I was invited more than 10 years ago by an association of psychologists in Montreal (Quebec- Canada) to testify about my experience as a war survivor. The main theme was ‘Resilience’ and my hosts and colleagues defined it as having a positive attitude, optimism, and the ability to change one’s life even after a misfortune. […]
Tag Archives: Egypt
Who’s afraid of Aliaa el Mahdy?
October 2011: a young nineteen-year-old Egyptian woman blogs a naked picture of herself. What could have been but a mundane act in the west was about to stir a passionate debate around feminism religion and nudity in the Arab world. Two years later, after having been harassed, threatened and kidnapped in her home country, Aliaa […]
Womanhood in Western Asia: A Journey to the Past
“In the nineteenth century, the central moral challenge was slavery. In the twentieth century, it was the battle against totalitarianism. We believe that in this century the paramount moral challenge will be the struggle for gender equality around the world” (Nicholas D. Kristof, in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide). In […]
'Witch Hunt' in Cairo
I am an Egyptian woman who has a story to tell about the aftermath of what was called the Arab Spring Revolutions. Forgive me if I use a nickname. I have been participating to many demonstrations in the Tahrir Square since Mr. Mohamed Morsi was elected as President. My main concern was – and still […]
Women, Shari'a, and Personal Status Law Reform in Egypt after the Revolution
Recommending the following analysis by Camilo Gómez-Rivas | Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern history – The American University in Cairo. Like almost everything else during the uncertain period of the transitional government, the future of personal status law reform is at a crossroads in Egypt. The new constitution (assuming one will exist)[1] may technically have […]