AUC to discuss the political role of Egyptian women

The School of Global Affairs and Public Policy of the American University in Cairo (AUC) organized a seminar Thursday about the role that women should play during the next parliamentary elections. The attendants viewed the next parliament as one of the democratic pillars for Egypt's future. Representation of women in parliament is one of the most controversial issues today, especially since women play a critical role in the Egyptian society and seriously participated during the January 25 Revolution that overthrew Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak and his regime. The chairwoman of Egypt's Center for Human Rights, Nehad Aboul Komsan, said that Egyptian women played a serious role in Egypt's political life before the January 25 Revolution. She said their participation broke religious, social, and family barriers that deprived women from participating in political or even public life. She criticized the government and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces for ignoring women. "The military council does not see women," Aboul Komsan said. She asked what prompted the military rulers to not choose a woman to serve on the constitutional committee that drafted the Constitutional Announcement after Mubarak's resignation. Aboul Komsan refused keeping the women who served in the former regime in the government. She said there are many competent women who can take critical positions during the current period that have been ignored. She also criticized Egypt's political powers of adopting behavior typical before the revolution, such as forming blocs or depending on tribal ties during the parliamentary elections. Aboul Komsan praised those women who will run in the elections as independent candidates despite challenges. She added that if women failed to enter Egypt's parliament, it would be normal since the country is still in a transitional period. Aboul Komsan, a human rights activist, said that the National Council of Women is a national institution. She blamed the former regime for using it to serve political objectives. She demanded the people pressure rulers to protect the rights of woman. She underlined what the World Bank mentioned about countries that give women the power to participate in making economic decisions, saying that these countries managed to implement the “smart economy.” A former member of Parliament, Georgette Kilini, said that achieving social justice was one of the main demands that the people raised during the January 25 Revolution. She added that the concept of social justice should extend to include Egyptian women as a main part of society. Kilini praised the historical role that the Egyptian woman played towards gaining real participation in Egypt's political life since 1919, achieving her objective in the 1956 constitution that ensured political rights for women. Kilini said that although the recent revolution managed to overthrow the former regime, it has not changed the culture of the people. The former parliamentarian said that despite the ambitions of Egypt's youth, they would not be able to deal with the Egyptian electoral process. Real challenges could impede young candidates, she said, such as distorting the will of people by launching rumors that target the reputation of specific candidates. She said that Egyptian women managed to occupy different critical positions in different careers, while they failed to enter parliament because of violence, rumors and lies. She expressed her support for a quota to ensure parliamentary representation of women. She criticized women’s representation in the parliament, considering it very low if compared to other countries such as Afghanistan, where women represents 25 percent of the parliament. She criticized electoral rules that required nominating only one woman on each electoral list. “We should be proud of women’s role, not only in the revolution but also in our social life," political activist Asmaa Mahfouz said Mahfouz criticized the media for not focusing on women despite their important role. She expressed her refusal of the women’s quota implemented during the 2010 elections, considering such a quota as discrimination and a violation of theprinciples of equality. Mahfouz criticized attempts by Islamists to break the image of women violating religious principles. She called on women to participate in the next parliamentary elections, adding that she will confront thugs as she did during the January 25 Revolution when she faced the security apparatus.