Why do Egyptians think that it is OK to charge foreigners twice as much for everything?

Question

I do not understand it because in my country everybody pays the same. I don't think Egyptians would like it if they must pay more because of their nationality.

They say it is because foreigners are rich..but therte are many rich Egyptians and I am from a poorer country than Egypt.

I don't understand this culture because even in the mosque they try to charge foreigner. I go to make my afternoon pray and some man he want money from me. This has never happened in my own country. Why do Egyptians charge money to make pray? Is not that against Islam?

And why do Egytptians complain that foreign woman have lose moral standards..When Egyptian men are such perverts and always give hassle to foreign women?
I wear hijab and I can not walk down the street without a million cat calls. I get followed by men trying to proposistion me. And I was physically molested two times by Egytian men. This never happen in my country. They respect Islam and hijabed women there.

Just to make it clear I came to Egypt to study Arabic and Islam, but I left after a month because I found it so difficult. I do not think that all Egyptians are like that. I have met many nice people there who are very respectful and caring. But unfortunaly in the tourist industry many are not respectful, and I think most ordinary Egyptians are not aware of that or the bad image it does to their country..


And to stress I am Muslim that is why I go to mosque to pray.

I do wear full hijab that covers all my body except face and hands because I am Muslim and I want to be modest.

How I dress should not provoke any male attention because it is very discrete.

Even Egyptian tourist industry sees that there is problem with people just out to grab whatever they can by any means neccesary..
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6793
http://www.egypttoday.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=6856

Sexual harrasment is a problem in Egypt look at this campaign
http://www.ecwregypt.org/English/harassment.htm

Answer 1

i am an Egyptain ,, and trust me Egyptains hate this they hate what they do , but they just do it to get more money .

Although i am Egyptian and i love my country but i dunno how will I say this , but now all what these sellers want is to get more money by any means even they can cheat on us in the prices of anything (exp if it was an electronic shops or big shops etc) this is so rude , now Egypt in it many crimes and robberies , Egyptains ppl kill other Egyptians ppl to get thier cell phones or to steal them u know how can any1 live in that country in peace , even i am 14 yrs old but i cant bear it livin in that country i am afraid to go and buy anything from the mall next to me alone , and i am afraid walkin in the dark without my father even if my mother and sister r with me , its startin to get creepy in here .

On the other hand Egypt its a very good place to visit it but there are also many places were u can feel comfortable in it and ppl respect in it eac others.

Answer 2

For the egyptians, the best part of selling things is the bargaining...
If you want to win their respect, and a much better price on your purchase, you have to haggle over it, even say, "no that's way too much" and walk off...they will come after you! You should never pay more then 2/3's the asking price for anything, if you are a good haggler, you might arrive at nearly 40 or 50 % less!

As to the men not respecting you...
Egyptians think that to dress properly a woman must have most everything covered...Hair with the scarf, body with a long gown and preferably with long sleeves. If you are going around in typical western summer clothes, even those used in a more modern Islamic country...to them you seem almost indecent... the hijab is not enough..
Try dressing the way their women do, I did, and it worked. And don't walk alone..that also provokes cat calls (though cat calls are a compliment, if you think about it! They are saying that you are good to look at :-) ! If there is a gentleman in your group, try and have him accompany you, or at least go out in twos or threes...

About paying in the mosque, I can't give an opinion, I am not a moslem, and did not go in to pray, just do the typical visit to the main Mosque in Cairo...but we did all leave our shoes at the entrance, as custom has that it must be done.

Answer 3

First not only Egypt but in many coutries, the price increase to tourist happens. tourists are good targets to get money from.

Second tourists are considered rich because they can travel. travelling costs a lot, if you were really not rich, you would never travell. so you are considered one of the rich. you also become a target.

as for the clothes, it would be better to dress as locals. if you like travelling, sometimes it is important to to behave as locals do. you cannot bring your culture.

as for the Islamic religion, the same goes. each country has its own Islamic style. Islam cannot be defined in one word. there are variety of styles in the world. your religion is Islam in your country which is different from Egyptian's one.

as for the problem Egyptian men follow you, you should not go there or do with your friend. while travelling another country there are often areas you should not enter for a security reason. you have to check which area they are. not only being harassed, you may also be injured or killed by criminals. beware.

Answer 4

from a point of view of individuals - shopkeepers etc, the reason they ask for more money is because previous visitors have willingly paid a higher price, so they assume that you will too.

the problem differs between countries. in india, for example, all packaged consumer goods have a maximum retail price printed on the packaging, so you can see what you should be paying. there are also government-operated craft emporiums where all goods have a fixed price.

however, the state governments have a two-tier official price structure for entry into museums, monuments and suchlike, so a foreigner can end up having to pay not just double, but ten or twenty times the price that a resident indian would pay.

part of this could be that tourists have not paid local taxes. in the european union, entry to many museums etc is free, on the grounds that the citizens have contributed to its upkeep through the payment of taxes, whereas a tourist from outside the eu (including egypt, india etc) would have to pay five pounds or so.

thus, it works both ways. in order to stop prices increasing for foreigners, enough people would have to refuse to visit a certain tourist site until entry fees are reduced, or to find out the local prices for consumer goods and refuse to pay significantly more.

Answer 5

sorry..you are a muslim woman now wonder why muslimn men go and marry westernised women.god did you hear your self..do you realy think that egypt is the only country that charges double when it comes to tourists..your lucky you dont live in london and visit there every thing is double. i do believe your kinda countries only pay £5.00 english pounds for 200 ciggarettes..well come to england where 1 pack alone is £4.50p. and so the list can go on and on..i go to egypt and travell every year back wards and forwards from my country...and not 1 man has ever been perverted to me i have never been hassled or spoke down to. no one has ever been rude or in polite. no im not fat. ive blonde hair. blue eyes. and dress accordingly not to attract attention to my self.and for the respect of the arabic people. i realy dont know what you are refering to or even how you see the whole situation. oh by the way my husband lives here and is working in egypt..so i suggest one thing that if egypt did not approve to your likeing then please dont go there again. stay in your country where you will get the respect of your choice.

Answer 6

Please don't generalize about all Egyptians. Not once was I ever taken for a ride by an Egyptian cab driver and that happened to me in both Italy and France. In fact, I had many Egyptian shopowners give me free stuff and always offered me tea. Learn Arabic numbers and that should give you ample protection when visiting Arab countries. I love Egypt and the people could not have been more welcoming or accommodating.

Answer 7

Cause you an exotic beautiful tourist.

The price doubling happens everywhere that you look like a tourist,(Though probrably not so much in America.). Just haggle it or don't dress like a tourist (blend in).

Hey, because the foreign they tend to see are from the western countries, therefore they have more liberty and thats why your looser.

They molest in India too, also in Japan. Just try to blend in and not draw attention too yourself.

People get killed over cellphnoes in Nigeria and Philippines also. So, in a wrap just look poor,act poor, try to hide the whiteness of your skin,move in groups, and you'll be allright

What's your country?

Peace

Answer 8

this is egypt a very nice country if they took there ppl out when ever u go to egypt don't try 2 deal with egyptions this is the only way and u have to keep in mind that alot of them are Money slaves if they made u pay for u'r own prayer there is nothing else left

Answer 9

i can see why provoked.. more or less!
yet, Egypt, is an expired area with so many mentally handicapped aged brains!

Why wearing a hijab , and why here at all?
also, how would you pray with muslims and you are not of them?
ps
this is in no-way a raciest question, but muslims do not hate muslims, .. page 1

but.. are Egyptians muslims at all?

Answer 10

My dear I do NOT know why even though I have never been to my country before-I am Egyptian-that is just disgusting!!But thank you so much for not being bias, there are many nice Muslims and Egyptians out there. Patience is good, just have patience and Allah will reward you.