I do not want to generalize about the people in Hurghada, but most of them are very respectful towards us tourists.However, I chose to dress close to Islamic dress with a scarf as well but i did have a very unpleasant experience with a shopkeeper and I did not welcome his flirtous behaviour and his pestering as I browsed around his shop, so here is an incident where I dressed modest. But I do emphasise I do not wish people to be put off Egypt as other shopkeepers were humble and respectable.

Having lived and travelled around Egypt for five years I have experienced a lot of attention and harrassment. I definately agree that what you wear makes a difference and your attitude. If you look scared and vulnerable I am sure someone will play on that. Ignore them and speak some words of Arabic and they should stop. However, a lot of women fall for Egyptian men and have fun or get married and suddenly these guys are living in nice apartments and driving nice cars so you can't blame their friends for wanting the same.

The worst cases of harrassment I have received in Egypt from men have actually been from European men! But the only time I have actually felt threatened and vulnerable was whilst being sexually harrassed by a young girl! I was visiting Aswan and staying at the New Cataract Hotel and decided to walk up the hill to search for the Nubian House restaurant. It was late afternoon and I didn't realise that the area was going to be so quiet and deserted. I thought the restaurant was close so continued walking. To start with a guy was walking down the hill towards me and stopped before we passed and stood by the side of the road holding himself. I completely ignored him and kept walking. For a while he followed me but I totally ignored him, didn't walk any faster or looked concerned and he stopped. Next I had a pack of desert dogs come running down the road barking at me. I ignored them and kept walking avoiding eye contact and everything was fine. Next I passed half a dead cow by the side of the road! I eventually got to the restaurant but they weren't serving food until much later. The view was definately worth the effort looking over the cataracts. I decided to chance walking back down the hill rather than wait for a taxi. When I got to a really quiet part a young girl dressed quite poorly and covered came running and shouting up the road behind me. She kept asking me for baksheesh and I said why and no. She then said baksheesh or Mohamed will come indicating he would do something with his fist towards my skirt. I ignored her so she started shouting for Mohamed. There was no-one around so I kept walking. She then started to touch me all over and starting breathing strange by sucking the air through her teeth and telling me I was beautiful. I kept telling her to p*ss off and started telling her she should not be doing this to tourists although she didn't understand me. I also spoke to her in Arabic. She then kept trying to pull up my skirt and I was really shouting back at her. For sure I would have given her baksheesh to stop this but was afraid to now get my purse out of my bag incase she snatched the whole lot including my credit cards. I kept pushing her away from me and trying to walk on. She then ran infront of me, lifted up her dress, pulled down her pants and exposed herself to me. I then shouted as loud as I could telling her to f*ck off, p*ss off until eventually she ran away.

Would I walk up this hill again? Yes, but I would probably have some money ready so that I could try and get out of this situation that way. And I would dress more appropriately and not in a skirt that revealed my lower legs.

__________________
..............O...O
.................O
...><)))*>.....O..
...............O.......><)))*>
............o.....o
................O
............o
........o
Georgina

Oh my God! I always enjoy reading your posts Georgina but not that one! I imagine that the girl was mentally unstable or employing some scam? Either way, what a nasty experience for you.

As a muslim, I'm always well covered and when in Egypt I'm with my husband so I've never faced anything remotely like harrassment - though oddly enough I have here in Bahrain!! My English friend who lives in Hurghada (also a muslim, so fully covered) hasn't been sexually harrassed but gets fed up of the shopkeepers pestering her, especially as she has lived there for many years.

I am so sorry to read of Georginas experience, I think it still upsets her now. Its obvious she did nothing to encourage the persons strange behaviour.
My other experience was to be locked in a shop unknown to me as I browsed around.
What I would like to do is to learn some useful Arabic to help me get out of these situations and get an arabs view of how to avoid these situations ie should I look stern when I walk around a shop, or is there a suitable word I can use as soon as the flirting starts to make the offender stop his actions immediately. Please remember that I do dress very respectabily and sometimes wear headscarves.

Georgina you are one lady with balls it has to be said!!! Well done though for keeping as calm as you did and not give in to her demands for money. These situations Im sure are sent to test us. It must have been quite terrifying. But good for you not letting these people put you off.
Go girl xxx

Georgina,

The joys of Egypt!!! Desperate people do desperate things I suppose.

From the other side though, my husband's boss was harassed in the lift in the Grand Hyatt in Cairo by a lady covered from head to to in black. You can guess what she was asking. He said that even if he had been interested, how would he have known who or what he was taking back to his room!!!

Margaret

Well I must admit, when I went to Hurghada last week a couple of nights I went out with low cut tops on. One of the nights I suddenly felt uncomfortable. It was then I realised that I should of covered up more out of respect. But its so hot out there, so thats why I wore them. But I am a great believer in respecting other people's cultures and did look round at the muslim women and think they must be hot in the clothes they have to wear. At the same time I would like to beable to relax in and around the pool, but I would prefere to have Wayne or someone else with me when I do, because I did have a couple of hours by the pool but felt a bit uncomfortable because there are still workmen about and Wayne wasn't with me.

Dawn

Just from a muslim womans point of view, I would say that whilst out and about, it's more respectful to cover up a little - by that I mean nothing too revealing e.g. short shorts, strappy low cut tops etc. I know that most people will disagree with me but on the whole local people will think better of you for it. During Ramadan I would say that is especially important (you didn't know Dawn, so I'm not aiming that at you).

sometimes i wonder? i have been reading this forum and realise that i have not really read it before, i am full of sorts of feelings, not sure what to say. however my egyptian partner has just texted me, and i cant reply because i feel upset by some of the things i am reading.

i feel i want to say as some are saying on this site, that this is a muslim country i sometimes think that some people forget this, maybe some are buying a dream, but it is a country where people are poor poor, i see from the egyptian lawyer that there is an awareness of different classes, does not matter to me i am a socialist

its not the west, though of course we of the west are there with our pounds and dollars, but i remember reading on this forum that we will always be foregners! I just think we have to respect their culture, and of course as some members say you can do and dress how you want in your home and compound but the minute you step out your into the arab world (which I happen to love thats why I have bought there) what about you?

hey ladies! dont have a flower in your hair, a neckless round your throat or some drop dead danggly earrings, weare a scarf its fun, you can have a jewel on your head, have you seen some of the beautiful materials there are, so very beautiful
and shine in the egyptian night


nubianqueen

Thats cool, I totally agree with you. I will explain all this to my daughter, she will understand. I actually said to Wayne before we went over, when you had told me what Ramadam was all about, that we should respect other peoples cultures when in their country as we expect them to respect ours. I understand that its hard for some people to take in, because we do go abroad to enjoy the sun and get a tan. And don't really bare a thought for cultures. So I think it will be fine to enjoy the sun on the beach or the pool, just cover up a bit when in town etc.

Dawn -x-