CAIRO - The number of beggars always increases during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, especially around places of worship such as Hussein, el-Sayyeda Zeinab and el-Sayyeda Nafissa mosques. There are no laws governing begging and beggars have no professional syndicate. Despite these shortcomings, there are around two million beggars nationwide, 500,000 of whom ply their trade in Cairo alone. Begging is big business in Ramadan, although Law 49/1953 criminalises this pastime. In the meantime, there are seven institutions in Egypt that care for beggars, under the supervision of NGOs. Many beggars get their sob story typed up on pieces of paper, which they distribute to passengers on the Underground, asking for money. Begging is also common in other Arab and European countries, where many beggars make money by busking. Back in Cairo, another trick is for someone to claim they've travelled up to town from the countryside and haven't got the train fare home. Many people believe them and help them. Some poor Egyptian families without a breadwinner get their children to beg for them on the streets. Perhaps these families don't realise that their children will probably end up as criminals. Sawsan Fayyed, an expert at the National Centre for Social Research, notes that begging is commonly found in times of economic crisis. “It is always very common in Ramadan, when people are very charitable,” she adds. Meanwhile, Samiya el-Guindi, another expert, describes begging as a “very dangerous crime, as dangerous as drug taking”. She says that many beggars suffer from psychological disorders. Professor Abdel-Hakim el-Sa'edi of Al-Azhar University says begging is unacceptable in Islam, because unemployed Muslims should look for work. “If a Muslim is unable to work because of disability or disease, he must go to the nearest mosque or the Ministry of Solidarity for help,” says el-Sa'edi, noting that, this way, poor people maintain their dignity. Some beggars amass fortunes, while some really poor people never let on about their suffering. There ought to be a survey done of poor areas, in order to pinpoint those who really deserve help.Professor of Jurisprudence Ahmed Youssef says religious institutions should ask rich people to give alms to their poor relatives and neighbours. Professor of Economy at Al-Azhar University Zeinab Al-Ashwah says that awqaf (endowments) can help, providing that the recipients are beggars who are genuinely looking for work and trying to improve their lot.
