Apparently Egypt does not have a problem with juvenile delinquency, at least as the problem would be defined in the West. Influences inherent in the socioreligious structure have impeded any serious development of such a problem. Delinquent behavior has been minor in nature and minimal in frequency primarily due to a social structure molded along the lines of a mechanical solidarity society under the influence of religious values and ideals. Furthermore, there are the cultural forces of attachment to children and a mystical belief in spiritual guidance. The juvenile delinquency that does exist in Egypt mainly involves lower middle class males with low educational attainment and poor prospects for economic and social mobility. The most common form of juvenile law-breaking consists of property offenses and, to a smaller degree, sexual offenses. Since 1977, however, a strategic variable has been interjected in the equation of delinquency; the infitah subculture emerged, redefining the lines between success goals and legitimate means. The infitah juveniles had to either adapt to exogenous socioeconomic values or reject such values because they clashed with their religious socialization and sense of identity. Those who chose the latter option either resorted to "Jihad crimes" or channeled their deprivation into innovative forms of delinquency. the Jihad converts went underground and are involved in political murders and acts of terrorism that mostly go unpublicized by the authorities. The others engaged in a pattern of petty thievery, vandalism, sexual offenses, fraud, embezzlement, and truancy. They became Egypt's habitual delinquents. 3 tables and a 43-item bibliography