Communities In Egypt Research Articles

Welfare and Charity in a Sixteenth-Century Jewish Community in Egypt: A Study of Genizah Documents

ABSTRACT Mustaʿrib is a term that refers to the local Arabic-speaking Jews in Syria, Palestine and Egypt. The article discusses the Mustaʿrib community of Cairo in the late sixteenth century. Like other Medieval Jewish communities, the Mustaʿrib of Cairo had an advanced system for support of the needy. It included regular support for the poor, for widows and orphans, and occasional help for foreign travellers, captives, and more. Based on Genizah documents in Judaeo-Arabic, the article discusses the mechanism of welfare in that community and proves the influence of European Jewish immigrants on the construction of this system. The Mustaʿribs are romanticised in classic Zionist historiography as deeply rooted farmers. The article argues that the Mustaʿribs were first and foremost members of an urban population. It also suggests that contrary to the classic image of them as a fixed and unchanging population, which resided in the same area for successive generations, the Mustaʿrib society should be viewed as a society in motion. They adjusted to historical changes, were influenced by other Jewish cultures, and applied changes to improve their welfare system.

Low-Carbon Communities between Vision and Implementation The Case of Borg Al Arab

Several cities are facing the problem of running-out of fossil fuels and are contributed to an estimated 70% of the world’s energy-related greenhouse gases (GHGs). Consequently, there is a tremendous need for low-carbon communities which will lead to more livable, efficient and ultimately sustainable cities. Furthermore, well-planned and designed communities can effectively provide the basic human needs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Some communities have developed strategies to reach net zero-carbon future by reducing demands for energy and supplying the remaining demands with renewable resources. In the meantime, Egyptian cities face the problem of greenhouse gases and the lack of energy and water. Therefore, passive, energy efficient and energy offset design are needed. This can be achieved through sustainable transportation systems and the shift to efficient management of water and waste. The paper discusses the problem of climate change and its relation with communities. It investigates examples of communities that have focused on reducing their carbon emissions in different parts of the world. Also, it examines some of the most important aspects of design strategies that help to implement low-carbon communities and how could they be achieved in the Egyptian context (Borg Al Arab-Alexandria). The aim of the paper is to highlight certain cities that demonstrate a deeper understanding of what a low-carbon community is and how to achieve it through reducing energy demand and providing the best options for passive design and renewable energy supply in the Egyptian communities to become self-contained in terms of energy.

Chemical Treatment for Mixed Wastewater in Small Communities in Egypt

Chemical Treatment for Mixed Wastewater in Small Communities in Egypt

Chemical Oxidation as an Efficient Alternative for Activated Sludge in Small Communities in Egypt

Chemical Oxidation as an Efficient Alternative for Activated Sludge in Small Communities in Egypt

Cold War Dilemmas, Superpower Influence, and Regional Interests: Greece and the Palestinian Question, 1947–1949

This article discusses official attitudes toward the creation of the state of Israel from the eruption of the postwar international crisis in Palestine until the end of Arab-Israeli War of 1948–1949. In 1947–1949, Greek policy toward the Middle East was determined by a mix of regional, political, and ideological factors: the Greek security problem during the early Cold War era, including the Greek civil war; the existence of the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem; the Greek government's need to take into account the position of the Greek diaspora community in Egypt; commercial interests in the Eastern Mediterranean; anti-Semitism; the need to secure Arab votes in support of the Greek question before the United Nations; and relations between Greece and its new superpower patron, the United States. Greek decisions were dominated by Cold War needs, but the United States did not impose policy on its junior partner.

Quality of Life of Children in the Egyptian Communities: Investigating Current Situations, Cairo as a Case Study

This paper aims at investigating relationship between Quality of Urban Life (QOUL) in different cities' contexts and children urban needs, their services, amenities, and security. The paper argues that current approaches of planning are not inclusive of all residents' needs, it calls for an approach, which can be more appropriate to Egyptian social, economic, and urban constraints. It digs into the concept of Quality of Life (QOL) for children in the Egyptian context; and focuses on children based services in Greater Cairo Region (GCR). The research consists of two main parts in addition to the introduction and the conclusion. The first part includes the literature review discussing the concept of QOL, and related urban issues. The second part investigates the quality of urban services of children in different socio-economic contexts. This part presents an empirical pilot questionnaire held with a cluster sample of parents, focusing on primary school children from age 7-12 years old. The questionnaire is checking the availability, use and quality of some services. It focuses on current situation, moreover, it discusses how parents deal with urban aspects regarding their children. The discussion reflects the interrelationship between concept of QOUL and services targeting children in order to investigate how to achieve inclusiveness, and effectiveness, appropriate to the Egyptian context. The paper is documenting current perception, provision and use of children services in Cairene communities.

The Desert Fayumat 80: revisiting a Neolithic farming community in Egypt

Abstract

SCHISTOSOMA-SPECIFIC 26 KDA PROTEIN FOR A DIAGNOSIS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC SCHISTOSOMIASIS

One of the world wide major public health problems is the schistosomiasis that is caused by Schistosoma (S.) heamatobium. It is also one of the main concerns for the public health community in Egypt. There are several immunodiagnostic methods used for that diagnosis of such disease, but some are more sensitive and specific than others. The purified 26 kDa Schistosoma-specific protein (PSPA-26) detection in serum samples is found out to be more valuable in diagnosis; it also helps in the early diagnosis which will lead to the early treatment before the irreversible damage takes place. PSPA-26 was purified from whole worms by DEAE-Sephadex G-75 ion exchange chromatography and then was injected into rabbits to produce specific polyclonal antibodies (anti-PSPA-26 pAb) which were then used as a primary capture in the indirect ELISA technique to reveal its reactivity using infected human sera. The anti-PSPA-26 was then labeled with horse-radish peroxidase (HRP) and used as a secondary capture. Sandwich ELISA was done for serum samples of human and hamsters infected with S. heamatobium. The results revealed a sensitivity of 85% for human and 80% for hamster's samples, and a specificity of 95% for human and 91.1% for hamsters samples by comparing them with those infected with other parasites and control samples. Data obtained concluded that PSPA-26 antigen can be used as a diagnostic marker for S. haematobium infection using the sandwich ELISA which is cost effective and applicable technique.

THE EFFECT OF LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS ON WALKABILITY IN EGYPTIAN GATED COMMUNITIES

Walking has always been one of the important modes of transport all over the world. During the second half of the twentieth century, motorized modes, especially private cars, emerged. A situation of overdependence on motorized transport evolved. Recently, the notion of reviving walking as one of the urban transport modes started to emerge, especially in developed countries. Both research work and professional practice now search for ways to rehabilitate urban areas in order to facilitate walking and cycling. The focus has mainly been on macro-scale factors such as land use distribution and street network planning. However, landscape elements, such as micro-scale measures, could play an important role in achieving that goal. This paper addresses the role of landscape elements in enhancing urban walkability. It mainly focuses on gated communities, which are widely emerging types of residential urban areas across the world and also in Egypt. Using statistical analysis, the paper identifies the most important landscape elements that could affect the walkability of gated communities in Egypt.

A proposed rating system for: touristic communities in Egypt

A proposed rating system for: touristic communities in Egypt

PROPOSAL OF A RATING SYSTEM: FOR A TOURISTIC GREEN COMMUNITY IN EGYPT

Sustainable design becomes mandatory as a result of environmental requirements as it improves sustainability in planning at the same time. Rating systems has started to be a tool to manage and asses the performance in many countries in the world. Furthermore the lack of a community rating system in Egypt has affected the cities and tourism potential as well, knowing that the Egyptian touristic sector is a rapidly growing industry. To manage the performance of the touristic communities, a rating system applicable in Egypt was developed. The findings of the research suggest that the customized applicable rating system in touristic cities has great resiliency within the existing local community. The aim of the paper is to present a new custom rating system to reduce the environmental load of the tourist community in Egypt. The research aim to focus on the investigation of livable community performance assessment for touristic cities to set a new criterion that follow the guidelines of site and urban development, green infrastructure, efficient energy, green transportation and sustainable tourism while protecting human’s rights. This paper sets a new proposal of an Egyptian rating system to achieve better environmental, social, economic and touristic performance of communities. The research objective is to encourage the resort operators and developers to utilize green standards, evaluate options and assess the level of their touristic communities.

Wuchereria bancrofti microfilariae and quantitative circulating antigen detection in selected endemic areas in Egypt

Back ground and objective Wuchereria bancrofti is responsible for 90% of cases of lymphatic filariasis throughout the tropics and in some subtropical areas worldwide, including Egypt. To combat this disease, the WHO has launched a program aiming to eliminate lymphatic filariasis by the year 2020 in all the endemic countries using mass drug administration (MDA) to interrupt the disease's transmission. The aim of the present work was to study W. bancrofti infection in selected endemic areas in Egypt by performing parasitological examination and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigen detection test, and to analyze the demographic, clinical, and MDA data of the study population in relation to W. bancrofti infection. Patients and methods A total of 300 blood samples were collected from residents in endemic areas in five governorates. Parasitological examination and Og4C3 ELISA test were performed to identify W. bancrofti infection. Results Microfilariae were identified in one individual while circulating filarial antigens (CFAs) were detected in 10 individuals. Statistical analysis of the collected data showed that CFAs were significantly higher in the male population than in the female population, whereas analysis regarding other demographic, clinical, and MDA data showed no statistical significance. Conclusion The study results showed that CFAs are still detected in endemic communities in Egypt, and that the prevalence is higher in the male population than in the female population. Although the Og4C3 ELISA test is a useful research tool for the study of W. bancrofti infections, its cost and format hinder its wide use in endemic areas.

Evaluation of Stakeholders’ Relationship in Housing Provision Process in Egypt: Case Study of 6th October City

The informal market for housing provision in Egypt succeeded to attract a large group of citizens. This research aims to identify and evaluate the interrelationships between the government and other actors involved in the housing provision process. The research highlights the different modes of governance, in order to well understand the roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders involved in the housing provision process in Egypt. The research focuses on Sixth October city as one of the new urban communities in Egypt; and reviews the process of housing provision in the city for the low income class.

Towards Sustainable Management of Solid Waste in Egypt

The impact of waste accumulation can be highly drastic for many communities in developing countries. In Egypt, the issue gets more challenging as there are no clearly-defined strategies for an efficient management of solid waste, which inflicts serious environmental risks on Egyptian communities and drains a considerable portion of the local economy. This study aims to improve solid waste management in Egypt by exploring the options by which solid waste can be sustainably managed, and reviewing international models of sustainable management systems. Eventually, a strategy is formulated for the sustainable management of solid waste on the local scale of Egypt.

A Legal Sunna in Dhikr Ḥaqqs from Sufyanid Egypt

This article presents the edition of a legal document from c. 44/664–5, written in Arabic, that records a woman’s debt of a third of a dinar. It is the oldest preserved original of its kind. A study of the formulary of this document and contemporary copies of similar documents reveals a hitherto overlooked validity clause which states that the recorded financial transactions are in accordance with ‘the normative procedure of the believers’ (sunnat qaḍāʾ al-muʾminīn). This clause gives documentary evidence for the existence of ideas about legal identity among the Muslim community in Egypt as early as the beginning of Umayyad rule.

Economic Dimensions of Gated Communities in Egypt

The Gated communities represent a rather new development product on the housing market in Egypt. This type of development is spreading fast since the nineties of the last century. A large number of research has been conducted on the topic of gated communities in a number of different countries. However, in Egypt, this topic needs to be more discussed and researched. Therefore the topic of gated communities in Egypt will be further explored and analyzed, focusing on the economic dimensions and the impact of such developments on the Egyptian real estate market. This study specifically focuses on the city of El Sheikh Zayed where most of the gated communities are located. The objective of this research is to identify the main factors that can influence the housing prices in Egypt in order to know in what extent the gated communities affect positively or negatively the housing price especially for those units located inside. In this sense, a comparative study is applied between the prices of gated and non-gated housing units using simple regression analysis as well as Hedonic Pricing Model, in order to understand the influence of gated communities on the value of the housing units. This study analyzes the sales prices of middle class housing units in El Sheikh Zayed City

“Marriage with an absentee:” Marital practices in an era of great mobility

Egyptian communities are increasing in Europe, and Italy is the first European country targeted by a number of Egyptians. While other Arab countries (i.e. Morocco) are experiencing a progressive “feminization of migration”, Egyptian migration remains a male-dominated phenomenon. One of the main issues around the big presence of young Egyptian single men in Italy is that of transnational marriages, which migrants engage in with women from their original villages. In this paper I focus on the families that are created through what I call “marriage with an absentee”, investigating the value of transnational marriages both for migrants and for Egyptian women who marry men who are working abroad. I describe those marriages in their organizational aspects—entering into the details of the rituals of the engagement and of the marriage. I also discuss some of the consequences of this practice. I.e., on one hand the creation of a transnational family (characterized by the new bride staying in Egypt), and on the oth...

التجارب العالمية لتنمية تجمعات عمرانية جديدة مستدامة کمدخل لتنمية واستدامة التجمعات العمرانية الجديدة في مصر International Experiences for the Development of new Sustainable Urban communities Approach to Development and Sustainable of New Urban Communities in Egypt

يشکل مفهوم التنمية المستدامة اهتماما متزايدا بالدول المتقدمة وأصبح مطلبا ضروريا لکافة دول العالم في الآونة الأخيرة خاصة الدول النامية للوصول الى بيئة عمرانية مستدامة تتوافق مع البيئة المحلية، وتحقق الانسجام والتفاعل المتوازن مع المنظومة الطبيعية في سياق الحياة الاجتماعية، من خلال الادارة الرشيدة للموارد الطبيعية بما يحقق الاحتياجات الانسانية الحالية والمستقبلية ويرتقى بمستوى حياة المجتمعات، حيث تشهد البيئة العمرانية تحولات مستمرة وتنامى متسارع مما يستدعى اعادة صياغة للأبعاد الاقتصادية والاجتماعية والبيئية بما يحقق التوازن فيما بينهم، في إطار منظومة متکاملة تواکب وتتفاعل مع متطلبات الوضع الراهن وتحديات المستقبل وتهتم بدراسة آثارها على کافة المستويات العمرانية. وفى هذا الاطار يناقش البحث کيفية تطبيق مفاهيم ومبادئ التنمية المستدامة وآليات وأطر التحولات العمرانية اللازمة للتوافق مع مفاهيم الاستدامة في تخطيط وتنمية التجمعات العمرانية الجديدة، وبالرغم من الاهتمام العالمي بتطبيق مفاهيم الاستدامة الا أنها لم تحظى بالاهتمام الکافي في مصر حيث تعانى التجمعات العمرانية الجديدة من قصور في تطبيق مفاهيم ومعايير الاستدامة، لذا فيهدف البحث الى الوصول الى إطار متکامل يساهم في تطبيق مفاهيم ومبادئ الاستدامة في سياق متوازن بين کافة الأبعاد، ويطرح آليات تطبيق تلک المفاهيم على المستوى العمراني کمدخل لرسم التوجهات المستقبلية للوصول الى تجمعات عمرانية مستدامة تهتم بتحسين البيئة العمرانية وتساهم في تحقيق أهداف التنمية العمرانية الشاملة. Sustainable development is of great interest in developed countries and has become necessary for all countries of the world in recent times especially the developing countries to improving the built environment through the development of social- economic and environmental aspects to reach the sustainable urban compatible with the local environment and achieve harmony and interaction balanced with the system of natural in the context of social life, through good governance of natural resources in order to achieve the human needs current and future to improve the lives of communities, This increasingly interest in sustainability coincides with the urban environment shifts continuing and growing rapidly, which requires reformulation of the economic, social and environmental aspects within a holistic and balanced sustainable development framework, to achieve the requirements of the current situation and future challenges and interested in studying the effects on all levels of Urban. In this context, the objective of this study is discusses the most important theories of sustainable development and the requirement to apply sustainable principles to development of contemporary residential communities. despite the global interest to apply of sustainability criteria , but they did not receive enough attention in the sufficient attention in the contemporary residential projects suffer weak sustainability of urban environment, So research aims to prepare an integrated framework contributes to the application of the concepts and standards of sustainability in the context of a balanced among all aspects. Finally, this paper provides a future vision to sustainable residential communities interested in improving the urban environment.

Trafficking in Human Beings in Albania

This research was conducted to show that trafficking is a major problem of our society after the 90s, when Albania came from the isolation of the communist regime and entered the transition stage. Human trafficking included not only exploitation for prostitution, but also illegal transportation of immigrants, the use of children and many other trafficking types. The trafficking took place individually in the beginning, then in a more organized form. The women and children were more affected by trafficking. Even the persons belonging to the poorest social strata were also affected by trafficking. Children belonging to the Roma and Egyptian communities were and are more exposed to the various exploitations and trafficking. Albania is seen as a destination of exploitation for prostitution of women coming from other countries in Eastern Europe. According to data, 8000 Albanian women are exploited for prostitution purposes in different European countries. The performed studies show that the number of trafficked persons increased during 1997-2001 and after 2002 the Albanian government took austerity measures to curb this bad phenomenon of our society. These kinds of trafficking seriously violate fundamental human rights protected by the European Convention of Human Rights. This study showed that trafficking as a phenomenon can be prevented if the Albanian government takes precautions against this trafficking as coercive measures and creates favorable conditions for the education of children and awareness of Albanian society to fight against these phenomena that violate the fundamental rights of Human beings such as the right of every man not to be enslaved by others, but to live his life with dignity and to put themselves on his life. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v4n1p57

Not all smooth sailing: Barriers to small business success for owner/managers from Middle Eastern communities in Melbourne

There has been very little international research on Arab entrepreneurs from the Middle East, who began to land on American shores during the late 1880s and on other parts of the world for decades. Little attention has also been given to Arab entrepreneurs from the Middle East, who began to land on Australian shores during the late 1860s, and who have been greatly contributing to the Australian economy and cultural diversity for almost 150 years. Thus, in an attempt to fill the gap, this paper investigates barriers to small business success, using a sample of Middle Eastern communities in Melbourne, Australia, specifically the Lebanese, Egyptian and Iraqi communities, the three largest in the state of Victoria with developed community infrastructures. Unfortunately, a list of the total target population did not conveniently exist for sampling purposes; and it was impractical to compile such a list, therefore, cluster sampling was utilized, particularly, area sampling, as geographic areas were identified. For pragmatic reasons, and to enhance representativeness of the sample, PPS technique was used to identify the proportion of each sample for each community for interviews. Thus, around ten per cent (n=16) in proportion to the total number of working population (N=165) were subsequently interviewed. Individual in-depth, semi-structured and audiotaped interviews were conducted using a list of open-ended questions relating to the barriers to business success. Interviews were manually content-analyzed using conventional content analysis and constant comparative methods. Thus, the analysis of participants’ comments reflected the following barriers to business success: (i) dealing with difficult people; (ii) loss of support sources; (iii) personal idiosyncrasies of the owner/managers; (iv) financial barriers; (v) lack of specific business experience; and (vi) others. The analysis of participants’ comments also indicated that dealing with difficult people as a barrier to business success was further analysed into (A) extended family, friends and people from own community, (B) employees and (C) customers, the other five barriers could not be analysed further. Quotations and excerpts from interviews were used to facilitate understanding interviewees’ points of view, as well as to illustrate and support each the first and the second levels of analysis for each of the barriers. This study lies in its contribution to academic literature, and its results should improve understanding of entrepreneurial behavioral patterns through the development of teaching and training programs, which can assist government and relevant bodies in introducing public policy that helps improve entrepreneurs’ success.