Every now and then, I bring up the American election with a taxi driver. Today, I got a catch.
I asked Mahmoud who he supports in the upcoming election. His response: Abu Treka, the all-star Egyptian soccer player. I had never heard of him before I came to Egypt, but here, he's king. Mahmoud explained that a president must be popular, well known and most importantly, anti-war.
As I tried to press Mahmoud for a serious answer, I found that nothing would come of it. He thought Hilary was still in the race and Obama is a jew. Furthermore, he had never heard of McCain.
Obama and McCain are frequently pictured in the front pages or at least international sections of newspapers in Egpyt, but only very educated people are informed about the candidates. The few Egyptians whom I've talked with on the election state just the same thing that come from the headlines in newspapers: McCain still thinks he's in the twentieth century and Obama understands the ins and outs of the twenty first century.
On another note, there haven't been any problems with any taxi drivers.
