Bilharzia is a freshwater parasite that causes the disease schistosomiasis, an infection which impacts the liver, kidneys, bladder, rectum, and can lead to death. The vector for the parasite is freshwater snails, which thrive in the standing water that fill Egypt’s irrigation canals. Rates of bladder cancer—the most common form of cancer in Egypt—are directly tied to rates of bilharzia.

Sources:

Shady Salem, et al. ...

Coptic Christians make up Egypt’s largest and most significant minority population and the largest population of Christians in the Middle East. It is an Eastern Orthodox tradition, and most Copts follow the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Historically, the Coptic Church has roots in Egypt originating in the earliest days of Christianity; Christian religious sites mark the location where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are believed to have stayed during their flight to Egypt and are proximal to centuries-old Coptic churches.

The Coptic Church experienced a religious revival...

Egypt’s Emergency Law was enacted after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 and was extended multiple times until its dissolution in May of 2011 in the wake of the Arab Spring. However, Emergency Laws have been used prior to 1981, and more recently, were enacted to grant the government and police forces broad rights to arrest and detain individuals deemed to be “threats” to the government, to limit freedoms of assembly, to place limits on residence or travel, as well as the right to try...

The Military has been the backbone of Egyptian political power in modern Egypt the largest component of which is the army. The Free Officers revolution and subsequent presidency of Gamal ‘Abdel Nasser created foundations for a modern authoritarian state in which the military is the ruling power in Egyptian politics—albeit not the governing power (thus Egypt is not a military dictatorship). All post-independence leaders, except for...