The outpouring — some of it government-ordered, some of it not — showed “in essence what Egyptian nationalism is all about,” said Hafsa Halawa, an Egyptian British scholar at the Middle East Institute.
“Egyptian exceptionalism, Egypt’s historical importance as an African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern nation — it’s Umm Al Dunya,” she said, using an Egyptian descriptor of the country meaning “mother of the world.”
“The government thrives on this stuff like fuul and taamiyah,” Halawa added, referring to the extremely popular local version of fava bean dip and falafel.