Retrograde law in Egypt

by | Mar 15, 2021 | Islam

No matter what apologists for Islam tell you, women are not considered equal to men specifically because of the example and words of its founder.

An Egyptian woman is a legally incapacitated person who has no right to travel outside the country or manage her own children’s basic affairs without a man’s prior consent, according to a new personal status draft law that recently caused uproar across Egypt. At the time when the world celebrates the International Women’s day, the Egyptian cabinet, surprisingly involving eight female ministers, recently approved what was described by women’s rights advocates as a rather regressive law that strips women of the rights they had seized over the past decades. The 45-page draft law, leaked on February 23 by local independent Youm 7 newspaper, known for being loyal to the government, has been referred to the lower-house of the parliament for approval.
Four competing schools of Islamic jurisprudence have differing views of women before the law, and this confusion consistently serves to hamstring efforts to allow basic equality for women. Even when some progress is made — as has been the case in recent years — culture and religious caveats undermine the effect. Concerning this latest legislation, women are outraged:

“We completely reject this shocking draft law. It takes us back 200 years,” said Nehad Aboul Komsan, chairwoman of ECWR, in a video statement last week.

“In Egypt, we have female ministers in all fields. These women can sign contracts on behalf of the state worth millions of dollars, but under this law, they wouldn’t even have the right to contract their own marriages unless they were previously married,” said Aboul Komsan, who is also a lawyer. “And if they did, a male guardian can file a legal request to annul the marriage contract if he so wishes,” she added.

The odd categories of single, married, or previously married allow for different levels of autonomy, but in the end, male guardianship seems to always have the last word. And, typically, despite the high volume of feminist criticisms of patriarchy in the west, most leave Islam alone — on multicultural grounds? Not sure, but there is little support heard from the usual crowd here in North America.