Dateline Egypt, Part 5

There's no lack of attractive women in Egypt.  And there's no lack of women who want to escape the sexist, super-restrictive life style they're forced to endure in that Muslim-dominated country.

I was one of five long-term, single guys working on the wastewater project in Alexandria in the early 80s.  I'm the only one of the five guys that returned to the States without a native wife in tow.

Were I of the female persuasion, I too, would be desperately seeking a way out.  Here's how it was for women:
1.  Any single woman not living with her parents was considered a whore.

2.  No single woman could be seen in public with a single man unless there was a chaperone along.

3.  On the day after a wedding, blood stained sheets had to be displayed outside as evidence the bride was a virgin.  Got ketchup?

Boys will be boys.  Girls will be girls.  Hormones will be hormones.  Imaginative ways around the restrictions were widely known and widely practiced.  It was, presumably still is, nothing but a sham, keeping up appearances.

Muslims don't drink?  Bullshit.  Muslims don't mess around before marriage.  More bullshit.  Anything goes as long as it's not done in public.  I have a dim view of religion in general.  Although some followers toe the line, hypocrisy seems to run rampant.  In countries like Egypt where there's no separation of church and state, hypocrisy reigns supreme.

Yes, I dated an Egyptian woman.  A Coptic, not a Muslim.  Sharp as a tack.  Educated in England, had a masters degree, spoke 4 languages, ran a travel agency.  She was an excellent tennis player, often beat me in singles.  Coptic or not, she had to adhere to the ridiculous moral code described above, and understandably, wanted to get the hell out of Dodge.

She suggested a marriage of convenience but I wasn't up for it.  I was recently divorced, had no desire to remarry - even if it was supposed to be temporary.  I advised her to reconnect with another expat she had dated before me.  I knew the man, an agriculture specialist/advisor.  Good guy.  He had returned to the States a few months before she and I hooked up.  She took my advice, ended up marrying the guy and made good her escape.  Last I heard, they had two kids and were living in South America, where he had another agricultural gig.