Smoking in Egypt

The number of adults smoking tobacco products in Egypt continues to rise, some suggest by as much as four to five percent annually.

[2] Egypt is ranked as one of the top ten per capita consumers of tobacco by the World Lung Foundation.

While consumption of tobacco in adults is in decline or stagnant in many countries, in Egypt, the number of adult cigarette smokers is increasing at a rate of four to five percent per year[3] According to historian Relli Shechter, in the late 19th century, the cigarette emerged as a fashionable way to consume tobacco and gained popularity not only in Egypt but also globally and within the Ottoman Empire.

Under British control 1882–1922, cigarettes became the preferred smoking choice in Egypt, with luxury Egyptian brands being exported worldwide, influencing global trends.

This industrial growth was surprising as Egypt primarily focused on exporting raw materials and importing finished goods until then.

Depending on the location and community, Islamic authorities have either deemed smoking as makruh (to be avoided) or haram (forbidden).

On September 5, 1999, Nasr Farid Wasel, the then Grand Mufti of Egypt, issued a fatwa (a religious ruling) against tobacco smoking.

[5] In Egypt, the tobacco control law prohibits smoking in the following specified public places: health and educational facilities, governmental venues, sporting and social clubs, and youth centers (though these rules are not usually followed ).

Approximately 97.4% believed that smoking shisha causes serious illness such as stroke, heart attack, and lung cancer.

[6] A national survey conducted by the Egyptian Smoking Prevention Research Institute showed that waterpipe smoking was inversely related to educational level, and that most users believed that using a waterpipe is less harmful than cigarettes.

The law requires two textual warnings that must be accompanied by a picture (of a heart, lung, or pregnancy) with additional relevant text.

However, the law does not prohibit the use of other misleading terms, descriptors, figures or other indicia that create an erroneous impression about the health effects of a tobacco product including a requirement that the quantity (figurative yield) of tar and nicotine be displayed on tobacco product packages.

This principal law addresses, although briefly, smoke-free policies; advertising, promotion and sponsorship; packaging and labeling; and penalties.

These two peaks may reflect the circumstances of earlier generations, who established their smoking habit 25 to 34 years ago during the beginning of the smoking epidemic in developing countries when scarce data were available to the public about the harmful consequences of tobacco.

[6] In a survey conducted by the World Health Organization, they found that among every day smokers, 16.6% had quit smoking.