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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/world/middleeast/17youth.html
Egypt's Young Turn to Islamic Fervor
[New York Times] Michael Slackman - In the Middle East, more than ever, Islam has become the cornerstone of identity, replacing other, failed ideologies: Arabism, socialism, nationalism. In Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Morocco and Algeria, leaders who once headed secular states or played down religion have struggled to reposition themselves as the guardians of Islamic values. More and more parents are sending their children to religious schools, and some countries have infused more religious content into their state educational systems. In 1986, there was one mosque for every 6,031 Egyptians. By 2005, there was one mosque for every 745 people - and the population has nearly doubled.