Sir, – I am writing to you in reference to “UCD honours Nobel Peace Prize winner”, in your edition of September 17th.
To my surprise, although the title suggests a completely different direction, the article focused on criticising the status of women in Egypt, based on the allegations raised by one person without any effort to seek further reliable information.
I firmly believe that using a distinguished platform such as UCD to make these allegations is completely unsuitable. This is mainly because raising such unsubstantiated claims, the basis of which is clearly exaggerated, does not match the credibility of an academic and research institution such as UCD.
Attempting to make use of an isolated incident that is currently under investigation to tarnish the reputation of a whole country is highly inappropriate for the speaker and for those who choose to focus on these disappointing statements. This is especially so when you consider that Egypt is undergoing far-reaching transformations as part of a revolution which has attracted attention and admiration worldwide and has promised to change the political landscape in Egypt towards a better future.
We are working very hard in Egypt to align our vision towards women empowerment with our long-standing history of achievements by women. Indeed, it was Egyptian women who first assumed the highest rank in political life 7,000 years ago as queen of Egypt; Nefertiti, Hatsheput and Cleopatra are outstanding examples of a series of women rulers in ancient Egypt.
It is our vision that women are always an integral part in building developed and modern societies, not only through their day-to-day contribution but also through their leadership in various fields. Women in Egypt have long served as ministers, members of parliament, university professors, judges, ambassadors and many other influential posts. To give just one example, in the foreign service women diplomats constitute at least 25 per cent of the diplomatic corps, one of the highest percentages worldwide.
Today, our efforts tend to focus on adopting an increasing gender- sensitive approach that tackles all dimensions regarding women’s status, mainly through developing protective structures and reinforcing our legal system with specific legislation. We will also raise awareness and educate the broad public, including civil society, the media and academia, about gender issues so as to promote women’s effective participation in all areas of development.
Egypt has thus undertaken a long-term process of comprehensive legislative reform with the objective of enacting the essential laws to enhance and protect women’s status. – Yours, etc,