Women and The Arab Spring

Connor Esterwood

The Arab Spring is a phrase heard many times. Spring is not perhaps in this context a time of the year as one would first interpret it but instead should be defined as a leap. It is the leap so very high into the air with the goal of landing again on the ground not in the same place they lept from but in somewhere better where there is a government that is not autocratic or corrupt, an economy that is healthy and most of all a life of the people’s choosing free from persecution and the anvil of oppression. All played a role in the events of the revolution both man and woman, the old and the young but in the aftermath of mass protests, some of these participants are being forgotten. I would argue that indeed the women of these revolutions that leapt along with the rest have found themselves landing not in the land that they worked so hard for but instead in a land worse than that they sought to leave.

For women the road has always been a tough one and the rights of man have for ages overshadowed the rights of women. In the case of the Arab world there is a rich history of diverse societies with women in a variety of roles. It seems however that a patriarchal system has always been the norm but there certainly is,  in the modern “enlightened” age that we live in potential for equality between men and women in this region. Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya are arguably the three most developed revolutions that we see in this region and these three countries are now forming new post-revolutionary governments that will change the political and legal structures in their respective countries. Women are affected by these changes the same as any other citizen but women have more to lose if these post-revolutionary societies transition into theocracies instead of democracies.

Before the revolutions though the regimes in charge were corrupt, oppressive and overall neopatrimonial they were at least allowing progress for women’s rights in their countries. This progress that has been made is at risk in the post-revolutionary societies that have formed in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya. Each of these countries and arguably other countries that have come out of their own revolutions will face a great risk of “throwing the baby out with the bathwater”. It is easy to demonize everything done by a corrupt government but not all policies that have been passed have been negative and those that protect the rights of women and minorities are very positive indeed. It needs to be emphasized especially concerning the gains made for women’s rights that these rights were fought for long and hard by women’s rights groups and were not solely the initiatives of the pre-revolutionary government. To lose these gains would truly be a shame and would damage the progress of women toward attaining rights and equality in the region.

The Arab Spring all began with a man by the name of Mohamed Bouazizi. This brave soul protested the Tunisian government's oppressive and corrupt regime by setting himself on fire in a public space. Soon after he became a symbol for a series of revolutions that shook the Arab world and indeed still shakes it to this day. The Arab Spring in Tunisia and Egypt especially was a collection of widely non-violent protest movements where many citizens of their respective countries persistently and bravely demanded change. This was responded to differently in each country where the protests were occurring. In Tunisia we see a fairly quick and bloodless transition to a new regime and transitional council. In Egypt we see it taking a little longer and with a little more violence than Tunisia’s revolution. In Libya however there was outright civil war for a time in their transition where loyalists and rebel groups fought for the future of the country. This conflict ended roughly around the time when Gaddafi was killed and a new transitional council was created to restructure the Libyan government. Revolutions are still happening in the region and it seems, especially in the case of Syria, that these revolutions are getting increasingly bloody.

Where were women in these revolutions then? Well it is quite simple to locate them in mass alongside the men fighting for freedoms at often a greater risk than that of the men they march next to. The Tunisian women stood next to the men participating in the mass protests and helping logistically in any way possible to move forward the call for freedom and liberty for all of Tunisia.  The women of Egypt participated in the revolution largely by joining the protests on the street with the men, organizing protests via social media, and working with media to properly publicise the revolution. Both the Tunisian women and the Egyptian women were also essential in keeping their revolutions peaceful and relatively non-violent. The women of Libya were fighting alongside the men. The Libyan women smuggled guns, housed and fed rebels, ran healthcare to the injured, worked with media, and in the earliest parts of the revolution formed sewing circles to create a flag for the revolution.

Tunisian women face a great challenge but there is also great hope in this country for the progression of women’s rights. Tunisia in the years before the revolution had seen great improvement in women’s political empowerment.  In the post-revolutionary elections results indicated that 25 percent of the seats in the new constituent assembly went to women. Tunisia was also the first Arab state to abolish polygamy; the first to grant women professional rights; and along side Morocco had made great progress on family laws. In Tunisia during the election process women took an active and visible role in the process with many working the polling stations and even some working as station chiefs. The results of the election led to the “Moderate Islamist” group Al-Nahda winning the majority. Al-Nahda so far has not implemented any strict islamist policies such as a dress code but the women of Tunisia must stay ever vigilant to make sure that no such policies are passed. The Tunisian Ministry for Women’s Affairs is also still in place and is active in the country. Overall it seems that in Tunisia advancements are being made but women and international organizations need to monitor the country and stay vigilant to make sure that progress doesn’t stop or any ground is lost. Several training programs have found great success in helping women gain knowledge in leadership and politics allowing women to use those skills to further their causes.

Testimonies from Tunisian citizens show unofficial inequality and discrimination still in place in the country. The testimony of Dr. Fatima a professor of Islamic studies at Zaytouna Mosque University shows that there is still an unofficial ban on being unveiled in public. Dr Fatima states that “to my shock, after the revolution, I came to campus to give my class lectures and was confronted by students and professors who demanded that I veil myself on campus. I refused to submit to their request. As a result, they banned me from teaching unless I wore the veil”. This event is one of many that are happening in Tunisia today. Women’s rights groups must not only address the government but also take into account the social discrimination already in place concerning women to fully gain freedom and equality for women.

Egyptian women face a great deal with a more radical Islamist government forming in the country. There is great fear especially concerning past gains for women’s rights. These as mentioned earlier are at risk being taken away due to their connection to the old regime. In addition to this there is also constant exclusion of women from the decision making table keeping them from being able to implement positive changes and to protect those that have already been made. The role of women in the transition was very limited with no women participating in the drafting of Egypt’s transitional constitutional declaration, and only one serving as a minister in the cabinet. In addition to this there have been several cases of violence against women when women have gathered to protest their exclusion and lack of legal representation. On march 8th during a protest for women’s rights and representation there were reports of the military after breaking up the protest taking women prisoners and subjecting them to dehumanizing and degrading treatment including the conducting of virginity tests and threatening arrest for prostitution if they failed. Concerning this event the transitional government has stated that it will not happen again, however they have not formally apologized for the event.

In July 2011 when the government reshuffled provincial governors no women were appointed as governors. In addition to this the parliamentary quota and Ministry of Women’s Affairs were removed as well. The Minister of Local Development stated concerning the lack of female governors that “women could not be appointed governors because they would not be able to go out into the streets in the current security environment to address social problems”. This is obviously a misplaced concern due to the fact that women’s civil organization have been addressing problems before, during and after the revolution and with success in many cases. Nevertheless it remains that women are excluded with the excuse that it is for their own safety. Even with all this moving backwards there is still potential with the help of international organizations that women in Egypt will be able to make progress towards in this post-revolutionary Egypt.

Security is a major problem in post revolutionary Egypt and it seems that there has been a decrease in overall safety but especially for women and minorities. In a collection of testimonies that were presented in a joint hearing by the United States Senate on Women and the Arab Spring it can be easily seen that women, especially coptic christian women in Egypt have faced great amounts of violence against them. A resident of Cairo by the name of Faiza Salah who has lived in Egypt all her life and was victim to a mugging because of the cross she wore around her neck stated: “For the first time ever I am afraid to walk down my own street. I am afraid for myself, for my family and for my children and their future in this country. As a Christian woman, I am the minority of minorities. I no longer feel like an accepted equal citizen of my country. We need help. We need protection. We are afraid for our lives because we are christian. There are groups of people that are against us and wanting us to leave our own country. Egypt is our home and we will never leave”.  This testimony is not the only one of it’s kind in Egypt and there has been a steady increase of violence over time creating even further instability between the social groups that live in Egypt today. This violence is felt especially by women and the issues of establishing a clear and fair rule of law protecting both women and other minorities is sorely needed.

Libyan women find themselves suddenly after having been excluded for so long emerging from under Gaddafi and being able to organize and fight for their rights. These NGOs run by women have been widely successful and there is great potential as a result since these institutions have had time to establish themselves. That potential power would then be focused on empowering and gaining legal rights for women. Already women dominated NGOs have worked to build infrastructure especially around healthcare and education.

There is concern in Libya about the National Transitional Council containing only two women of its forty members . Women’s rights groups have openly remained quiet on this subject and in the words of Manal Omar “decided that unity was more important than their individual needs”. These groups stated as well that as soon as Libya was truly free (after Gaddafi’s capture) they would pursue their interests. Since the capture and death of Gaddafi these groups have stayed true to their word and have started again to demand empowerment and equality. Another concern is the increased trend of restricting women to the humanitarian space and away from the political theater. This concern has been addressed however and at a meeting between a large number of women’s organizations and there has been the strong resolution that this will not be allowed to happen.

The NTC has openly stated that it supports women. There still however is a large absence of women at the decision making table. There are several reasons for this lack of women’s participation. The first is that there is a desire to have representation from many different regions of Libya. This would include some of the more tribal areas where women involvement in politics is seen as a negative thing. It is argued that these representatives would refuse to engage with women if they were involved in politics alongside them thus rendering the political system inefficient and ultimately ineffective. This concern I feel is overplayed but there needs to be some serious women’s rights work done in these areas to help change the perception of women from unimportant to independant. Another major reason that women are hesitant to engage in politics alongside men is that currently there is no guaranteed protection being offered by the government. This is something that the NTC should address so that representatives are safe and can address issues without fear for one's well being. The most common argument is that women are not highly enough educated to participate in political office. This is where the majority of foreign and domestic aid is and should be allocated. Education of women in leadership and politics is essential. Especially in an area that is relatively new to women in power it is not enough to empower women those women also have to prove themselves just as effective if not more so than the men. Overall there is great potential for Libyan women but they must educate themselves and work to remain important in the new society that is forming from the ashes of Gaddafi’s Libya.

Women’s rights concerning a truly democratic society are paramount. If a society is to be truly represented all aspects of that society must have a voice and inclusion in the society. Women are currently excluded in some way or another in many places that claim a legitimate democracy. The middle east is often a prime example of a region where women are more or less marginalized and kept from many of their inalienable rights. These rights have been argued against in this region as the west imposing its values on the arab people but I would argue that it is not something to do with culture, religion, or geography but is to do with universal human rights.

        It is important for growth and development of any region for women to be included and an active participant in a society. The Arab Development Report states “forging bonds of equal citizenship among all members of society, and establishing government by rule of law in Arab countries are prerequisites for addressing political social and personal insecurity”. The same report also clarifies that the lack of women’s political and economic participation is one of the key reasons for the regions underdevelopment. This is not surprising in the least if half of your population doesn’t take part in the economy then how large can your economy really grow. Concerning women in the economy it has been stated by Ambassador Verveer that “Studies show that women-run small and growing businesses are accelerants of economic growth and women’s increased participation in the workforce grows economic prosperity”.

        In post conflict societies for the sake of stability as well there is a great need for women to be empowered and involved in the government. It has been shown that when women play an active role in the formation of a new society from drafting a new constitution to rebuilding the economy that the whole country benefits. This has been seen most recently in South Africa and Rwanda where full participation improves governance, reduces conflict, and increased prosperity. Women’s rights are human rights and in governments where women are recognized often so are minorities which is essential to democracy and equal representation of all of a country's citizens. Resolution 1325 which was adopted in 2000 by the U.N. security council recognizes the importance of women’s representation at all levels of the conflict resolution, post-conflict peacebuilding, and governance. This resolution applies to the middle eastern post revolutionary societies emerging throughout the region especially. The countries that are and have gone through revolutions with the goal of reaching a democratic government will never realize their goal unless all are represented. This includes women and minorities. Women are a very valuable asset to rebuilding and forming a truly great nation. A country’s full potential can never be realized unless the country realizes the importance of it’s women and grants them equality and rights. This is what needs to happen in these post revolutionary states and only then will they be a true democracy.