Ban smoking, shisha in Egypt? Probably not, say Egyptians
CAIRO: Khaled Mounir laughs at the notion Egypt could ban smoking. It is absurd, he says, as he takes a long drag on his water-pipe, commonly known as shisha. The 74-year-old retired accountant has been coming to the same café in the posh Zamalek neighborhood of Cairo for decades.
“Since before the revolution, this has been my spot,” he tells in near perfect English, a sign of his decade living in San Francisco. 
“They talk about banning smoking every six months or so these days, but we know it won’t happen because it would cost the government too much.”
His friend, Amir, shakes his head in agreement.
“It is just another rash decision taken that will hurt the average person and the government is overreacting like they have done on many occasions,” says Amir. “I think they need to educate people and teach local cafes about hygiene and that stuff instead of just going in and shutting it down.”
This is exactly what has happened. In downtown Cairo last month, police came into the Borsa area – Stock Market – and shut down a number of cafes serving shisha. The health ministry cited concerns over the manner in which the pipes and hoses were cleaned. But, only days later, all the cafes that lined the streets – it is a popular hangout spot for the younger generation of Egyptians and foreigners – were back at work, serving shisha to its loyal patrons.
The closing of shisha cafes has not been limited to only Cairo. In Mansoura, reports of prohibitions on the Egyptian pastime have been flowing in telling of closures of the city’s cafes ability to serve shisha.
“People here in Mansoura say Shisha is completely prohibited,” Mohamed el-Gohary wrote on his IRCPresident Twitter account last month.
The government has been quick in their attempts to curtail the spread of the H1N1 influenza, commonly known as swine flu, although world health officials have repeatedly stated the virus does not pass from pigs to humans. Here in Egypt, after the initial report of the outbreak in Mexico and the United States, all pigs were culled, sparking massive criticism both domestically and globally over what World Health Organization officials called “rash.”
Then, in September, the government closed down all schools and universities, fearing that by allowing students to return would allow for a possible outbreak among students. Schools were reopened in early October after the delay.
The health ministry has repeatedly stated it is doing everything in its power to ensure that Egyptians remain safe and the H1N1 virus does spread across the country in large numbers like it has in other countries.
“The reason shisha is being cut back is because of the poor conditions that often come with the local cafes that people go to. Swine flu can spread quite easily in the pipes if they are not cleaned properly, so we decided that in order to keep people safe from getting sick that these places be shut down, but at this time we have no intention of closing the places where they clean the pipes and use the medical hoses,” the official added.
Other reasons the government has given for ending smoking is the easy manner tuberculosis can spread through the hoses from one puffer to another. In 2007, Parliament banned smoking in public places. But, a quick walk through any government building and the dozens of ashtrays with the spent butts of cigarettes reveal the ban didn’t stick.
The health ministry says they are determined to get onto the global calls for banning smoking, saying that in Egypt, at minimum, smoking indoors should be curtailed. But tell that to the millions of Egyptians who daily puff away at their flavored water-pipe.
For the elderly men in Zamalek, at one level they agree with the ministry’s decision to close down the ahwa, saying that they agree with the government’s assessment.
“These places are not clean and have not been for years, which is why we have been coming here,” adds Mounir. Their frustration is with how these things are carried out by the government.
“Just like when they all-of-a-sudden decided to kill all the pigs, there was no warning and people didn’t have a say. It will hurt Egyptians livelihoods greatly and I am certain that it will cause more pain than what the government knows or cares about,” believes Amin.
For now, at least, if Egyptians and foreigners want to puff away on their water-pipe, the place to do it is the upscale, clean cafes in the more affluent areas of Cairo and the rest of the country. Or just wait a few days, and all will be fine for those who enjoy the very Egyptian tradition.
Joseph Mayton
17 November 2009
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