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What Egyptian Women (and Men) Want

Survey data reveals what Egyptians expect from their new country, on everything from legal rights and education to the role of Islamic law.

BY DALIA MOGAHED | MARCH 10, 2011

At the same time, most Egyptians also favor a constitution that guarantees freedom of religion and expression.

 

Dalia Mogahed is director and senior analyst at the Abu Dhabi Gallup Center.

AVILLA

12:58 AM ET

March 11, 2011

I wonder.

I wonder if "freedom of religion" extends to apostates of Islam, or if freedom of speech encompasses criticizing any religion, or if equal rights for women involves allowing those women to marry whoever they want--regardless of religion. Recent incidents would seem to suggest that this is not the case.

I think that what this survey shows is that Egyptians, like so many other uber-religious people the world over, don't really understand what the concepts of "freedom" and "equality" and "justice" mean in the secular sense. They understand it in the Islamic sense, an eye for an eye, a woman is half a man, apostates should be killed. That is "justice" and "equality" to them. But that is not our Western secular understanding of those words. Do you see what I mean? These sorts of studies are fundamentally flawed because there is a disconnect in understanding between our cultures, and your analysis is similarly flawed for the same reason. More specific questions must be asked for more accurate polling results. "Women's rights" is a bit of a vague term.

Also, your downplaying of the gender gap in Egypt is disturbing. As an Angry Feminist (TM), I must point out that not only are literacy rates among women far lower than those among men, but in school they are typically taught different subjects than boys, especially in rural areas (school is gender-segregated, naturally). After school, their career prospects are slim:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4550789.stm

So, yeah. Not to bring down the party or anything, but let's not pretend that Egypt is a happy liberal secular utopia. Maybe one day it will be.

 

SQUEEDLE

3:50 PM ET

March 11, 2011

Well surveys do oversimplify complicated issues.

We don't know, for example, how much the social policies of Mubarak reflect the will of the people. Clearly Egyptians did not like many of his policies as he's now been thrown out. So lots of Egyptians actually could be unhappy about the current disparity in education between men and women and wish to do something about that.

We don't know what "equality" and "justice" really means to them, you're right. Men like the status quo very much, tend to be blind to gender inequality because they're the ones on top. Any increase in rights and social position for women tends to be seen as the women taking over. I've seen this here in the US, one of us in a group of men is ok, but 3 out of 10 and we're "taking over," we're a threat.

It's clear that Egyptians --believe-- they want equality and justice. However you should find it notable that those men who do attend religious services are more in favor of women's rights, not less. This is also not the first place I've seen the claim that female genital cutting is against Islam. I have read claims that this and other abhorrent cultural practices such as honor killing are ancient (as in twice or more as old as Islam) and deeply ingrained tribal behaviors which Islamic clerics have always had difficulty stamping out. Since I'm no expert on those cultures I can't really speak to that.

IMO, especially in light of this survey, the best bet for women's rights in Islamic countries is to work through Islam, not around or against it. Western intellectuals in particular need to get over their distaste for religion and get their priorities straight.