* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
When Amani Ramadan, a 20-year-old law student at Cairo University left her home in the middle-class district of El Haram in Giza to head for Tahrir Square on the 8th of March, she was filled with hope and enthusiasm
She was heading back to the square where—just a few weeks earlier--millions of Egyptian anti-regime protesters had gathered to demand the removal of longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak. The mass uprising—lasting eighteen days ---succeeded in forcing Mubarak out of office after thirty years of repressive rule. Ramadan had camped out in the square with other opposition activists during those days of emotional upheaval. She describes her feelings on the Friday night when then Vice-President Omar Suleiman appeared on state TV to announce that Mubarak was finally stepping down as “euphoric.”
“I was simply ecstatic,” she tells me, her eyes gleaming with tears. “My friends and I celebrated until the early hours.”
This time Ramadan was returning to the square for what had been posted on Facebook as the Million Women’s March, a celebration that was planned to mark International Women’s Day .The event was taking place less than a month after the end of the popular revolt and Ramadan –like most Egyptians--was still basking in the glow of the successful revolution.
“I was giddy with excitement,” she recalls. “I guess the euphoric feeling of our victory hadn’t quite faded away.”
She had promised herself that from then on, she would become pro-active and more involved in her society. “That was one of the lessons we took away from Tahrir.”
Indeed, during the 18 days of the revolution women activists had rubbed shoulders with their male counterparts and had been no less vocal than the men in expressing their demands for change. This was the new Egypt and Ramadan was determined to keep the momentum started in Tahrir and to build on the gains from the popular uprising. She was to join other activists--from civil society coalitions and NGOs-- in Tahrir Square to call for equal rights for women .
Ramadan enthusiastically said that she and the other young activists were hoping to transform Egypt from a conservative male-dominated society to one where women are active citizens and have a greater role in public life—particularly in politics.
“We want to make sure that women have the same rights and responsibilities as men . We hope to have a new constitution –one that would ensure equality for all,” she said.
But Ramadan’s hopes were dashed by what happened later that same day. The three hundred women who had gathered to demand that women be given a voice in shaping Egypt’s future were viciously attacked by a mob of “fundamentalists.” The nascent women’s equality movement -- sparked and energized by the recent mass protests --was dealt a heavy blow. Some of the women activists believe it was an attempt to silence the voices of moderation in a society that for decades has been hijacked by Wahhabism--a rigid form of Islam exported by neighboring Saudi Arabia.
The women were shocked at the way they were treated when a group of aggressive men broke up their rally and forcefully evicted them from Tahrir Square.
“This is not the democracy we’ve been fighting for,” cried a woman as she left the square in tears. Her headscarf had been pulled off her head and she was attempting to button up her shirt with trembling hands as she walked away.
What had started as a joyful celebration ended in chaos and disarray as the angry mob engaged in arguments with the women, hurled insults at them and pushed several of them to the ground. The women were reprimanded for raising their voices in public and were told to return home where they belong
Some of the women complained they’d been groped by the men whom they said had tried to humiliate them in every way possible.
Although disheartened by what had happened, Leila Shafik,, a 22-year-old activist, pledged to continue fighting for equal rights.
“These extremists cannot stop us. This revolution was for social justice, meaning that women too should have equal rights,” she said.
There’s no going back to the old ways,” chimed in another activist. “We shall no longer tolerate any kind of discrimination.”
Azza Kamel, a feminist and writer , believes the aggressors were hired thugs whose intention was to wreak havoc and terrorize the women activists.
“These are the same old tactics used by the old regime. We’ve seen it happen many times in the past and it is likely to happen again. There is a counter revolution taking place to hinder any progress,” she said, as we later sat down for coffee in her Zamalek apartment.
Many of the activists complained that the military council controlling the country had not invited women to take part in drafting the constitutional amendments. It was also clear from the new amendments that the presidency was off-limits to women as one article specifies that a president cannot have a non-Egyptian for a wife
On the 9th of March, the day following the women’s march, army officers cracked down on protesters in Tahrir Square. The supreme military council had earlier warned that all remaining protesters should leave –an indication that those who remain may be forced to evacuate. Eighteen female protesters were reported to have been detained and were subjected to torture at the hands of the armed forces.
In a press conference at the Journalists Syndicate following their release, two of the women announced that they had been electrocuted and that some of the women had been forced to undergo virginity tests.
Rasha Saad, a journalist who was among those detained, said,” We had thought that we had seen the back of a ruthless regime. What we experienced while in detention showed that things have not changed. Those in control now are just as ruthless.”
Her revelations sent shockwaves through the audience, one made up mostly of journalists. This was despite the fact that that media representatives here are used to hearing tales of abuse in a society that long has tolerated violence against women and human rights violations.
Despite her ordeal, Saad is adamant about continuing the struggle for equality.
Egyptian women have made gains in recent years, including the passage of laws allowing women to divorce their husbands, pass on a mother’s nationality to her children and criminalizing the harmful practice of female genital mutilation.
Despite such advances, women in Egypt still face discrimination. “We are still treated as second-class citizens who need protection," laments Kamel.
When it comes to women’s empowerment and political participation, Egyptian women are still lagging behind those in other countries, Kamel says, citing the low representation of women in the recently dissolved parliament to support her argument.
Her greatest concern is that the limited timeline for the parliamentary poll –now scheduled to take place before September--would be to the advantage of the well-established Muslim Brotherhood –the country’s largest opposition group--or the former ruling National Democratic Party –as these are the only two organized political forces in the country at the moment.
“It will be difficult for new political forces to organize themselves in such a short period,” argues Kamel, echoing the concerns of many Egyptian secularists and opposition activists. “There is the fear that women’s voices will be ignored.”
Kamel insists that she too will continue to fight for social change but she first wants to see men change their attitudes towards women. “Women are half the society and it is time that we are treated with respect. This revolution was about getting back our dignity ...it was about social justice and that is why change has to happen. “
Kamel adds that she hopes the new parliament ,once it is formed, will pass a law criminalizing sexual harassment ,
In Egypt, where harassment of women is commonplace, offenders often go unpunished and women are frequently blamed for causing the harassment.
But she agrees with other activists who say legislation won’t be enough. “It is all about changing cultural attitudes and social norms. This won’t happen overnight but this is a time of new beginnings and it is our revolution too.”
Kamel gives me a hopeful smile—an indication, perhaps, that her optimism hasn’t completely faded.
“We are starting a new chapter for both men and women,” she says defiantly. She sounded so determined that I made a decision: I too must believe it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shahira Amin is an Egyptian journalist and broadcaster who, until recently, was deputy head and senior anchor/correspondent of Nile TV, the Egyptian state-run satellite channel that broadcasts in English and French. On February 3, 2011, she resigned from her position in protest against state TV's restrictive coverage of the revolution, which featured rallies supporting then-president Hosni Mubarak but ignored the growing anti-Mubarak demonstrations in Cairo's central Tahrir Square
Since joining state TV in 1989 as a news reader and programme presenter, Amin has reported from many hotspots around the world. She covered the Israeli bombardment of Gaza (2008-2009) and the sectarian tensions on the Thai-Malay border as well as sectarian unrest in her native Egypt. She has also filed reports on female genital mutilation, the plight of Sudanese refugees, child marriage, domestic abuse and the Nile Water dispute, among many other issues.
A freelance contributor to CNN's Inside Africa, Amin has twice won CNN World Reports best news report award for her coverage of the protests against the war in Iraq and the QIZ agreement between Egypt and Israel. Many of her articles were published in Al-Ahram Weekly and Al-Masry Al-Youm website, among others.
She has won recognition from UNICEF for her efforts to improve the status of women and children in her country. Amin is now freelancing with a number of international news organizations as a producer and writer and is writing a book about the changes in Egyptian society in the last ten years under Mubarak.
