CAIRO - Smoking, smoking everywhere. In buses and microbuses; in theatres, cinemas, hospitals and all public places. Smoking is rife in Egyptian society and it's spreading like wildfire. Dr Hassan Tawfiq, head of the Health Insurance Authority in Benha, says that smoking causes lung cancer, bronchial asthma, pneumonia and many other potentially fatal diseases. "It may also cause infertility. It gradually destroys cells in the genitals and, in the case of men, it prevents them from 'doing a good job in bed'," Dr Abdel-Hamid Youssef, a consultant in obstetrics, gynaecology and infertility, told The Egyptian Gazette. "Unemployment is the main reason why I smoke," says a young man called Ahmed Hussein. "I graduated from the Arabic Language Faculty in 1999 and I still can't find a job, which means I can't afford to get married. I just while away my time smoking. It's not easy to give up anyway," adds Ahmed, aged 27. Heavy smokers prefer to buy cigarettes rather than food and other necessities for their families. "I buy three packets a day, which comes to about LE250 a month. I can't afford it but I can't give it up," says Hosni Hassanein, a 50-year-old bus driver, in a sad tone of voice. "The doctors keep telling me to quit, because I have chest problems. But, whenever anything goes wrong in my daily life, I simply light up a cigarette,” he explains. Smoking also has a bad effect on children and in fact the whole of society. Laila Karam Eddin, Professor of Psychology at the Higher Institute for Childhood Studies, Ain Shams University, told The Gazette that everyone knows smoking is bad for the health, but the manufacturers make a lot of money out of it. "In research in developed countries, animals have been exposed to the nicotine and other harmful substances in tobacco. After some time, they contract cancer and other fatal diseases," explains Prof. Laila. She says that these countries are very strict about smoking. For example, anyone caught smoking in a public place can be fined the equivalent of LE1,000. "But alas, this isn't the case in Egypt, where you find everyone smokes wherever they want, without respecting the rights of non-smokers who get annoyed by the smell," she adds. As for its effect on the children, Laila says that parents who smoke destroy their children because they imitate them. "Children look up to their mothers and fathers. When they see one or both of them smoking, they want to copy them and it soon becomes a habit then an addiction," she warns, adding some children believe that smoking means 'being big, tough and sophisticated'. "The reasons for this moral deterioration are negligence, family disputes, frustration and delinquency. If the families don't care enough for their children, they fall in with the wrong crowd and it's a disaster. "Smoking is also very bad for unborn children. Pregnant women should avoid sitting beside smokers and husbands who smoke should be aware of this," she stresses. "I left school two years ago and started smoking with my shella [group of pals]. My father smokes and doesn't care what I do," says Ali Sobhi, aged 15. "My parents are always arguing with each other. Don't blame me - it's my circumstances that have destroyed my future." The former Mufti of Egypt, Nasr Farid Wasel, issued a fatwa (religious edict) banning smoking because it kills, backing it up with a verse from the Holy Qu'ran, where God says: "And spend in the cause of God and don't cast yourselves to ruin by your hands, but do good, surely Allah loves those who do good". (From Surat el-Baqara [Chapter of the Cow]). “The Government should take tough measures to deter the companies which manufacture cigarettes and other perilous products made from tobacco. It also should take strict measures against those who smoke in public places without considering the feelings of others,” said Abdel-Hamid Youssef, a consultant in obstetrics.
