Issue paper. Revised version

INCONGRUENCIES OF LAW AND SOCIETY: WOMEN IN EGYPT

The spring revolution in 2011 marked a watershed in Egyptian history. After many years of authoritarian governments, they established a democratic one in early 2012. As the responsible of the uprisings were demanding changes in society, Western countries decided to support them in their fight.

Even though their policies were neither democratic nor free, the previous presidents had had good relations with western countries, therefore never expected an Islamist party to win the elections as it indeed happened. These new commencement represents a big challenge and a big change in Egypt’s recent history. After the half of the 20^th century, Egypt has been ruled by presidents who tried to fit together the Egyptian society and the western culture. In order to do this, some of the policies they promulgated didn’t reflect the ideary of Egyptian society.

To give a picture of the contradictory situation it could be mentioned that 90% of the total population in Egypt professes Islam, but the last two presidents Anwar as-Sadat and Hosni Mubarak governed under secular state regulations. Egyptian society and women above all, were restrained by laws that hadn’t been created for them. The kind of freedom that State gave to Egyptian society wasn’t the freedom Egyptian society was thirsty for. This argument may be incomprehensible for western countries which wonder if the new government may match the western values. 

The main point of this essay is to demonstrate why Egyptian society considers itself as a free society now, even though in western countries are agreed that Islamist governments are radical and lack of support.  But who decides what a free society is?

The new Islamist government has the commitment to rule according the islamist laws, but the society seems to agree with that option. After being governed by the western democratic style, they decided to change it.

Women in Egypt had had a very important role in society since ancient times, and time to time spoke out to make themselves heard. When Mubarak and Sadat gave them more rights –according to the western definition on women rights- they didn’t see it as the goal they were trying to reach. Actually, the women in Egypt have a different conception of what a woman should be and the role they are supposed to play in society and family. This can be proven by their behavior after 2012 elections. Egypt, just like other Arab countries, are currently involved in a islamisation of its society. This means that women-but not only women- are turning back to the past and history in the search for their uniqueness. A very explicit example is the dressing. Western countries brand wearing veil as an evidence of women restrictions in Muslim countries but women are deciding to wear it even more than before.

Egypt has a particular identity which has been consigned to oblivion many years ago and the women are trying to rescue it and show what freedom really means to them.