An Egyptian journalist has called recently Egyptian women to demonstrate in Tahrir Square and take off the veil. This is how we care about the appearances rather than our actual problems. The veil is just style of clothing that expresses the character and style of one woman just like bikini.
We shouldn’t interfere in people’s choices. People may change their mind based on their changing circumstances and not based on our pressure. However, clothing is a pure personal decision that has nothing to do with demonstrations.
In 1953, former president Nasser refused to impose the veil on Egyptian women considering this a personal decision that has nothing to do with politics.
In fact, I don’t support taking off the veil or even wearing it. It’s not a bomb or weapon to be seized by the state and punish those who use it. We can’t move the political argument to such subject when we are in bad need to taking care of our real problems.
The real problem of Egypt is poverty, which we really should demonstrate against. Poverty has really bad effect on every single aspect of our life. This is from one hand. From the other hand, such ideas should disappear automatically with a fair amount of social justice, education and development.
According to official figures, 3% of Egyptian citizens live below the poverty line. The problem of unemployment is increasing in Egypt that the government says it reached 13.6%.
It became clear that the real problem of Egypt is not clothing, but rather poverty and hunger that millions of Egyptians suffer from. Two million children face exploitation, rape and forced crime. 49% of the citizens in Upper Egypt don’t get their basic needs of food.
However, according to the classification of Forbes annual magazine, Egypt comes in the first place with the richest billionaires in the Arab countries.
I say is that those who call for taking off the veil considering such action a symbol for the revolution that most of the demonstrators against the Muslim Brotherhood were veiled women.
We really need to take off poverty and hunger. We are in bad need to take care of human rights. However, the veil is not the real problem in Egypt. Social justice should be the title for our next demonstration instead of taking off the veil. Retardation comes out of hunger to destroy all aspects of life around.
