Egyptian authorities are clutching their heads: marriages with foreigners are becoming increasingly prestigious among young Egyptians, and their compatriots are sitting in old maids at this time. In order to somehow influence the situation, the country's authorities have embarked on the promotion of "preserving the integrity of society, centuries-old traditions and foundations, as well as the inviolability of the main social unit of society - the family." The main objective of the campaign with such a long name is to put
  the end of the boom of mixed marriages in the resort cities of the country of the pharaohs.

Are the moral teachings of elders and matchmakers effective? Luxor authorities say yes: within a few months of the campaign, marriages with foreigners became half as much. However, our tourists, vacationing in Egypt, do not feel any difference in the behavior of the Egyptians.

Young Arabs, not burdened by marriage, continue with their characteristic love of loving courtesy of Europeans arriving at them. Working as guides and animators in hotels, they with the same zeal try to find a wife among clients, many of
  See also:
  Rainbow prospects of Montenegro Rainbow prospects of Montenegro
  - Pancake week on the nose - it's time to bake pancakes!
  - A romantic family vacation, or How to arrange a second honeymoon
  - A salt cave has opened in Jicin
  - The expansion of Shanghai Pudong International Airport has begun
  which are Russians, with her help, to break into the higher ranks of the social ladder.

Our compatriots, being frequent visitors to hot Egypt, regularly return to the country of the pyramids no longer as tourists, but as Arab wives. Passion, love pressure and temperament of burning brunettes bribe our romantic people. According to the Association for the Protection of the Rights of the Russian-Speaking Population in Egypt, only 4,000 Russian citizens reside permanently in Sharm el-Sheikh (figure for 2006), and their number is growing in proportion to the tourist flow - by 15% per year.

Why does an Egyptian need a foreign wife? It is no secret that an Islamic bride costs the groom hundreds of camels or as much gold as she weighs. Another thing is the Russians.
They come to the hot shore - modern and liberated. They sunbathe topless and come to dinner in short T-shirts that do not cover the navel, which in Egypt looks like a complete nudity. They walk around the hotel in thongs, demonstrating what the Egyptian can only imagine in secret erotic fantasies. They agree to go to the Egyptian for a cup of coffee, not suspecting that this is tantamount to admitting to prostitution. They entertain the disco with belly dancing, not realizing that in Egypt a decent woman can perform this dance only in a closed bedroom and only in front of her husband. They believe in flowers and words and easily agree to have sex if they like a hot Egyptian guy.

For the latter, marrying a foreigner is simple. He does not conclude with her a real marriage, but ORFI. In Egyptian order, it is, rather, an engagement or, roughly speaking, state permission to sleep together. But the main thing - according to this document, He has a bunch of rights, for common children, for example, and Her has no! In addition, at any moment he can say: “You are no longer my wife!” - and any court will support him.

What does such a marriage result in for a Russian woman? Wearing a hijab, complete lack of rights, hard work? Or maybe after the wedding she lives in an oriental fairy tale, remaining her beloved “habibi”, brings up children, does not know troubles and worries? Numerous forums are full of stories that reveal the backstage of the world of Russian wives of modern Egyptians.

  Natalia, 26 years old.“I’ve been married to an Egyptian for more than three years - I came as a tourist to Sharm El Sheikh, but I stayed. I'm sorry now. I love Ibrahim so far, but I’m already tired of “building” relationships alone. It seems that he doesn’t care much about family difficulties; he doesn’t even discuss them with me. The main thing - so as not to fuss, and yet - on time and tasty food.

And it is rarely possible to eat deliciously - poverty tortured. Recently, a daughter was born in the family, and the eldest son had to be sent back to Russia to her ex-husband - there was no money to send him to first grade. All Russian books have been read, films have been reviewed, telephone conversations with Russia are too expensive, clothes are worn out, and I have not been to the hairdresser for almost two years. I want to get a job at a hotel or travel agency, but my daughter is still too small. It’s good to relax here, but life is completely different. ”

Irina, 32 years old. “I experienced all the“ charms ”of the marriage in Egypt myself, it’s good that I did not manage to get married officially. The first conflicts between an Arab husband and a Russian wife arise three years later. Around the time when in Russia a woman finishes sitting with her child and goes to work. But in a Muslim country there is no work for women as such. Only fifteen percent of women in Egypt work, the rest are home carers.

Children, cooking, washing, shopping - these are all her interests. For Muslim women, this is a normal life. For us, this means burying ourselves alive. Boredom is one of the main reasons for divorces in such families.

The second reason is jealousy. A Muslim man is a polygamous nature, and one woman is not enough for him. But here's the catch, they all need to be kept. And this is far from every Arab can afford. So it turns out that officially he has one wife, and the other three are “civilians”. Is it possible to live in such an atmosphere when the husband does not have time to really have dinner at home, how already, without saying a word, is in a hurry to leave? Do not dare to ask him stupid questions - he is his own master. ”

Tatyana, 28.  “Aziz and I met in Sharm in Egypt. At first, I perceived this as a beach romance. Nothing serious. We walked, drank coffee ... I came there several times and more often thought ... He did not look like boys casting languid glances at the tourists. Higher education, senior restaurant manager. People in their 30s rarely make novels for nothing. Moreover, there was no talk of money or close relations. Once mutual recognition took place. But even then I was still thinking whether it was worth starting an international family. Finally decided. I set the condition that we will live in Russia.
  In Moscow, difficulties began. My relatives did not accept Aziz, it was difficult for him without a tongue. Several times he was ready to give up everything, but remained only for my sake. Today our son is five months old. He is baptized, and the husband reacted very well to this, although he is a Muslim. We have a great, strong feeling, and it has overcome all difficulties. But I do not advise young people to repeat my experience on the move. The percentage of men who can withstand all this for the sake of their beloved is negligible. ”

"My girlfriend, Vika, 46, met in Hurghada 25-year-old massage therapist and has since gone crazy. She abandoned her husband, a 19-year-old daughter, goes to him constantly. He wants to move forever. I spent all my savings, bought him a car, an apartment. I took a loan of 200 thousand rubles. The masseur seems to have invested this money in the case, but as soon as it comes to paying interest to her, he "gets sick." Girlfriend believes his every word. And his lovers discuss it on the sites. They say what he calls her "old fool". And the girlfriend doesn’t want to hear anything, she’s getting younger. ”

  Marina, 27.  “Resting in one of the hotels in Hurghada, I threw my nightgown on the bed every morning - well, I have such a habit. And every morning, a young cleaning man put it on a pillow in the most intricate way. When he found out that in two days I was flying away, he laid out a shirt in the shape of a heart, and wrapped towels around with fantastic birds and covered all this with red petals of local flowers, the names of which few people know. Then they went to my room as if on an excursion - taking pictures against the backdrop of a love masterpiece. What do you think happened next? I became his wife. For six months now we have been living soul to soul in the same Hurghada. The only negative is tight with money. ”

One cannot but recall the story, which was widely discussed in the media. The holiday romance ended with a wedding and Elena Lovkova moved to Egypt with her husband with her 10-year-old daughter from her first marriage. The newlyweds settled in his native village. There, a young Russian woman converted to Islam and gave birth to a second child. However, the tale quickly dispelled: trying to escape from constant abuse, the woman tried several times to leave for her homeland. After another such attempt, her husband took her documents and a small daughter, demanding 50 thousand dollars for her.

The Russian woman turned to the police, but they decided not to intervene in the intra-family conflict. Local residents began to help Elena - they brought a Russian woman to Cairo, where she was able to meet with members of the Russian consulate. making a flight home without documents was much easier than picking up a child from an Egyptian husband. Dramatic proceedings continue to this day.

And here is a look from the other side of the barricades. Tells a couple of tourists. “We returned to the hotel in the evening, when the handsome security guard blocked our way. Apparently, he was tired of standing alone and he decided to speak with us. A verbose, hot and confused story of his love for one mysterious Russian girl suddenly fell upon us.

Why did she leave me? I did everything for her, I carried it in my arms. And I saw: she was happy with me! Why did she leave for Russia, where there are always two winters - very cold and not very ?!

He sincerely wanted to understand and was waiting for an explanation: what did he, his relatives, his country, not like the Russian wife. ”

It turns out that, as one would expect, there is no single template on which the Egyptian marriage is built. The Russian wife is really a matter of pride for the Arab, a sign of high status. But this does not mean that his courtship will necessarily be self-serving and prudent. After the wedding, many continue to blow off dust particles and treat his wife with respect, although limiting her freedom in accordance with their religion. But if a woman fails to recognize the professional black-eyed or despot in the black-eyed handsome man, then the consequences, as we see, can be dramatic. But this is not only in Egypt ...

Not only friendliness distinguishes Arab men. In many of their actions, they behave nonchalantly, do not worry about the upcoming, and are almost always in a good mood. In actions they are extremely inventive, find innovative and interesting solutions, and enterprise in most situations plays to their advantage. In the Arab society, brave and initiative people are welcomed, and therefore modest Arabs are quite rare.

A distinctive feature of the Arab nation is a love of work and the ability to engage in their own business for a long time. All people, whether a simple worker or a high-ranking official or businessman, work every day for their own benefit, although they rarely get pleasure from their activities. The thing is that many generations of Arabs worked hard to get out of poverty and improve their lives, so work for them has become the responsibility of every person. The ability and need to work made the Arabs a hardy and unpretentious nation. In the minds of the Arabs, the understanding that it is necessary to work hard, while being patient, confident and persistent, has gained a foothold.

Arabs like to spend time outside work beautifully. They demonstrate their love of life and love for beauty when communicating with relatives and friends. In general, Arabs are considered peaceful, they do not often provoke scandals and quarrels, usually seeking to exchange positive emotions and communicate. They have a good sense of humor, for the most part they are optimistic and know how to joke sharply.

When communicating with other people, male Arabs attach particular importance to the style of conversation of the interlocutor. They look at how the interlocutor selects words, builds sentences, decorates speech with beautiful statements, and then draw conclusions about the person. The reason is especially the Arabic language: it is very rich and involves the use of metaphors, hyperbolic statements, verbal turns. If there is a task to convince an Arab man of something, or if he wants to please and remember, then it is worth monitoring the correctness of speech, its brightness. Arabs turn off logical thinking when he hears beautiful words.

The vast majority of Arabs are dominated by emotionality. They react very violently to actions and words, trying to show their own emotions. They are sharp and impulsive, which makes this nation very temperamental. It is difficult for them to restrain emotions, and therefore a rush of feelings often takes up over calm. The life of a real Arab is planned by the laws of the holy scriptures of Muslims - the Koran. Religion plays a big role in the life of Arabs. The ideal behavior of an Arab is submissive with repentance of his sins.

Worship and unquestioning obedience to God are greatly appreciated. From the very first days of life, children learn from their parents that it is important to be obedient to believers and show humility, humility, and with honor to accept all the difficulties that arise. Patience and endurance in Arabs in the blood. They know how to adapt, morally very strong people. Interestingly, their hallmark is superstition. They believe in predictions and various prejudices, very attentive to signs. This belief in signs and predictions is passed down from generation to generation and stimulates the development of uncertainty in the future among the Arabs, suspicion and wariness.

In relations between people, social status is of great importance. People with power and affluence can afford to be arrogant in their surroundings and even sometimes rude. The manifestation of aggression and physical strength is a common occurrence among people with high incomes. People at the lower levels of society behave submissively and calmly accept the blows of fate, as it is ordered in the Qur'an. It is customary to appeal to influential and wealthy people with respect and honor.

Family in the UAE  comes first. Arab woman  being the guardian of the family hearth and is respected by Arab men. It is believed that a family is happier the more children it has.

OFFICEPLANKTONhe monitored how the husband and wife actually live in an Arab family, how they share family responsibilities, whether the husband has many wives, and how family life in the Arab countries goes.

Dating

The decision to marry is made primarily by the groom's family. Women's rights in Muslim countries are equivalent to men's, so a potential bride has the right to refuse the offer if she did not like the groom.

Arab women  almost never marry Europeans - for a marriage with an infidel, she will simply be expelled from the country forever. Men from the UAE sometimes marry girls from Europe, but even here everything is designed in such a way that marriage does not benefit anyone but the man. For a woman, this marriage will not be a pass for obtaining citizenship, children, if family life does not work out, will be taken away and left in the country.

True, marriage itself with a rich emirate is a pleasant thing in many ways, as long as it lasts. Indeed, according to the law, even if the wife is second, third or fourth, each has its own separate house, generous maintenance, and the proportion of attention should be equal to each of the “beloved” women.

Today, not every Arab can afford polygamy. Although Islam permits up to four wives, the main reason for this monogamy is the lack of funds for the maintenance of the harem. Therefore, the classical UAE family consisting of one husband, several wives and a harem is the privilege of sheikhs and wealthy people.

Wedding

If for European newlyweds a marriage contract is only just beginning to become fashionable, then for Arab countries such a contract is a mandatory element of a wedding. Instead of the bride, two of her relatives sign a marriage contract.

The very same wedding celebration after signing can take place during the year - before that, the groom can see his future wife only in the presence of her relatives. For the bridegroom, the groom's family pays a dowry, which can reach several hundred thousand dollars, so giving birth to girls is profitable.

The Arab wedding is a truly grand sight. The table is full of refreshments, which are constantly being updated in order to show the guests their hospitality and abundance. Since Islam forbids alcohol, there is nothing stronger than coffee on the festive table. But this does not prohibit walking the wedding until seven days.

Family lifestyle

The conventional wisdom about discrimination against Arab women is, in fact, somewhat exaggerated. In any Arab family, a woman must obey her husband, but she always takes part in solving important issues.

The fact that married women live in the Emirates, as in prison, is a myth.

Yes, they are almost invisible on the street. Those that are are in black.

In fact, a married woman can wear whatever she wants: a miniskirt, jeans, and shorts (they are generally great fashionistas there, they can spend hours in stores choosing ultramodern outfits and fabrics), but she must wear a black top a silk cloak to the heels, and cover the face with a black scarf. Only fingers, feet and eyes are visible. And then, black capes are rare. Today on the streets you can see an Arab in jeans and a tunic, but the only thing that has been adhered to so far is covering the head. One you rarely see is a woman without a scarf on her head.

  Older women cover their faces with a copper mask. Young, of course, are more relaxed, but all the beauty is for the husband.

By the way emirate women  get a decent education, the best universities in the world are open to them, but scholarship remains unclaimed. Having married, the girl can no longer work: either she is forbidden, or she does not want to herself, tired of frequent pregnancies and childbirth. (Although, of course, young people are more progressive in this regard. And many girls, having received education in Europe, remain in the same place to make a career. Arab familiesliving outside the Muslim world, rarely seriously adhere to centuries-old traditions).

Once an Arab husband could at any time tell his wife: “Talak, Talak, Talak” (“leave”) - and this meant that he was divorcing her, and she should immediately get out of his house, taking with her only that what was she wearing. Therefore, women - just in case - wore all the gold they donated. Now, of course, this is an anachronism.

But women still carry on themselves kilograms of gold (for example, the sheikh's daughter at the wedding was decorated with 16 kilograms of gold. Newspapers described each piece of jewelry in detail and published photographs, indicating the exact price). And men give gold instead of flowers. The more the gift weighs, the stronger the love. According to a local proverb, woman without gold - naked.

  And for those who are worried about the “oppression” of Arab wives by their Muslim husbands, we can say: a woman in the UAE can file for divorce in two cases.

1) If there is a fact of betrayal by the spouse. But this article is obviously “dead”, because in the UAE, polygamy is officially permitted. And if the husband still sinned, the wife prefers to keep quiet. No one will marry such a “brawler” again, and a gossip train will stretch for her all her life. Again, children with a divorce remain with their father.

2)   If the husband does not provide enough for his missus. Well, there, she doesn’t take to restaurants (true), doesn’t buy gold (true), builds her a house worse than other wives, etc. The court very carefully considers such petitions and, sometimes, satisfies them. After all, a rich emirate can afford several wives, but everyone should be treated equally. A clear schedule of visits is set, a separate villa is being built for the new wife (not cheaper, but not more expensive than the previous one), money is distributed in equal proportions, and in general - the wives should be happy with everything. If something is wrong, it is not the wife’s problem, but the husband’s problem, who hasn’t managed to “resolve” the situation.

Family support in an Arab family is immense. For example, if a woman is widowed, the husband’s brother will consider it his duty, marry her and protect her.

  “Generators of unusual ideas,” “masters of the family nest,” and “desperate friends,” are all about them, the Arabs. And they are spoiled, boastful and unpredictable. Personal experience of a girl, but not a wife.

  Oksana L. meets with a resident of Jordan for four years, who came to Kiev to study and earn money, and tells how she and her friend manage to combine such different views of the East and the West.

About friendship and personal boundaries
  We always have guests at home. At any moment, a friend or just a friend may call and come to our house in the middle of the night. Naturally, I, as a woman, need to set the table and make sure that everyone is well-fed and satisfied. Sometimes a house resembles an Arabian camp, rather than a family nest.

If a friend needs help, you need to break into him in the middle of the night. Arabs are always ready to help out a friend, come where necessary, pick up, borrow money.

Do not be jealous of friends. My friend is very jealous, but this applies only to our Slavic guys and men, although I do not give a reason. He trusts his own. In any case, his friends, understanding who we are for each other, never allowed themselves to even harmless flirting.

About work
They prefer conversations to business - long conversations after hookahs. These are real philosophers who are ready to reason, plan for hours. Although this time could be spent on constructive actions than on chatter, most of which will be forgotten the next day. Eastern men have such a problem: their conversations often diverge from actions. They promise a lot, and they sincerely believe in what they say. Plans can change dramatically, or mood, or something else, and promises will remain only words.

Arab men should be encouraged - so they are inspired and ready to roll mountains for the sake of the family. This applies in particular to work. It is important for them to feel that a woman believes in their strength and capabilities.

Generators of unusual ideas. For four years, as I know my man, he never started a business. Cafe, transportation of dogs and birds from Ukraine, which are in demand in his homeland in Jordan, processing of semiprecious stones, etc. But he didn’t bring any ideas to the end. I did not initially calculate the risks, acted on the basis of momentary desires, excitement and emotions.

Many do not value parental money. Young people live, fun at the expense of their parents and do not know the price of money earned not by their own labor.

Attitude towards women
  Most Arabs are spoiled for attention by their mother, love caring and often selfish. They love to surround themselves with all the beautiful, avid mods. They love to dress up: beautiful clothes, shoes, an abundance of rings and bracelets. Favorite customers of barbershops: a stylish beard, hair styling with gel, expensive perfumes.

They love to educate, and, if they fail, they can use force. Crush morally. Very hot-tempered. Any trifle can make them crazy. Moreover, their woman should admire them.

They love to brag about their woman to friends - they tell how mistress she is, caring and skillful at all trades. It is important for them that others admire their woman, and therefore automatically.

It is difficult for our men to offer to live together - they are afraid for their freedom. Arab men, on the contrary, wish that the girl they liked was constantly in their sight. At home, side by side. We are ready to protect it and take care, although they require a lot in return.

Very generous. If possible, give a woman gifts, like wide gestures, absolutely not stingy.

Our women value independence, that a woman herself can take care of herself, earn money and not depend on a man as much as possible. In his homeland, women mostly sit at home and do household work.

There is a minus. Monogamy is not for eastern men. How many times have we observed how Arab family men gush over our girls. When the wife rings, they drop the call or do not pick up the phone. And calling back, they sing with the nightingale, as they like, and exquisitely lie, why they could not answer. Treason for them is not considered as such. This is the norm of life of an eastern man.

About life
  Three days in a row, my friend will definitely not eat borsch, although he really loves my borsch. Arab men are very demanding and capricious in everyday life, like children, and often independent. Speaking of my man, he himself can clean and cook even better than me. But it is important for him to see that they take care of him, do something for him.

I'm used to Russian cuisine, but the love of hummus and cakes is unchanged.

He loves cleanliness, but not to fanaticism. He understands that we both work a lot and come home very late, so physically cleaning up and cooking at night does not always have the strength.

About children and family
  My man is ready to talk with each child, but I'm not sure that he will get up in the middle of the night for his own sake. This is the duty of the wife. A man spoils his child and pays attention to him during short games. All other charms of education fall on the woman's shoulders.

In a marriage with a Christian, there is no choice which religion their joint child will choose - he is a priori born a Muslim. Especially when it comes to the boy.

My man’s parents are wealthy and ready to support him, but he, having matured when the young fuse passed and partying with friends is no longer a priority, wanted to prove to his family that he could stand on his own.

About religion
  I refused to accept Islam, realizing that I could not wear closed clothes, honor Muslim traditions and be in the "golden cage" at home. He did not swear, accepted my choice. But it is very important for him that his woman share a religion with him and that his legal wife must in any case accept Islam or be a Muslim from the very beginning.

The Arabs know the Quran from an early age. They are read like mantras. But my man openly admits that, living among Russians and Ukrainians, he leads an anti-Muslim lifestyle.

His mother, having come to visit us, brought a hijab as a gift with a hint that I should accept their religion, since I live with her son.

A negative attitude to alcohol remains, despite the love of discotheques (already in the past) and smoking hookah (this is part of tradition). Does not respect when a woman drinks even in companies.

About future
After living with an Arab man, it is strange to watch how our women treat Russian husbands. It is wild to see sometimes a disrespectful attitude and a desire to be in charge. My views have changed, what should be a woman in a relationship with any man.

Where this relationship will lead, I do not know - Russian girls are more freedom-loving, ambitious and active. I would not want to completely depend on my husband.

But Arab men are like sweet nectar. You can’t get drunk, but when you drink, it becomes too cloying that you want plain water. But after nectar, it seems tasteless. I’m like a tightrope walker halfway: I can’t go back, and ahead is the unknown ...