"That's a pretty boy" or "I have a great new job" are sentences which are rarely heard in Egypt for fear that they spark envy and the evil eye.
I know women who have concealed a relationship until just before the wedding for fear of losing their finance if jealous girlfriends give them the evil eye. Children are viewed as particularly vulnerable. Sometimes they are even given strange names, for example Shahtino, which means "I begged him". Boy babies, widely preferred in Egypt, are occasionally are given earrings or dresses so that they look like a girl. Belief in the evil eye is widespread in Egypt, spanning the urban hubs as well as the countryside.
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