Egypt has always been a relatively progressive country, especially in its treatment of women, a fact that may come as surprising to those who assume that Islam hinders women’s rights. In fact, Islam, if applied correctly and not polluted by misguided interpretations does award rights to women. Women are allowed to keep their own maiden names, can maintain the right to seek a divorce in the marriage contract and control their own finances. The infamous ‘men are allowed to marry four women’ ideology is also implicit only if the man can treat all four wives exactly the same – physically, emotionally and financially – a feat I’m sure we can all agree, is impossible. Unfortunately for all involved, interpretations of the Quran vary, with many of those in charge of translating it often fanatics, bringing their own ideologies and interests into play.
Regardless, women in Egypt are a very important factor in the work force with executive positions in business, banks and the public sector. Some are even members of parliament with each cabinet having had at least one woman minister for the past several decades.
In terms of women’s rights they have always had them. All that varies is whether or not these rights are actually enforced. Awarded the vote even before Switzerland in 1922 – women in Egypt have been at the centre of reform alongside the likes of the suffragettes. As a result Egypt cannot be generalised to the rest of the region, where the women in countries such as Saudi Arabia are awarded fewer rights, for instance unable to drive or be seen in clothes that are deemed inappropriate. Egypt has always been seen as a trend setter to other Islamic/Arab countries - further evidenced by the uprisings taking place in countries such as Libya and Morocco in the days and weeks following Mubarak stepping down from power. As a result all we can hope for is that it will continue to be so and crucially advocating the spread of women’s rights throughout the region.
In terms of what will occur in the coming months and years in relation to Egypt’s women and their rights – all we can do is speculate. The best case scenario is that we end up with a democratic government – the problem with this however is that the majority of the densely over populated country live in poverty and as a result are uneducated. In a democracy their voices will (and should) also be taken into account – however what they desire in terms of reform worries the educated populace.
The Muslim brother hood (although at this point seemingly uninterested in obtaining power) would not be such a bad addition to the government, if they were to follow the Quran for what it is, rather than what they assume it to be. Whether this could actually happen however is extremely unlikely. New reports however suggest that the Wasat Party – a moderate Islamist group have finally been given a licence after being rejected four times during Mubarak’s reign. They show a firm belief in equality between Copts and Muslims, as well as supporting women’s rights to hold higher public office – including the presidency. This definitely bodes well for both women’s rights, and the country in general. All we know for certain, however, is that everything will change, even Egypt’s banking system which currently permits interest, outlawed in Islamic banks, may change to fit the regions status quo. All we can hope for is that the people of Egypt maintain their united, peaceful front in the crucial months to come, to help rebuild the country into what it once was – the birth of civilisation.
