Egypt women's rights still an uphill climb
May 04, 2007
Cairo - It was one step forward for women's rights in Egypt last month when 31 female judges were appointed to the bench by Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council, and two steps back for feminists when the country's internationally famous feminist writer, activist, and medical doctor, Nawal Al Saadawi's latest book, God Resigns in the Summit Meeting, was withdrawn from publication for allegedly "offending religious sensibilities."
This came on top of prosecutors placing her under investigation for supporting her daughter's suggestion last year that children be named after their mothers, not fathers. This crackdown on feminism and censorship of free speech comes against a backdrop of increasing Islamic fundamentalism in the region.
Politically, women are poorly represented. Despite the fact that Egypt was one of the first developing countries to give women in 1956 the right to vote and stand for election, the proportion of female representation in parliament is still one of the lowest in the world where only 2.4 percent of MPs are female.
Some feminists and other women's rights activists are trying to work within the Sharia system to promote the rights of women, while others are calling for a separation of religion and government, but are finding this hard against a backdrop of government collusion with Islamic fundamentalism.
Source: Middle East Time, By Mel Frykberg