SOPHIE GHAZIRI Al Arabiya We are now supposed to be in the midst of celebrating the second anniversary of the Arab Spring. However, there is a legitimate question of whether or not there is actually anything to celebrate; particularly for women. Well, take a look at the Arab world today; most Arab Spring countries are still witnessing sporadic violence and political instability. The thing they have in common, to a degree, is that Islamist parties were brought into power to fill the vacuum left by the secular dictatorships that preceded them. The way I see it, the revolution which kicked off in these countries and is still ongoing in Syria was the people rising up against oppression. Three pillars drove this movement: Freedom, Liberty and Equality. Let's look at Egypt, have any of these seen fruition? The new constitution that was passed in December 2012 in a two-part referendum touched on these things briefly, but, more importantly, did it touch on women's rights? The preamble of the 2012 constitution states that Egypt adheres to the principle of equality “for all citizens", men and women, "without discrimination or nepotism or preferential treatment, in both rights.” But, some critics believe the constitution is not precise and is full of loopholes, which gives the current ruling party a chance to avoid living up to its promises. This fiasco in Egypt is just one example; it is, however, one of the most prominent incidents since the country ousted Hosni Mubarak. It sparked both local and international condemnation and was picked up by the international media. Talking about the revolution in Egypt, let's mention the 17 women arrested at a Cairo protest on March 9, 2011 as the army violently cleared Tahrir Square. Some of these women, who were detained for four days, spoke to renowned human rights organizations like Amnesty International after their release and confessed to having been subjected to abuse. The head turner is the fact that they were forced to undergo virginity tests or else were threatened with prostitution charges. Women have filed numerous complaints of violence used against them during peaceful protests from the start of the uprising until today. The most recent and most public announcement of this charade was when an Egyptian cleric went on a television channel which he owned to make derogatory and outrageous statements, one being that raping women in Tahrir is not a “red line.” He gave people the green light to sexually abuse women in broad daylight because in his eyes they were asking for it. Abu Islam as most know him was able to get away with making that statement and even made more defamatory comments about Egyptian women and their, already, minor freedoms. We can all now thank the Egyptian authorities for finally arresting him, but the question is: Why was he allowed to make those remarks and why did it take so long for the government to react? Isn't this enough to say that freedom, liberty and equality are still null and void? As a result Egyptian women and a movement called "Tahrir Bodyguards" have taken matters into their own hands. Women are now joining free self-defense classes that have been set up in order to confront the country's growing phenomenon of sexual harassment. The aim is to combat the “systematic political suppression of women,” activist Jumana Shehata told Al Arabiya. She said just a couple of days ago: “We'll continue to take to the streets of Tahrir, no matter the price.” Sexual harassment is not new in Egyptian society, but its increase has raised many questions. At least 25 female protesters were subjected to sexual abuse in Tahrir Square during demonstrations held earlier this month to mark the second anniversary of the revolution. Is this the first step Arab women have taken to defend themselves? I don't think it is the first, the second or even the third. I feel Arab women will continue to suffer from inequality no matter what uprising or call to freedom takes place in their country. Women's rights have just been pushed aside. What I mean by this is: Whose fault is it? Are women's rights organizations and NGO's just not doing enough? Or are they being suffocated by governments? In Tunisia's case, is its constitution slowing down the process of gender equality? On Aug. 13, 1956, women's right to equality was passed under the tutelage of Habib Bourguiba, and after 56 years and a “jasmine revolution” the UN is even calling for the reconsideration of the written document. Article after article has been written about this and how the Arab Spring will take years to bring about and improve the rights of women. Queen Noor of Jordan has even echoed these statements. Another example is Libya; it just passed a law, which under the days of Gaddafi seemed fairer. In this North African country, a husband may now marry another woman without his wife's prior consent, which was illegal under the iron-fisted dictator. This just goes to show that the outlook of the so-called "Arab Spring" for Arab women has had a somewhat negative effect.?
— Sophie Ghaziri is a Shift Editor at Al Arabiya English. Follow her on Twitter: @sophieghaziri http://english.alarabiya.net/
