By Azza Heikal After almost a century of struggle, Egyptian women are still striving for their freedom and liberation. Conservative voices are now judging women and preventing them from achieving their goals and aspirations as full partners in the process of social development. Women of 16 March 1919 who dispensed with all constraints in Egyptian society would shed tears over the retreat of some women and men nowadays. At the moment women's liberation towards enlightenment and progress is facing a serious blow on the part of those who would hinder women's constitutional rights of equality and citizenship. Relying on errant fatwas, some deny women's equality with men despite God's orders. Fortunately, in the Quran God equates between men and women in rights, rituals, duties and punishment. Undoubtedly, gender discrimination is a social and legal problem that stands as an obstacle towards enhancing women's role in society. If parliament has voted against the appointment of women as judges in criminal courts, this signifies that the guardians of law and justice are not implementing the articles of the constitution related to equality and citizenship. Prophet Mohamed has ordered Muslims in a famous hadith to learn half of their religion from the Lady Aisha, his youngest wife. Weighing the situation from the point of view of religion would definitely invite controversy and dispute, while viewing it from the humanistic side it would guarantee understanding and acceptance. No social development could occur in a society unable to respect its citizens regardless of their sex, religion or ethnic origin. Those conservatives who voted against women were brought up by female mothers and taught at the Faculty of Law by female professors. Aisha Rateb, Fawzia Abdel-Sattar and Amal Othman are just examples of eminent law professors who educated generations of lawyers, judges and prosecutors. The Supreme Constitutional Court's decision concerning women's right to the post of judges in all courts is a triumph of justice and enlightenment. Eventually, Egyptian women, the granddaughters of Isis and Cleopatra, will rise in every sphere of life to serve as judges spreading peace and justice all over society despite all opposition and backwardness. This week's Soapbox speaker is professor of English literature at Ain Shams University.
