Notes

Alienated: Inside the mind of an outlier in Egypt: A study in the light of J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye


I. Introduction: Alienation


“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”


― Rob Siltanen




A-What Is Alienation?

Have you ever felt like the black sheep of the family?. Have you ever felt you do not belong?. Have you ever felt the need to fly away somewhere where you could be yourself?. Welcome to the world of the outsiders, the mavericks, the non- conformists, or in worst cases, the alienated.

1. Definition

The simple definition of alienation according to Cambridge Dictionary is, "The feeling that you have no connection with the people around you.". Furthermore, it is when someone feels isolated, different, and they would rather stay alone practicing a hobby, or even doing nothing, than socializing. The causes may differ, but mostly, it is because being with people causes complications, whether because they do not understand them, criticize them, or even insult them one way or another. The reasons for alienation maybe be even more complex, that it can be linked to mental illness or psychological disturbance like: schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress.

2. The symptoms and the psyche of the alienated

According to Healthline.com, there are many symptoms of alienation including: feelings of helplessness, meaningless, feeling left out of conversations or events, feelings separate from everyone else, having difficulty or feeling unsafe when approaching others, and refusing to obey rules. Moreover, it can be symptoms of depression like: loss of appetite or over-eating, excessive sleeping or insomnia, feeling fatigued, and lack of self worth.

3. Existential crisis, my country hates me

Social alienation is the most prominent type of alienation, it can be caused when someone feels that their country or society are degrading them, it could be in the form of stigmatization, abuse, or even the lack of job opportunities and good health care. As a result, the person feels that his or her country hates them, they feel the need to break free and migrate, they can even develop extreme feelings like violence and suicidal tendencies. People in countries with intolerant societies and poor living conditions are the most likely to feel alienated and misunderstood.

a- Causes

According to Wikipedia, there are many causes of existential crisis including: Major sleep disorders, prolonged isolation and dissatisfaction with one's life, believing that one's life has no purpose nor meaning, an extremely pleasurable or hurtful experience that leaves one seeking meaning of the meaning of life, or a shattered sense of how the world is. The example of the Egyptian youth in the past few years is very obvious, as they started to experience a sense of existential crisis after two revolutions. They are experiencing a loss of meaning, shattered identity, and in many cases, a feeling of isolation or being an outsider who is stigmatized by society.

b- Effects

In the case of Egyptian youth, there are noticeable changes that resulted from their existential crisis. For example, there is a prevailing need to express oneself whether by rebellious acts or statements on social media, they began to feel the need to have a voice or make a change in what they see is wrong with society. On the other hand, some of them went to the negative and extreme levels like the need to harm others through violent acts and excessive anger, harassment and assaults, or depression and suicidal feelings. In some cases, those feelings are caused by society itself through what they thought would help, like belittling youth or abusing them, and suppressing and silencing their needs and opinions.

II. Deeper Analysis
A- The Catcher in the Rye summary

The Catcher in the Rye *italized*, is a novel by American author Jarome David Salinger. Being an introvert himself, Salinger spent most of his life in isolation, it is reported that he spent the last 45 years of his life writing to himself only. This lifestyle is reflected in the form of his alter-ego, the protagonist of the novel Holden Caulfield. Caulfield is a sixteen year-old teenager who is suffering social alienation, that is manifested through his hatred for education, his constant fights and violent behavior, and his need for self achievement and growing up through habits like drinking and smoking.

1. Relating it to Egypt

Similarly, the Egyptian youth have experienced a huge sense of loss and meaninglessness in the past few years. Their emotional and psychological void have increased, their need to rebel is continuously appearing whether through political or social revolutions. There is a constant need to prove one's self that can be developed into violent acts like fights and assaults. Like Caulfield, they no longer have respect for education and its system, and a sense of hatred towards the hypocrisy of the elders, that leads to a declining respect and loss of role models.

B- Post revolutions

After two revolutions and several political, economical and social upheavals, youth in Egypt began to suffer from an existential crisis, and a loss of meaning and hope, which had many consequences like moral decline and above all, alienation. Led by this sense of meaninglessness and the circumstances, the youth began to be even more rebellious against their reality. However, since there's no sense of meaning or right or wrong, that led to the wrong way as there is a noticeable moral decline, no respect for the privacy nor property of others, and no moral code to follow and be directed by. As an illustration, in his play, Waiting for Godot *italize*, Samuel Beckett portrays the idea of post-traumatic Existential Crisis in the form of his protagonists who are suffering from meaninglessness and senses of loss and despair, symbolizing people after the Second World War. The title of the play itself depicts that sense of meaninglessness, and waiting for a vague concept. Critics and readers have had many interpretations to that concept including, God, hope and faith, future, and the mere sense of meaning.

C- Economic situation

One of the main disastrous consequences of the revolutions in Egypt is the terrible economic crisis, poverty and unemployment have increased while prices are continuously getting higher each day. According to The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), "Unemployment, one of the key triggers of the mass demonstrations that toppled Hosni Mubarak, rose to 12.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011, compared to 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010. The rate was 11.9 percent in the third quarter of 2011.". Moreover, according to Worldbank.org, "Unemployment at 12.5 percent in mid-2016 (up from 9 percent prior to 2011) is a particular concern, with higher rates among the youth and women. Furthermore, recent increases in the population growth rate, is placing additional pressure on infrastructure and services. This is creating additional impetus for reforms to generate economic growth and to respond to the needs of the population and their expectations of improvements in well-being.". This all emphasizes that the economic situation in Egypt is a main trigger leading to several social issues like thefts, ignorance, harassment, and the general absence of morals and safety.

D- Western cultures influences and the long term suppression

Without a doubt, the long-term suppression of political and personal freedom in the pre-revolution years has played a main role in shaping the ideologies of people afterwards. Metaphorically, as if a starving lion suddenly enters a room full of meat, everyone rushes to express their opinions and personal freedom whether it is right or wrong, with no acceptance nor respect of the others' that would lead to fights or worse, murder. Everyone feels the need to have their own opinion in society with the sense that others' opinions are stupid and completely wrong, which even led to conflicts among a one family members who may never talk to each other again because of politics!. On the other hand, the case was double as danger among the youth who have no wise advisory and are mainly following the Western culture blindly. This caused a schizophrenic type of identity that is shattered between what they were brought up to be and what their new, free present promises, this all led to a completely false definition of freedom, which led further to more alienation.

III- Minorities
A- Religious freedom, does it really exist?

People in the Middle East, especially Egyptians, always claim that their societies provide religious freedom, but is that really true? Do people of other religions face no problems? Is converting easy? Are non believers able to express that?

1. Difference between international human rights declaration and Arab one regarding religious freedom

Concerning religious freedom, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states in Articles 18, 19 and 20 that: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.". "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.". And "Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.". On the other hand, in the 30th Article of the Arab Declaration it is stated that:  "1. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion and no restrictions may be imposed on the exercise of such freedoms except as provided for by law.
 2. The freedom to manifest one's religion or beliefs or to perform religious observances, either alone or in community with others, shall be subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary in a tolerant society that respects human rights and freedoms for the protection of public safety, public order, public health or morals or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.
3. Parents or guardians have the freedom to provide for the religious and moral education of their children.". Accordingly, religious freedom in the Arab world exists, however, it is limited by social criteria and parental consent. This means that the expression of different beliefs or converting between religions maybe a dangerous risk, especially on the parental and social side.

B- Major religious minorities, are they oppressed?

To specify the question more, are religious minorities in Egypt having their full rights?. Do they face no persecution or abuse?. In fact, religious minorities in Egypt are oppressed one way or another, with the rise of extremist ideals, their persecution have increased to extreme levels that include murder. In fact, even Muslims themselves are not excluded from that persecution as whoever dares to have a different approach to the scriptures or even a different lifestyle, faces many troubles. Consequently, the persecuted minorities feel alienated all the time and not welcomed in their own country, which may causes them to become extremists themselves.

1. Christians

Although the numbers are debated, media reports, sometimes citing officials of the Coptic Orthodox Church, frequently say that Christians make up 10% or more of the country’s approximately 80 million people. (Pewresearch.org). This makes the percentage fairly low comparing to the population of Egypt, however, the Egyptian Copts group is one of the oldest groups in Egypt. However, According to Wikiperdia.com, "Copts have faced increasing marginalization after the 1952 coup led by Gamal Abdel Nasser. Until recently, Christians were required to obtain presidential approval for even minor repairs in churches. Although the law was eased in 2005 by handing down the authority of approval to the governors, Copts continue to face many obstacles and restrictions in building new churches. These restrictions do not apply for building mosques". "The Coptic community has been targeted by hate crimes resulting Copts being victims of murder by Islamic extremists. The most significant was the 2000–01 El Kosheh attacks, in which Muslims and Christians were involved in bloody inter-religious clashes following a dispute between a Muslim and a Christian. "Twenty Christians and one Muslim were killed after violence broke out in the town of el-Kosheh, 440 kilometres (270 mi) south of Cairo". In February 2001 a new Coptic church and 35 houses belonging to Christians were burned.". Moreover, the numbers of Christians appointed for higher positions like ministers and governors in Egypt, is very low, government officials complain of discrimination in workplace, and of being minimally represented in the law enforcement. Furthermore, according to Human Rights Watch, "Egyptians are able to convert to Islam generally without difficulty, but Muslims who convert to Christianity face difficulties in getting new identity papers and some have been arrested for allegedly forging such documents." The Coptic community, however, takes pains to prevent conversions from Christianity to Islam due to the ease with which Christians can often become Muslim. Public officials, being conservative themselves, intensify the complexity of the legal procedures required to recognize the religion change as required by law. Security agencies will sometimes claim that such conversions from Islam to Christianity (or occasionally vice versa) may stir social unrest, and thereby justify themselves in wrongfully detaining the subjects, insisting that they are simply taking steps to prevent likely social troubles from happening.(Wikipedia). These statistics show that religious freedom in Egypt is obviously limited, and that the Egyptian society is not tolerant as claimed, therefore, cases of alienation among Christians are very likely to happen.


2. Jews

Likewise, the Jew community in Egypt is more subjected to alienation and persecution as the numbers of Jews are lower, and worse, they are always limited to Israel and Zionism in the Arab and the Egyptian mind. "Within a short period of time, fewer than sixty years, Egyptian society was completely transformed. Rapid changes affecting the economy and shifts in the political system had serious repercussions for the Jewish community. Modernization forced Egyptian Jews to reconsider their established customs and practices, and introduced western ideas into their culture. There is no census of the Jewish population in Egypt until the end of the nineteenth century when an estimated 25,000 Jews lived in the country. The Jewish population increased to more than double between 1897, the year of the first available census, and 1917, when it was estimated at 60,000. This figure remained stable until the mass emigration of 1947. Today, only a few hundred Jews are left in Cairo and Alexandria. (hsje.org). In an article called The Vanishing Jews of Egypt, on Middle East Eye.com, Nadia Ishak, one of the few Egyptian-born Jews still living in Egypt, after she returned to the country of her birth in the early 2000s, tells her experience, “I was very young, the memories fade each year. All I can remember is the knocking on the door, a police officer ordering us to get our clothes, and the smell of the night and the early dawn while we were loaded into the back of the truck with the officers.” “My father and my mother left France escaping the shadow of the imminent war in 1909, but the consequences of another war had reached us in a different country.”. Ishak and her family were placed in detention for 50 days, along with hundreds of other families, and when they were released they were given a month to leave the country. The charges against them were that they were Zionists – something Ishak denounced vehemently to MEE. “My father and my mother had no intention of betraying the country they lived in for about 30 years. They came searching for peace, safety and stability - we never did or had the intention to engage in any of the activities we were falsely accused of.” (MEE).

C- Undercover religious groups

Speaking of the alienation and the persecution of the religious minorities in Egypt, one can not forget to mention the smallest minorities who face the worst persecutions. If the Egyptian society is intolerant with the major heavenly religions, what is their attitude towards the "non heavenly" ones?

1. Atheists and Agnostics

First of all, Atheists and Agnostics are the most to face persecution in the Arab world in general, and Egypt in particular. Being a non believer is considered a sin and a crime, both religious and social wise. Therefore, to state that someone is a non believer is a serious risk, it can end with persecution, abuse, and worse, killing. The number of non believers in Egypt can never be known due to the terrible consequences, one can even be killed by his or her own family if they claimed they are. Moreover, official papers in Egypt do not recognize any religions other than Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Between 2011 and 2013, “Egyptian courts convicted 27 of 42 defendants on charges of contempt for religion,” according to The Guardian. According to International Policy Digest. Com, "In 2015 in her program “The Morning of the Capital” on the Egyptian channel “the Capital TV,” an Egyptian journalist dismissed an atheist guest for expressing his views. A wrangle broke out between the Egyptian journalist Rania Mahmoud Yaseen, the host of a debate on atheism, and her atheist guest, Ahmed Al-Harqan, who spoke about “the lack of historical evidence concerning the existence of the figure of the prophet Mohammad.”. Rania Yasin interrupted Al-Harqan saying: “Come on! Leave! We don’t need Atheists or infidels. People should pay attention to the warnings against infidelity, atheism and these outrageous ideas in the society.”. The guest left the debate and one wonders why an Egyptian journalist would host a debate about such a sensitive issue in Egypt, if she isn’t willing to listen to what atheists have to say.". Moreover, "In 2014, Karim Ashraf Mohamed Al-Banna, 21, was jailed for three years for “insulting Islam” by simply declaring he is an atheist on Facebook. Shockingly, his own father testified against him claiming that his son “was embracing extremist ideas against Islam.”. It is noticeable in the past few years that Egyptian atheists, like non Egyptian ones, are basing their beliefs on the Creationism vs Evolution ideas, and on the fact that their society does not practice tolerance nor freedom of beliefs, therefore, they are likely to abandon their religion and start looking for their own ways of thinking. However, when trying to discuss when atheists, most religious people just attack them and their beliefs, even without knowledge of theories like Evolution, or even in some cases, without reading their own scriptures!. As a personal experience, surfing the web and social media accounts, I found that those who fight atheists and abuse them mostly have zero knowledge of Quran, and never even read it, or they just fight difference while they lead a corrupted lives. One of the main pretexts of Egyptians of persecuting Atheists is that they think they lead a life full of crime and debauchery because they have no rules to control them, ironically, it is seen that there is a huge moral decline among Egyptians who are claiming to be one of the most religious societies, this leads to a society full of double standards and hatred.

2. Baha'is, Shi'ites, Buddhists and Hindus

Those groups are rarely mentioned in the Egyptian societies like in Asian countries and Asian-Arab countries like Iraq and Syria. First of all Shiites, according to Al Monitor.com, "The exact number of Egyptian Shiites remains a source of debate. However, some unofficial sources told Al-Monitor that they constitute about 1% of the population, roughly about 900,000 Egyptians.". "Egyptian Shiites have been subject to persecution, detention and imprisonment. On May 18, the prosecution accused Shiite leader Al-Taher al-Hashimy of attempting to spread Shiism, disturbing social peace and conducting covert activities, according to a statement Hashimy emailed to Al-Monitor after his release.". Another tiny part of the Egyptian society is Bahaa'is, according to Harvard Divinity School, "Baha’i rights were further complicated with the inclusion of Article 2 of the constitution in 1971, declaring Islamic law to be the source of Egyptian legislation. As such, any religion not recognized as legitimate by Islamic scholars cannot be recognized by the state. In 2008, the Court of Administrative Justice ruled that the Ministry of Interior must issue identification cards to Baha’is with the caveat that “religion” is left blank, justified by Egyptian constitutional protections for freedom of religion. Institutional and societal discrimination continues. While Baha’is can obtain identity cards, they face obstacles in registering marriages and inheritance, opening bank accounts, starting businesses, and the state does not recognize Baha’i religious law. The Egyptian government fails to adequately prosecute those who harass, threaten or commit violent acts against Egyptian Bahaa'is.". Moreover, numbers of other groups like Buddhists and Hindus in Egypt are not estimated, however, Wikipedia claims that "Hinduism is practiced mainly by the Indian expatriates and workers in the nation. According to the constitution of Egypt, There are approximately 57% Hindus of Indian origin in Egypt, and they are 90% of the Indian population in the country.".

D- Homosexuality
1. In Egypt, is it a choice? A result of abuse? Or just an adventure?

Another thing that can never be known in Egypt is the number of homosexuals. "Egyptian sexologist Heba Kotb estimates that 10% to 12% of the Egyptian population is homosexual. According to 2013 survey by the Pew Research Center, 95% of Egyptians believe that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.".
Homosexuality in Egypt dates back to the Pharaohic time as "The best known case of possible homosexuality in Ancient Egypt is that of the two high officials Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep. Both men lived and served under pharaoh Niuserre during the 5th Dynasty (c. 2494–2345 BC). Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep each had families of their own with children and wives, but when they died their families apparently decided to bury them together in one and the same mastaba tomb. In this mastaba, several paintings depict both men embracing each other and touching their faces nose-on-nose. These depictions leave plenty of room for speculation, because in Ancient Egypt the nose-on-nose touching normally represented a kiss. (Wikipedia). According to CNN, "At least 20 homosexual and transgender persons were convicted of debauchery and other charges in 2014, which human rights activists say has been the worst year for the community in recent memory. Fear of arrest and social stigma force the majority of the LGBT community to conceal their identity and sexual orientation.
"You have to be aware of everything you're doing; your clothes, your reactions toward people," Nour told CNN. He has asked us not to use his real name to protect his identity.
Both dominant religions in Egypt, Islam and Christianity, prohibit homosexuality. Rather than the literal translation, the word usually used for homosexuality in Arabic is "shezoz", meaning "abnormality.". In an article published on Cairo Scene.com, some gay men reveal what it is like to be gay in Egypt. First, Mina, a jewelry designer says: "First of all, homosexuality is not a sickness nor is it a disorder; it’s been around since the existence of mankind. It's not just that we want to have sex; in fact, we get attracted emotionally to our same sex more than physically. When my mother found out, she was very broken of course. It also came at a very tragic time; I had just broken up with my first boyfriend. Everything in my life seemed dimmed and sad, and the fact that I could not possibly have a stable emotional life because of my sexuality was torturing me. I tried to commit suicide that day and that's when she saw the blood on my wrist. So, my coming out to her was very tragic. She couldn't help but cry and feel very broken and this was when we both decided that I should go to therapy. I spent almost two years in therapy. Then, the psychologist immigrated and that's when I felt that there was nothing that could be done to cure me, because I wasn’t sick in the first place. I sat with my mother and I told her that nothing had changed in me, and that I was not willing to carry on in therapy anymore. I told her that as long as I'm not married to a girl, know that I am still me. We never spoke of the matter anymore. She's also quite religious; she keeps saying that she trusts that God will interfere with a miracle and I will be better then.". Ahmed, a mechanical engineer, "I knew when I was 14. My mother denied it at first, thinking it's just a phase, then later on she accepted it under certain conditions – no sex basically. I remember she once told me, "If you asked me to kill you in order for you not to be gay and have sex, I’d do it." My father knows but he's in denial, and he doesn't want me to tell him that I’m gay. I thought of religion as a factor; it was confusing thinking that God hates me for who I am, and then I read that in all religions God is okay with gay people as long as they do not act upon it. There are so many gays that pray everyday, but do whatever they want regarding sexual acts.". Joseph, photographer, "There are several misconception towards us. The most important one would be that I'm surprised about the amount of people that think being gay is a choice; take a step back and think about what they're saying. Why would I choose to be gay? Especially in Egypt where there's a lot of hostility towards us. I know people who contemplated suicide over this, and if anything, most gay people would probably tell you how they tried so hard to be straight. Myself included.". Khaled, writer, "Someone who was sexually abused as a child can become gay as a result. However, it differs from a person to another, personally, I was curious I searched through the internet and Facebook – each person gets exposed in their own way.". Those experiences, sum up ,to an extent, the misconceptions of the Egyptian society about homosexuality, and their ideas that it can be changed, or that they are perverted and rapists, it is impossible to judge someone based on their orientation. However, in some cases -especially in the Arab world-, homosexuality is caused by the inability to connect with the opposite sex -like Saudi Arabia-, an abusive childhood trauma, or just as an adventure of trying something that is a taboo 'forbidden fruit logic'. Although judged and abused accordingly in the Egyptian society, it is impossible to generalize that all homosexuals are bad, in fact, crimes like domestic violence, sexual assaults, cyber bullying, and sexual harassment -which harmed 99% of Egyptian females- is committed by straight men, so, how can we say that all gays are bad and that they are the worst and most dangerous group in society just because they chose to lead a different, harmless life?. Moreover, how can such a persecuted group not feel alienation and hatred towards their own people?

IV- Self expression and how it's faced
Can you really express your opinions freely? Have you ever encountered some attack when expressing an opinion among a group of conservatives or even normal people in Egypt? What is the normal response of parents when their kids tell them they want a tattoo or a different hair color?

A-Tattoos and body art/ modification

Can one of the Egyptian youth with conservative, typical Egyptian parents say they want a tattoo?. What is the typical response of Egyptian mothers when a girl says she wants a piercing or an unusual hair color?. Or even worse, what would they say if their daughter wants to have a plastic surgery?. Moreover, what would society say?. In most cases, their parents would yell at them saying they are crazy and that Western cultures ruined them, and maybe punish them, or in extreme cases, they would beat them or ban them from going out. Meanwhile, on the social level, society would treat them like aliens, with looks of wonder, disgust, or even insults and in girls' cases, considering them as whores. In an article on Middle East Eye.com, Osama Dawood, an Egyptian tattoo artist tells his experience, "
Dawood came back to Egypt determined to start a tattoo parlour in his own country. But he was faced by the first of many problems: the government refused to give him permission to start the parlour. In fact, the Egyptian government does not even have an official tattoo license to give.". "“The revolution did something to the dominating set of social and religious ideas; the freedom young men felt was a stimulus to them to experience new things, and to do things they were afraid of doing before because of society, parents or religion.” "MEE asked how most people deal with Dawood and his job, considering the fact that for the Muslim majority, tattoos are forbidden by the laws of their religion. He replied: “About 80 percent of the youth who come to my parlour are Muslims; it is forbidden in Islam because you can’t remove it. Twenty years ago, there was no way to remove the tattoo, but now you can easily remove it by laser, and as long as you can remove it, many Muslim people and sheikhs think it is okay to have a tattoo right now.”. "But this doesn’t lessen the fact that there are people who look differently at Dawood when they see the tattoos on his arms, or when they learn about his job and he has been subjected to abuse. “There was this guy who managed to get my phone number from my Facebook page, and he kept ringing me but whenever I answered him, he would start calling me bad names. He kept doing this for about a week, causing me a lot of problems with my customers, as many of them couldn’t reach me.” Dawood also said he was ambushed by a "fanatical sheikh" who lives near the parlour. “I parked my car in front of the parlour, while I was getting out, he attacked me from behind, saying that I am cursed for doing what I do. People from the street helped me and stopped him, but I had to file a report against him at the police station.”. On the personal level, being pierced and tattooed myself, I have faced troubles both with my parents and my society. People call you insane, shame you, and say you are definitely going to hell. I asked my piercing artist -who is heavily pierced- about her job in Egypt, and what kinds of problems she faces, she said she can not get a license for a parlor, so she has to do it in her family house, she also faces harassment and insults because of her 'unusual' appearance, and girls who come to her are usually worried about their parents' reaction. Moreover, plastic surgeries are always faced with disapproval and religious issues, even if they are necessary like the cases of injuries and deformed appearance. Also, celebrities who undergo plastic surgeries are always faced with rude comments and criticism.

B-Lifestyle and clothing

Can a guy normally wear pink or a girl normally wear a short dress in Egypt?. Can they walk around with unusual haircut or color?. Can a girl openly tell her parents she wants to take off the veil with no criticism?. The answer of course is no, even if their parents are very open-minded, their society would be so harsh and abusive with them. People will obviously never stop criticizing others' life choices or clothing, even in the cases of conservative people like girls with modest hijabs or nikabs, they are still criticized.

C-indie and independent and different arts and sports

Youth in Egypt, especially after the revolutions and social networking, start to produce their own kind of art, also, they started to resort to unusual -according to Egyptians- forms of sports and activities like yoga and dancing classes. For example, there is a rise of the underground genre of music, Gothic fiction novels, and abstract art and graffiti. Moreover, on the physical level, there is a rise in the numbers of yoga centers, gyms, dancing centers, and spas. Although these kinds of arts and activities can be opposed or seen as absurd by the majority, youth find them as a form of self expression and releasing the tension of the everyday life in a hectic, extremely traditional society.

V- Women

Writing about the status of women in Egypt would need a whole book. However, in the next few points, the status of women will be briefly discussed regarding the idea of alienation.

A- Standards/ The ideal woman

The ideal Egyptian women has changed throughout the years from the strong independent Cleopatra like, to the voluptuous classy lady of the 50's till the 70's, and the skinny, modest, completely shy, girl next door of nowadays. However, no matter how many changes, there is still that idea of the mold that all women need to be made through, society is always forcing women to be in a certain shape and act in a certain way. That all causes eating disorders, insecurities, and anxiety or general psychological issues.

B- Shaming

So what is the reaction towards the woman who does not conform to those standards?. The answer of course is shaming. Although shaming is a worldwide phenomenon, it is very prominent in Egypt, as the Egyptian society has no tolerance for women in general and always expects them to completely conform to their ideals. If a woman is fat, she will be shamed, if she is skinny, she will be shamed, she is not allowed to laugh loudly, she is not allowed to behave in a certain way, nor smoke, nor walk in certain places, and the list goes on. This all of course, leads to major problems in the psyche of females that may even lead them to inflict that pain on their daughter, which causes a never ending circle of oppression.

C- Independent women with different choices and how they're treated

The ideal choice of women, shaped by the Egyptian society, is that they should lead a life of nuns till they graduate and get married and be extremely obedient wives. So, what happens if a girl tries to break free of this and have her own choices?. First, her parents start to doubt her beliefs, and ban her from going out or punish her. Second, society would be merciless and abusive and consider her as a bad person who was not brought up well. As a personal experience, along with many other girls around me, when we say we refuse early marriage and wish to travel alone, everyone gets very criticizing and abusive and the typical reply is, "wait till you do it with your husband", and here comes the question, did the majority of Egyptian women really had fun and traveled the world with their husbands, or they just transformed into miserable housewives with tons of responsibilities?. Does society expect us to be cheerful princesses when they are oppressing us that much, regardless of what we face in the street daily of course?. Why are we blamed when we become introverted and alienated?.

VI- Social media, a friend or foe of the alienated

Social media can act as a resort to the alienated in such a society. But is it completely a safe and happy place?.

A- Meeting like-minded people

Social media can be a paradise to the introverted alienated who choose to refrain from society and its criticism. They can talk with like-minded people and feel free expressing their own beliefs and thoughts. They can have the whole world that they can not connect with in their hands, they can indulge in music, reading, art, that help them become happier alone.

B- Facing persecution and abuses

Although social media is a paradise to the alienated given the previous advantages, it can also be hell as they may face abusive people, get abusive comments, and cyber bullies. They can get accused of blasphemy, promiscuity, and get threatened. Women in particular, are the biggest victims of cyber bullying when it comes to that, they can be threatened, black mailed, and get abused, whether by fanatics or sick minded bullies in general who consider free thinking women as an easy target. Moreover, many websites and pages that use free thought and are different in one way or another, get reported, and their administrators may face abuse or even being jailed.

C- Finding related articles and books

On the other hand, the internet can be a beneficial tool for them to find alternative articles and sources that are not available in Egypt. They can also find relatable books, and articles that would help them overcome their issues and indulge in something beneficial instead of using harmful ways like drugs and drinking.

VII- Escapism and drugs

The alienated in any society may refer to drugs and alcohol as a form of escapism and achieving self fulfillment.

A- Drugs and drinking

Just like Holden Caulfield in the Catcher in the Rye *italize this*, they may use drinks and drugs as a form of escapism and to feel more mature and grown up. Holden tends to smoke all the time, and drink regularly pretending to be older than he is. Likewise, some of the Egyptian youth feel more satisfied and self-achieved when they do such things, and may even feel that their peers respect them more. It is also a way to escape their problems with parents and society even if temporarily.

B- Reasons

Although those habits are extremely harmful, those alienated people can not be completely blamed as their intolerant society drives them to. Moreover, those of them who suffer from mental and psychological issues may refer to drugs and over consuming pills as to numb themselves completely which causes addiction and breakdowns.

C- Effects: does it really help?

Do these kinds of escapism really help them?. In fact no, a lot of youth all around the world who used these methods ended up committed suicide or suffering from serious mental damages. Moreover, this does not prevent them from encountering people or facing criticism, or completely escaping their reality as they have to come back to it at some point.

VIII: Conclusion and sources

A- Does stigmatizing make it better or worse?

In conclusion, stigmatizing people just because they think differently never helps. In fact, it can lead to more terrible outcomes like those people becoming more defiant, and may even use violence as a reaction. If different people are keeping peace, why attacking them?. Why there is always that need to force our opinions and lifestyles on others?. Why can not everyone live in harmony and peace and try to accept others?.

B- How the problem can be solved and acceptance of others

Out of all ways, there is mostly that one way that would definitely help, acceptance, it is the keyword that solves all those issues. Everyone should learn to respect others as much as they want to be respected, and treat them as well as they want to be treated. Children should be brought up from a very young age to think that whoever is different is still a human, is still our brother/sister in humanity. No matter what our religion, race, ideologies, or orientations are, we are all humans who are destined to live together on Earth. Criticizing others and insulting them will never make you a saint who will go straight to heaven, and would never make them go to hell. All religions and ideas throughout histories sought to instill these ideas of peace and harmony, however, the translations have gone wrong.

"Imagine all the people, living life in peace.. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one... I hope someday you'll join us... And the world will be as one."
John Lennon- Imagine