A news item reports that Nawal el Saadawi, the Egyptian feminist writer, has left Egypt because she feels her life is threatened after being accused of apostasy for campaigning that children carry the mother's as well as the father's name and for speaking up against the Islamists.
Whether she's leaving for good or not, Saadawi, at 77, is perhaps the most hated woman in Egypt. Not only is she accused of attacking Islam, but she's old, female, and ugly. I'm basing this on readers' responses to any news item about her, which make you think that she's responsible for Egyptian jail, torture, poverty , inflation, and overcrowding. The hatred towards her is palpable.
In other words, not all opposition to the regime is created equal. People like Saadawi and Kareem Soleiman are the most vulnerable because they get it from all sides: the government, the Islamists, and ordinary "good" people who don't want to rock the boat. And when Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch defend them, that defense seals their fate and confirm that they are enemies of state, nation, and god.
Got to stop reading the news!!
8 comments:
I read this blog because you defend people like Nawal.
My point is this: There are Islamists that support Mubarak and then there are Islamist that oppose him on the gounds that Egypt is pro US and helps Israel, amoung other issues. The Islamists that oppose Mubarak are violently suppressed and often jailed and tortured. Not all Islamist are created equal.
I understand that even these Islamist in opposition attack people like Nawal and Karem. I think the opposing Islamist are just shooting themselves in their own foot by joining with Mubarak in attacking the left.
yeah, they maybe shooting themsleves in the foot. But they're shooting what's left of the left in the head.
Have you read about these bloggers,Manal and Alaa at
manalaa.net
they give me hope, because of their youth and tenacity.
he-he, shooting in the head, not the foot.
I think this woman is beautiful, what she stands for is as well.
About 1400 years ago men asked the profit Mohammad (PBUH) how long tell judgment day hew pointed to the deference in height between his index and middle fingers.
Be as politically correct as you may just remember what was told, Amal is very formidable debater she will never expose herself all out so it will be very difficult to debate any thing with her on blogg, kudos to you Amal. Lena: nothing wrong of being on the non popular side welcome to my world.
AT
AT
what is your point exactly about judgement day?
And I don't understand what you mean by "she never exposes herself all out". you make me sound so sinister with a hidden agenda that I'm not revealing.
Could that be because I do try to take a rational nuanced position on things as opposed to a knee-jerk ones?
I adore this woman! She is not just one of the smartest women who have been born in the history of Egypt, but she is as well as tough as any other man. She is the kind of person who doesnt fear to say wrong to the wrong no matter what you try to impose on her.
May God grant her another 77 years where she can help ingnorant people see the light. Eventually they will!
the observer,
Saadawi is an important Arab feminist intellectual. If people disagree with her, they need to present an argument against her, not death threates and police warrants. I like her early polemical works, such as Woman and Sex and Man and Sex, but I'm not a fan of her novels. I do wish her a long life, if only to irritate some people.
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