Ignoring women rights in Egypt for long years is a serious crime. Keep on doing the same thing today is an attempt to return to the days of retardations, ignorance and darkness. Egyptian women have participated in many national movements and revolutions. Including the revolution of 1919 and January 25.
In his famous book, Women’s Liberation, Kasem Amin has defended women rights. However we talk now about liberation of Palestine, half of our community, women, is not yet free! We talk about a civil state as well as “Development Project”, while more than half of our people are not yet free. One of our famous parties, al-Nour, is considering women as second grade citizens, and describe women as irrational and less religious that men!
I think that Egyptian political authority prefers to oppress the weak party. In fact, injustice, discrimination and oppression are great threat to the Egyptian entity and Egyptian state as well, especially as we don’t have a decent constitution that grants equality among citizens.
We can find many great examples of great Egyptian women, like Doria Shafik, one of the pioneers of women's liberation movement in the first half of the twentieth century. She could grant access to women to vote and stand as candidates in the Constitution of 1956. She fought as well against the British occupation in Egypt, and participated in establishing the first political party for women, Nile’s Daughter Union Party.
We shouldn’t forget Egyptian women who fought against British occupation like Aster Fahmy who worked with Hoda Shaarawy and defended the rights of the Egyptians. Also, Engy Aflatoun, political activist who wrote “We’re the Egyptian women” in 1949, and many great names like Siza Nabrawy, Malak Hefny Nasef, and Monira Thabet.
There is a lot that women can do for Egypt, and those who ignore women’s role are so ignorant and want Egypt to stay like them. Many Egyptian women have participated in all aspects of life in the Egyptian society and participated in the revolution of January 25 against corruption, but now they are trying to take away women rights, can they?
