The Next Step for Egyptian Women

Hijabs of every color were heavily sprinkled throughout the crowds of protestors across Egypt during January and February of this year. Egypt’s revolution has not only been limited to men; estimates have placed the percentage of female protestors on the streets of Cairo between 20 and 50 percent.

Protests in Egypt began January 25, inspired by the success of the Tunisian anti-government protests that began last December. The primary goals of the Egyptian movement were the immediate removal of Mubarak from office, the guarantee of democratic elections, and the end of extreme police corruption. On February 11, it was announced that Mubarak had officially resigned from presidency. The movement has since entered a new, transitional phase as the Egyptians wait six months under the power of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces until the next election.

In recent years, women in Egypt have played a critical role in the ongoing fight against government corruption and social injustice. Israa Abdel Fattah, one of the founders of the 2008 April 6 Youth Movement, was arrested and detained for two weeks for her role in the movement. Regardless, she participated in this year’s protests. Fatah and countless other women have remained committed to the cause of social change in Egypt, despite the difficulties and dangers posed by active participation in protests.

A primary danger women face in Egypt, whether participating in protests or not, is sexual harassment. A disturbing 2008 study done by the Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights states that 83 percent of Egyptian women experience sexual harassment, 62 percent of men admit to harassing women, and 53 percent of men blame the harassment on the women. The study also found that the majority of the women being harassed were modestly dressed and wearing hijabs.

Libby Kokemoor PO ’12 spent fall semester 2010 studying at Egypt’s Alexandria University. She recalled one of her female professors discussing her own participation in the protests:  “‘It’s amazing that I’ve been walking around protesting with so many men, so many people I don’t know, and I’ve never felt so safe.’” From interviews with Egyptian protestors that have been released online, it does indeed appear that harassment has been much less of an issue, and in some cases, completely absent. Kokemoor said, “The solidarity of protesting has really brought people together.”

Though so many women have participated both online and actively in this revolution, the great majority of the images released to mainstream media sources show crowds of almost entirely men. In response to this severe lack of representation of women, a Facebook album called “Women of Egypt” was created by Egyptian woman Leil-Zahra Mortada. The women shown in the album are fighting not only for freedom from corruption, but also for gender equity.

Egyptian women have made huge efforts in terms of attaining their own rights in the past few years. In 2009, a law was passed that 64 seats in the Egyptian parliament would be designated for female candidates, putting the total female participation in parliament at 12%. Though the parliament is still male-dominated, the hope is that greater female participation will be a starting point for greater numbers of women in all areas of government. This victory was weakened in February 2010 by the Egyptian Council of State’s decision that women could not serve as council judges. A protest ensued; however, this decision has not been repealed or overturned.

Hopefully, with a newly instated government with a new political stance, women in Egypt will be able to fight more effectively for their rights. In an interview with Decomcracy NOW! Nawal El Saadawi, a renowned Egyptian feminist, sociologist, and doctor, said of the revolution, “We are calling for justice, freedom and equality, and real democracy, and a new constitution where there is no discrimination between men and women, no discrimination between Muslim and Christians, to change the system and to have real democracy.”

Now that Mubarak has officially resigned, Egypt is at the beginning of a long road to change. Democratic elections will happen within the next few months, but the question remains: who will follow Mubarak as president? Undoubtedly, a democratic election is a victory in itself, but in terms of women’s rights, the outcome of this election is particularly crucial. A radical fundamentalist leader could easily set back relatively recent progress with more misogynistic policies and practices. On the other hand, a radical liberal could propel the women’s movement forward at a speed much greater than was possible in the past under the basically unchanging regime of Mubarak.

Misogyny has a complex history in traditional Islam and remains a major issue in the Middle East as many other places in the world progress more rapidly toward gender equality. Women throughout the Middle East and many parts of Africa are at various stages in the same, slow struggle for positive changes toward equality with men. While basic rights such as the power to vote are beginning to be seen as more of a norm, others that are arguably more important, such as the ability to serve in government offices, are by no means standard.

This year’s revolution is the symbolic beginning of a new chapter for Egypt and its women—though the process will be long, change of some kind is inevitable. Hopefully, progressive changes in the newly instated government will lead to and inspire positive changes in Egyptian women’s rights.