The status of Egyptian women: Looking over history [Archives:2002/16/Culture]

By Dr. Safaa Hassanin
Spouse of Dr. Khaled ElKomy
Ambassador of Egypt to Yemen
Those who know about the history of Egypt of all its ages realize that women have had a prominent role in both ancient and modern Egypt.
Names like, Hatchibsut, Nefertiti (which means the pretty is coming) and Nefertari (which means the most beautiful among beautiful women), are names for queens who ruled or helped rule ancient Egypt.
Moreover, the Legend of Isis, Osiers and Horus, although they are legends, tell us about the important status Egyptian women had in Ancient Egypt.
That legend is full of meaning of how woman in Ancient Egypt were entrusted with planning and running society, protecting national security, and needless to say, continuing with motherhood and fertility and many other sacred duties.
Noticing the sacred status that women in Ancient Egypt enjoyed, Egyptian women after Islam reached Egypt obtained more rights and more important status, thanks to what God gave her through Islam. For example, a woman keeps her maiden name, and her financial and economic status.
And as a conclusion, the status of women in Egypt, whether before or after Islam, remains dignified through the different ages of the prosperous and solid Egyptian society, her status was weakened, like the rest of all social aspects during Memlouk and Ottoman Empire, which witnessed poverty of political, economic and social situation all over Egypt.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, Kassem Amin, a social reformist, sparked a movement to liberate Egyptian women from social, cultural, and intellectual depression.
A few years later, led by Saad Zaghloul, the Revolution of 1919 erupted. His wife, Safeya, played an essential role to include the liberation of Egyptian women within the goals of 1919 revolution.
Since then, Egyptian women have started to regain their previous status, and with the glorious Revolution of 1952, which considered education As important as Water and Air, according to Taha Husseins appeal. The Egyptian Government secured free education, and medical care for everyone, which enabled the Egyptian women to stand next to her partner, the Egyptian man, on equal footing to get all chances to become a doctor, teacher, researcher, scientist, ambassador and minister, with no restriction for any position.
The key to all what Egyptian women has attained is Education. To talk about liberation of woman without education is meaningless.
What I feel necessary to tell to my sisters in Yemen is it is easy to pretend things, but what is more important is real behavior which forces everyone to believe in the credibility of the civilized Yemeni woman. 

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