The ascendancy of the Muslim Brotherhood ushered in a group of female politicians who claim they aspire to see more women in leadership roles while at the same time consecrating a deeply conservative vision for women. Omayma Kamel was a member of the Constituent Assembly which drafted Egypt's new constitution. A member of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), she heads President Mohamed Morsi's advisory team for women and family affairs. Egypt's electoral law failed to stipulate that political parties place a quota of female candidates near the top of their lists. Why? I agree the law is weak in this regard. I am exerting personal efforts to ensure women are placed high on party lists. Women need to be placed at least in the top three candidates if they are to have a chance of winning but most political parties do not want to promote female candidates. It is not only Islamist parties, liberal parties do the same. It is the role of the National Council for Women (NCW), NGOs and the media to convince these parties of the important role women can play in the political arena.
So why didn't the law provide for female candidates to appear high up on lists? These are details which could not be mentioned in the law. Gradually, and with persistent efforts, political parties and society will be convinced of the importance of women's role not only in political life but on a host of different levels. The president is trying to lay the foundations for a democracy, including bringing more women into leadership roles. This will take time because there are currently few women with the political experience necessary to compete for senior positions.
Women were granted 64 seats under the quota system promoted by the Mubarak regime in an attempt to secure reasonable representation in the parliament. Why did the Islamist regime dispense with the quota? The quota system was viewed as positive discrimination for women. But the presidency cannot allow any discrimination, even if it is positive. People were telling us if you are going to apply a quota system, then why not for young people or for any other group in society. We set up working groups to investigate the matter and realised that it was unacceptable to most people, especially in rural areas. We simply did what people wanted. Women's representation in parliament needs to be boosted in other ways. I certainly expect more female MPs in the next parliament.
After dispensing with the quota system the number of women in parliament decreased. How is it that you expect this pattern to be reversed? The last parliamentary elections were conducted during exceptional times. The country was unstable. There was chaos everywhere. We should not take the previous election as offering a model. People can start to blame us for poor female representation only after the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Critics say the new constitution deprives women of many of their rights. Is this true? Absolutely not. Articles 10 and 33 in particular stipulate positive discrimination for women. President Mohamed Morsi is in favour of supporting women. He is providing divorced women, widows and female breadwinners with special care. We worked hard to draft a constitution that protects the dignity of all citizens, especially in the chapter on women's rights. We also worked to ensure the right of women to work and provide them with access to senior positions. Education and enlightenment are the best way to guarantee women's rights. An educated woman can contribute positively to her society and overcome different challenge. Women can claim all their rights by virtue of their education, culture and intellect, not just through texts in the constitution.
Since the Islamists came to power they have focussed on changing the personal status law to the detriment of women. They want to change the regulations governing the custody of children, visiting rights and khul' on the grounds that they contradict Islamic Sharia though they were approved by Al-Azhar, Dar Al-Iftaa and the Islamic Research Centre. Islamists are against the law, it is true. When the law was first issued there was an assumption that it would help solve people's problems. Yet after five years there was no improvement. We are not concerned only with women but with the welfare of children and the rights of fathers. The current law exclusively favours women.
The personal status law issued in 1929 stipulated that a girl must remain in the mother's custody until the age of nine and a boy until he is seven. The law was amended in 1976 and the age of custody for girls was raised to 12, for boys nine. It was then changed again, giving mothers custody of boys and girls up to the age of 15. Do you plan to return to the provisions of one of the earlier laws? Legislators may well come up with different regulations that suit people better. And if they fail to do that, then the law can always be amended. Regarding khul, we will resort to moderate institutions such as Al-Azhar for opinions.
It has been reported that the European Union (EU) threatened to suspend aid to Egypt because of the deteriorating status of women and Copts. Is the presidency working on this problem? We checked with the EU to find that European officials had been misquoted and misunderstood. The EU will re-schedule its financial donations to better suit Egypt's circumstances. I would stress that President Morsi, along with his presidential team and many different entities, is working on improving women's status. Within the coming few months a national project will be initiated to tackle illiteracy among women. Education is the only way out of many of Egypt's problems. President Morsi is working on improving women's status socially, economically and politically. There is a three-pronged plan to improve the overall status of women. We are seeking to restructure the whole of society, not just women's issues. Building a strong society is similar to constructing a strong building, you need to dig in order to lay the foundations. We are going down a little bit in order to build a solid society. What we need now is patience. We want people to be more patient because we are working. We are working slowly but surely. The presidency is keen to develop women's education so they can contribute to advancing society.
Islamists have attacked the UN Convention on Combating Violence Against Women, claiming it is against Islamic Sharia. Egypt stated it had reservations about some of its articles in the convention. Why? It is the right of any country to ratify or refuse to ratify any convention. And every country has the right to express its reservations. It is the role of the media to address people and explain the truth instead of spreading rumours which could lead to chaos and instability.
What are your expectations for women under the current regime? An upgrading of the status of women nationwide, in rural and urban areas and at all levels. Government entities will work on solving problems facing women and setting priorities that can address the root causes of problems. Soon women will see policies and measures being implemented that improve their lives. Legislation will be passed and mechanisms established to ensure the implementation of life enhancing policies.
