.
Egypt’s first case of swine flu was found in an Egyptian-American 12-year-old, diagnosed as she entered Cairo International Airport. The following seven cases were confirmed in American students attending a summer program at the American University in Cairo. The university’s dormitories were immediately placed under quarantine.
Meanwhile, the official number of cases in Egypt has grown to 26.
Because the majority of those diagnosed with the disease have been either foreigners or Egyptians recently returned from the United States, there is a growing apprehension on the part of many Egyptians towards foreigners in the country.
On the street, the usual amiable smiles and comments of “Welcome to Egypt! have now changed to wary glances.
During a trip to the neighborhood of Zamalek, I was no longer subject to the standard harassment of the Egyptian street, calls of “Miss America! or “Obama, very good! Instead, a colleague and I were greeted with a yell of “H1N1!
A walk down Mara’ashly Street in Zamalek prompted passing taxi drivers to cover their noses and mouths with tissues, perhaps due to suspicion that I may have been an American University dormitory escapee.
After clearing my throat in a convenience store, a man applied hand sanitizer. Upon entering a pharmacy, the pharmacist himself quickly put on a face mask before I had fully opened the door.
The number of people wearing face masks increases dramatically each day.
Last week on the metro, only a few covered their face with tissues or masks. Sunday saw my tally increase to 11 in the ladies’ car alone.
On Monday morning, over half of those sharing my metro car donned some sort of face mask, with many of these make-shift masks being provoked by the presence of a foreigner: me.
Glancing over my shoulder as I exited the metro, I saw that many of my fellow metro-riders had turned to watch me leave, removing whatever mouth-protector they had been using while I rode the train.
On my evening ride home, I found that face masks are now being sold on the metro. A few women sitting near me held out their one pound notes and immediately covered their mouths and noses with their new mask.
In response to this change, I no longer mention that I was a student at the American University in Cairo – a fact I used to include with pride in discussions with Egyptian acquaintances. I am hesitant in admitting my nationality (though this seems to be readily apparent), as I am now well-aware of the response this would provoke.
Early media reports on swine flu did not subdue anxiety, painting a picture of a deadly and rapidly spreading disease. One Muslim Brotherhood member reportedly termed the virus “more serious than the hydrogen bomb.
A colleague at the paper recently remarked that swine flu in undoing all the good President Barack Obama’s speech had done for the reputation of Americans in Egypt. The increasing panic surrounding the spread of the H1N1 virus has been viewed as an American problem, inciting increased suspicion and animosity largely directed towards Americans and other foreigners in Egypt.
American friends and colleagues joke about this sudden change in the Egyptian demeanor, laughing that a faked fit of coughing allows them to cut lines and stroll easily through Cairo’s congested and often impassable sidewalks.
Most even find the calls of “swine flu! humorous.
This amusement is based on the belief that the new mistrust will soon pass.
There is a sense of being somehow tainted on account of one’s nationality – though most have faith that this feeling will diminish as the presence of the virus becomes more commonplace.
True, relations between Middle Eastern countries and the United States government have always been rocky, but this pandemic is not political in nature.
H1N1’s crossing of Egypt’s borders was not politically motivated. It is not a plague sent by angry American politicians.
Dr Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization said it best. After declaring the H1N1 virus a global pandemic, she stated, “We are all in this together, and we will all get through this, together.
As the initial disquiet over swine flu fades, it is uncertain whether this new foreigner paranoia will also subside. It remains to be seen if Egypt’s historically welcoming community can overcome the challenges posed by a global pandemic, with the understanding that we are all in this together.
