Social Interactions 101on the side of giving someone a higher ranking title, rather
than a lower one.
A word of caution when meeting married couples.
Women do not change their last names when they marry.
As a result, it is sometimes difficult to find out a woman’s
appropriate last name. She may well be introduced to you
simply as ‘Mrs Fatima, Dr Mohamed’s wife’. If you are caught
in a rough spot and do not know the woman’s name, it is
probably better to refer to her as ‘Mrs Mohamed’ (if that is
her husband’s first name) rather than to refer to her as ‘Mrs
Husband’s-last-name’. This last form of address is usually
reserved for informal situations, so should be used only as
a last resort in any other setting.
Egyptians are especially proud of being parents. They have
a very pleasant, informal way of referring to a person as the
‘parent’ of someone, usually the oldest son or oldest child.
For example, a man might be referred to as ‘Abu Mohamed’
or ‘father of Mohamed’. A woman could be referred to as
‘Umm Mohamed’ or ‘mother of Mohamed’.
People may have many names and recite them differently
for different occasions. Don’t be surprised if you meet a
person under one circumstance and his name is Ahmed
Ishmail, only to find that the next time you meet, he is referred
to as Ahmed el-Kamel. Usually, sons are named after their
grandfather or paternal uncles rather than their father.
Death and Inheritance
In Egypt, a person should be buried as soon as possible after
death, whether Muslim or Christian. Usually, family members
wash the body, wrap it, and then it is interred, often within
hours of death. If death occurs at night, it is not necessary
to wait until the next day to bury the person as a night burial
is appropriate.
A Muslim woman receives half the amount of a male
heir’s inheritance. By tradition, male Muslim heirs face
strong social pressure to provide for all family members who
need assistance. A sole male heir receives all of his parents’
estate. A sole female heir receives half of her parents’ estate
with the balance going to designated male relatives.