Don't mess with Mother Nature

Tonight after reading the Egyptian newspapers online, I read the amazing follow up on the the woman Chazala Khamis, who had the septuplets in Alexandria. In the Daily Star Egypt I read that the birth of the Khamis' septuplets has actually now let to a fertility discussion in Egypt and Western medical world. Main worry is that cheap fertility treatments - locally made versions of the drugs are government-subsidized and only cost about $7.50 a shot - and Egyptians' eagerness to have many children could lead to more risky multiple pregnancies which the country's health system cannot handle.

Chazala Khamis had been given fertility treatment, even though she was a healthy woman - she had given birth to two girls before - previous babies. After five years without conceiving, the parents were desperate for a boy (sons can make a living). The doctor decided to help nature a little bit and gave her hormones, result: seven babies!! With - El Hamdililaah - at least three of them sons.

Septuplets are quite medical miracle in a country like Egypt, where incubators and neonatal respirators in public hospitals are rare. It was amazing all babies survived the birth, considering the circumstances. Doctors had made Chazala Khamis wait long to deliver the babies because Egypt has only a few respirators for newborns. Plus the incubators sent by The Health Ministry were not sterile, there were not enough for all seven babies and there was no air conditioning in the operating room.

Doctors now worry that lack of guidelines in Egypt for fertility treatment and not enough facilities to deal with high-risk pregnancies could lead to a lot of problems. In addition, Egypt faces concerns about overpopulation and cheap fertility drugs could lead to a wave of multiple births. President Hosni Mubarak warned in June that growth is hindering Egypt's economy, saying Egypt's population of 79 million — mostly crammed into the 3 percent of the country's area around the Nile River — will double by 2050.

In line with some local traditions, each of the septuplets was given a name on their birth certificates, then a second "nickname." The children were nicknamed after Mubarak and his family — in hopes of winning government help for the children. The Health Ministry has pledged milk and diapers for two years, but Khamis says what she really needs is an apartment in Alexandria to be closer to doctors.

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This article is a summary of article by Hadeel Al -Shalky: 'Setuplets stir bebate on fertility drugs' http://dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=16075

Funny Egypt

Spring forward, fall back

Daylight Saving Time (DST) will end on the 29 August in Egypt. Early stop this year because of the start of Ramadan. If you are interested how DST affects the clock in your country have a look on: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/ (double click on the name of city)
And, if you - like me - never know when the clock goes forward or backward, remember the phrase: "Spring forward, fall back".

The streets of Cairo

Today after leaving the pet shop on Road 9, I noticed a screaming crowd around a big truck. The State Police was busy loading up the truck with furniture of O’Beano’s coffeehouse. Inside the vehicle policemen trying to keep angry people away from grabbing their items back again. Around the truck many yelling shopkeepers. It was a big mess; everybody pushing each other, postcards and books flying on the ground, one police officer tried to pile them up. Some items were given back, some weren’t.

A local told us that government had given warnings to shopkeepers to keep the pavements clear, but no one seemed to care. So this morning the police came and simply cleaned up the street themselves.
In Cairo many people make a living on the street. Since a lot of people don’t have enough money to rent a shop - shops are kept on pavements. Shoes, stationary, 'foul' (a mashed bean breakfast, looks a bit like puke, but is quite delicious), tissues, roasted corn, handicrafts, you name it and you will find it in dusty Cairo alleys.

The most amazing street stuff I have seen are the ‘portable bars’, on the bridges downtown, with their plastic chairs in the overcrowded traffic. After you would manage to scream your order through the traffic noise, you wouldn’t be able to taste your drink trough all the car fumes, I think.

At the almost empty terrace of O’Beano’s , a disappointed looking manager, directing his staff to put what was left, out of sight. I sat down on one of the few chairs that were left. Unfortunately the police had taken all the most comfy benches – I am sure now they will be of good use somewhere else… Sipping my coffee I spotted a lamp shop owner putting lamps outside, slolwly one by one. I have a feeling it won’t take long before everything is back to ‘normal' again.

A Sniffer dog on ‘Muslim’ bootees

Yesterday a bartender of a bar we frequently visit, proposed to my daughter. Mika with her blondish hair and very flirty behaviour (she likes to lift up her skirt), gets a lot of attraction from men here. In the taxi she flawlessly switches from Italian/Dutch (her mother tongue) to Arabic, just to get the attention also of cabdrivers. Mika - who is almost two -, didn’t pay much attention to the bartender, as soon a cute 7-month old Dalmatian walked into the bar. ‘I will buy you a dog’, he insisted. Now that was real love, I could tell, because the bartender seemed to be very scared of the dog.

In general most Muslims avoid dogs at all times, because in the Koran it is written that pets, especially dogs are considered unclean or impure. So they can not have them as a pet. Dogs are only allowed in case of special occasions, like protecting the home, hunting or for police investigation. This last one was in the news lately. ‘Sniffer dogs to wear ‘Muslim’ bootees’. I spotted on the Times Online (6th of July 2008). ‘Police sniffer dogs will have to wear boots when searching the homes of Muslims so as not to cause offence'. Guidelines being drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) urge awareness of religious sensitivities when using dogs to search for drugs and explosives. “We are trying to ensure that police forces are aware of sensitivities that Islamic people can have with the dogs to make sure they are not going against any religious or cultural element within people’s homes. (...)”, Acpo said. In that same article Ibrahim Mogra, one of Britain’s leading imams, says: ‘the measures were unnecessary’. And he quotes from Islamic law ‘the dog is not regarded as impure, only its saliva is.’ He also indicates that if security measures require to send a dog into a house, then it has to be done. Mogra concludes with: ‘I think Acpo needs to consult better and more widely’. He also says in the article: “I know in the Muslim community there is a hang-up against dogs, but this is cultural. Also, we know the British like dogs; we Muslims should do our bit to change our attitudes.”

Underneath the article unfortunately I noticed a lot of hostile ‘islamophobic’ comments. I guess that 80% of the commentators didn’t read until the end of the article.
I got curious what happens if Muslims do accidently run into a dog: From ‘islamonline.net’ I quote ‘If we ever come into contact with a dog’s saliva we must wash the spot seven times, the first of which should be with sand or dirt. It is also possible to use a bacterial soap instead of sand or dirt.’
In many forum discussions a lot is said on dogs; 'filthy animals' or just 'great mates for life'. In one of those discussions I read: ‘It is interesting to know that dogs are actually mentioned in the Quran 5 times, not just once, 7:176, 18:18, 18:22 (three times). No where does God call the dogs dirty animals or give any indication that they should be avoided or treated the way many Muslims think they should.’

Many rules in religions are difficult to exactly trace back. But hey, do all the Jewish know why milk and meat can not be eaten at the same time?

Anyway, if you are not fond of dogs, Cairo is the place to be, because you will not see them very often. Which is a great thing if you have ever lived in a city like Amsterdam where a lot of dog owners don’t give a shit and let there dog do their thing on the pavements.

Coming up... Ramadan

During some food shopping at the Alpha Market I noticed the Ramadan decorations – the tents, the colorful tin and glass lanterns, and all the dried fruits, nuts and dates. Ramadan is on the way; this year starting at the 1st of September at 12.44 pm. I looked it up, in order not to make embarrassing mistakes. (I already made some classical ones, since I lived here, but I will Blog this another day)
One whole month of praying, charity, staying away from anything sinful and fasting at daytime. This means no food, not even water, caffeine, chewing gum and sex.
Basically all the good things in life and people will give them up for 30 days from dusk till dawn, all of them at the same time. Could you imagine?
So yes, it is my first time living in a Muslim country, and I am not sure what to expect. Cairo has one of the largest Muslim population of any city in the world. In ‘The Cairo Guide’ published by the AUC Press it says: ‘Reliable estimates place the percentage of Egyptians who are Muslim at 94 percent (…)’.

Egypt’s bustling capital with - including Giza – has more than 15 million inhabitants. A great deal of them all fasting. And I will right in the middle of that.

I have been told that during this fasting month basically the entire rhythm of the country changes. People are sleeping (in) at work, the working hours are shorter. And it all happens at night; eating, socializing and even doing business.. As soon as the sun goes down, people literally will stop whatever they were doing and EAT. Nearly all traffic nearly stops during the half hour after sunset. I must say that this country is already quite chaotic and the pace of life is already veeeery slow. Can it get any worst? I can picture for example the poor policemen at the cross points (Police are there on almost EVERY corner of the street, infrastructure has not been much developed since the past 30 years) sweating away in this burning sun, faint from not drinking and eating. Trying to cope with even more crazy traffic than usual (btw, crazy traffic in Cairo, another good Blog topic).

Manlio, my husband, will be at work with a team of fasting cooks who will have to prepare luscious lunches for the hotel guests. I wonder what that feels like…

============================================= Ramadan comes from the name of the ninth Islamic lunar month and the month Allah ordered the Muslims to fast since it was the month he revealed the Koran to Mohammed (the final Prophet of Allah). The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends. The fasting is intended to help teach Muslims self-discipline and generosity. It also reminds them of the suffering of the poor, who may rarely get to eat well. During Ramadan Muslims have to fast from the break of dawn until sunset throughout the whole month.
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It think the last bit of the article is the best. And considering (Egypt's) rising food prices, this woman should feel blessed, el hamdoulilah, at least for the first two years...

Hospital: Egyptian woman gives birth to septuplets
By MAGGIE MICHAEL, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 16, 10:41 AM ET
CAIRO, Egypt - A 27-year-old Egyptian woman gave birth to septuplets early Saturday in the coastal city of Alexandria, family members and hospital director Darwish said.
The mother and newborns, four boys and three girls, weigh between 3.2 pounds and 6.17 pounds and are in stable condition, Darwish said. They have been placed in incubators in four different hospitals that have special premature baby units, he said.
Darwish decided to carry out the Caesarean section at the end of Khamis' eighth month of pregnancy due to the pressure on her kidneys. He said Khamis, who already has three daughters, took fertility drugs in an effort to have a son.
Khamis, the wife of a farmer in the northern Egyptian province of Beheira, was admitted to the hospital two months earlier, Darwish said.
The woman's brother, Khamis Khamis, said even though his sister was trying to conceive more children so she could have a son, the family was astonished when they found out she would give birth to multiple babies.
"We thought about an abortion, but then we felt it's religiously forbidden. So we said 'Let God's will prevail,'" he told the AP by phone.
Egypt's health minister announced that the seven babies will receive free milk and diapers for two years, the brother added.

First one!

Now that we finally have advanced internet in our new home, I decided to join the happy blog-crowd as well. After my search how to get a nice looking blog, I will update more with news about Egypt, and personal diaries.