Egypt Culture

The inhabitants exhibit various religious beliefs with religion playing a significant role in the economic, social and political aspects of the Egyptian people. In the ancient Egypt, government and religion were intertwined. The Egyptian community had religious leaders hold various political posts and thus substantiated the relevance of both religion and government being inseparable. The pharaohs are an example of the relationship between religion and government in the ancient Egyptian society. The government was headed by a pharaoh who doubled up to have a divine duty of being the god’s representative on earth. Please provide two specific examples.   The close relationship between government and religion significantly affects other aspects of the country’s culture precisely the social aspect. Egyptians believe that their social wellbeing is connected to them appeasing the gods in various ways including but not limited to art, music and literature.

The use of Arabic in music, art and literature is an example of how government and religion influences the cultural aspects of the Egyptian people. Arabic music, art and literature derive form the principles and doctrines of Islam even when they address matters that are not closely related to religion (Marcus, 2007).   Egypt experiences a system where the government and religion are closely related and affect various spheres of life in different ways. Islamic law which is the pillar of politics in Egypt greatly affects its economic sector. One of the economic sectors that experiences the great influence of religion blended with government is the banking sector. Islamic banking has been on the rise in Egypt since it was experimented in the 1960s.

The aim such banks were to fight against usury and provide loans and savings at no interest for their clients. How do you think recent events affecting the people of the country have their roots in what you have learned about historical cultural trends in religion and government? Egypt is one of the latest Arabian countries to experience political revolution with the citizens actively ousting the dictatorial and monarchial systems (Wickham, 2005). The Arab spring which saw the removal of president Hosni Mubarak through a combined force of the military and the civilians. The role played by religion in revolution cannot be undermined. The Muslim brotherhood was one of the most influential groups that participated in ousting Hosni. The movement has its teachings based on the Quran and this indicates how important religion is in government formation and operation in Egypt.