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In this report, some of the local Egyptian phenomena will be explored and exposed in order to give a context to the result as well as providing some clues about some very special attributes of the Egyptian society.



“Fahlawa”
Literally means; native wit, Fahlawa is reflected in actions best described as not conforming to accepted professional and/or technical standards but giving the appearance of compliance. These actions satisfy the form but not the substance of an assignment, cutting corners as long as the possibility exists of getting away with it.
Managers like to hire this type of people because they are loyal and would do their dirty work for them in some cases bribing and breaking the rules.
The fahlawi is a person who does not say I do not know. Yet, his ignorance does not push him to learn, but rather to try to use the minimum of knowledge to solve problems. People from this type could cause harm more than good. There have been cases of local barbers practicing dentistry and second year’s medicine school students practicing medicine even after being suspended from school.
In business, the fahlawi is a person that takes care of all the superficial details that will be obvious to a busy observer. On the long run companies lose money and opportunities as a result of this practice.
Fahlawa, although damaging, is considered as a synonym of cleverness.

Khalliha ala Allah
Literally means; “leave it to God”, Egyptians use this term several times a day. It is a concept that means, if put in context, that you should not mention bad things otherwise they will happen. People should not care for misfortune otherwise it will realize. Consequently, people do not prepare for the disasters unless they happen. It is the basis for an irresponsible behavior which makes people willingly deal with daily dangers risking their lives and do not even want to think of what might happen to them if things go wrong.

El Whastta
Literally mean: “The mediator”. It is usually a person that is helping people to get benefits, jobs, services or just about anything that otherwise would not be in their reach. These people can be family members, friends, neighbors or any one in his or her social network in exchange for favors, money or just loyalty.
El Whastta is officially practiced in state owned organization and it is part of the Egyptian employment system. This practice maintains the power structure and supremacy within the family or the group.
Not only Family owned companies are dominated by family members but also political parties, governmental and non governmental organizations, sport clubs and even the army and police force.
There is nothing strange about it, and you might ask someone that was successful of getting a job that you were more qualified for it; what is the secret? the answer could simply be I got Whastta. Sometimes I think nothing can be done without it! Accompanied with bribery, it is arguably the highest level of corruption practiced on daily basis in the Egyptian society. Using contacts to pass rights that might belong to someone else is practiced everywhere; you can see this on any Friday morning when you go to buy bread from the local shop, and while you stand in the short queue for more than 20 minutes; you see people come from outside, directly in front of everyone exchanging hellos with the staff and right a way they get the bread they need and leave.

Beta’ kolloh
Literally means “for everything”. If a person described to be “Beta’ kolloh”, it means that he can do everything. However, everyone knows that he who can do everything can actually do nothing. A person like this provides a good and cheap solution for business people to solve little technical problems that would cost more if a professional is called. “Beta’ kolloh”, a business handyman, is quite popular in Egyptian work places, especially in a culture that use knowledge, science and professionalism as the last resort.

Baksheesh or Shai
The first means; “tip”, and the second means: “tea”, the first one is common among tourists coming to visits Egypt; a little money that you give above the right fee, the other one is more local, “el shai” or “the tea”, is what you pay above the “right” fee too and sometimes, what you are charged for a free service. But can you refuse to pay? The answer in most cases: no, unless you got Whastta (explained above). For a scarce service that is supposed to be free (like a parking place), you will find yourself obliged to pay to get it otherwise someone else will.

These five phenomena explained have some common attributes; they are not separate as they, together, form driving forces for daily activity in the Egyptian society.
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You did forget to include some expressions that are resulting from the use of the mentioned behaviors like "in sha'a allah" which is widely used and associated to "Khalliha ala Allah".

It is saddening me to say that Egypt is suffering from a deep cultural deterioration on a huge level. There are several reasons responsible for that deterioration. One of these reasons is poor the economic situation which is a major drive controlling people's behaviors.