Egypt

Egypt has long been at the crossroads of cultural influences and home to a variety of religious faiths. The Bible attests to Egypt's political importance in the ancient Near East and to its place in monotheistic history. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have all left their mark—in terms of material and intellectual culture—on Egypt. But it is Islam that has played the dominant role in ushering the country into the global era and shaping its identity. Indeed, the growing public, political nature of Islam in Egypt is tied to globalization [Page 331]and attests to the power of religion to provide a voice for social protest and change.