The facts on the ground suggest that, there is a kind of division in Egyptians' thinking and even the way they want to live, each group following a specific lifestyle that differs from others. hese different lifestyles have begun to manifest themselves in many ways. For example on the Mediterranean North Coast there are different kinds of beaches. These include private beaches for veiled females only, and other beaches for unveiled women and girls only, in which those wearing a veil are not allowed to enter. Individual lifestyles govern both groups' choice. A similar idea can be found in the cafés, as there are cafés for females only, a new trend in Egypt, where there are also others that determine specific places for men, families, women and girls respectively. One such place is ‘D. Cappuccino' café that has applied this idea. ‘No smoking' and ‘No couples' are the signs that can be found on its door to let people know its rules, which are that the café only welcomes families, males only or females only. Mohamed Sayyed and Ahmed Mahmoud, young Salafists, the owners of this café, believe that society is in need of such new ideas that can offer different customers a place that they can freely sit and act in. "The café is speaking to a specific category; the conservative families, who are moderate people just trying to preserve their religion, who also do not want their children to see or smell something against their parents' wishes," Mahmoud said. "These families have the right to protect their children from discourteous scenes, which can be found in many other cafés," he added. According to Mahmoud, these respectable conservative families have the right to have a place in which they can sit and act while preserving their privacy. "It is their right to act freely without feeling that the people around are looking at them," he argued. The café has an attractive contemporary décor, with sparkling colours on the wall and Islamic lyrics playing as the background music in the café. Male waiters, some of whom are bearded while others are clean-shaven, serve the whole café. “We depend on respect in the way our staff deal with customers," Sayyed said. “We don't impose," declared Mahmoud “The café has separated the females by a partition at the end of the café, in which they can feel free and far from the males' eyes, but there are no waitresses to serve them. We give the waiters the freedom either to wear a beard or not," Mahmoud said. “This may also distinguish our café from others." Radwa Ahmed, an unveiled girl, was sitting with her friend Safaa for their second time in the café, as they say that they feel free in the café and satisfied with the waiters' service. “When I sit in this café, I feel that I am different from the people around, as I'm unveiled and all the females here are wearing hijab [headscarves] or niqab (full face veil), but this feeling does not bother me at all. The most important thing is to feel comfortable," Radwa said. While Safaa, who suggested the café to Radwa, said that she feels that the place is like any other place, the difference being just that you cannot see the boys in the female partitioned section, which is sometimes needed. "This is the second time for us to come here; it's chic and stylish and we feel private, so why not?" Safaa said. "It may be a new trend, but it is a good one, which we need," she added.
