and anit-Western sentiments.
             In the midst of these beliefs, Leila, like many other Egyptians, were confused about their indentity as a nation. She reacalls that she was "haunted by feelings of uncertainity and a sense of ambiguity (about me being an Arab)." (Ahmed, 10) Even the Presidetn himself was worried about this crisis: Were they Arab? They might be African, Niolitic, Mediterranean, Islamic or Coptic. This was a very important question for Leila Ahmed growing up as a child in socialist Egypt. These are the questions that later gave birth to the Arab nationalism.
             The new socialist government under the prsidency of Nasser rejected the traditional democratic form of governemtn. He embodied independecnde from Western nationalism, economic modernization, Arab nationalism, good relation with Soviet and conflict with Israel. He seized extra land from the rich under the Agrarian Reform Law (Vatiokiotis, 395) and distributed them among poor farmers. He beileved in free education, free relief, child care, health care etc. But, the tone soon chaged when Nasser turned into dictator. Nasser wanted to maintain a squeaky claen political image, even at the cost of corruption at the government level. This period was plagued by his abuse of political power. Everything or anythign that went wrong during that time, were blamed on an organization or a person.
             Such was the case with Leila Ahmed's father. Nasser was adament on building t
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