Are female bodyguards the stuff of fact or fiction? Mai Samih investigates Women guards were appointed on British railways as far back as the middle of the 19th century, though it was as late as 2007 that female "beefeaters", the colourfully dressed guards that have guarded the Tower of London since the time of King Henry VIII in the 16th century, were appointed. Female police officers are a common sight in many African countries, while Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has a whole company of female bodyguards. While Egypt has sometimes been seen as lagging behind other countries in its willingness to hire women to carry out security and other duties, this is increasingly no longer the case. The female bodyguard in particular has passed from the stuff of fiction to fact, and women now guard both buildings and people in Egypt. When did the idea start? According to Major-General Mohamed El-Shenhabi, head of security at a well-known security services company in Doqqi, Giza, the advent of the female security guard owes something to eastern tradition and customs. "It is not acceptable for a woman to be searched by a male security guard on entering a mall, for example," El-Shenhabi points out, and for this reason, women guards are hired instead. He adds that such women guards are not necessarily expected to be able to catch criminals or fight. Rather, the job is designed for women who are able to use their minds and their physical abilities to protect people. Some such guards, particularly those assigned to protect particular people, are not really "bodyguards" at all. Rather, they are "female executives who make it easier to protect the person that they are assigned to secure." According to El-Shenhabi, such women guards receive training in how to deal with any potentially difficult situations that could arise during their assignments. However, on the whole "a female guard uses her brain more than her muscles. The latter are the last things she would normally resort to." Reda El-Shehawi, head of security at another security company in Cairo, agrees, adding that a security guard's job, whether male or female, is to ensure the security of the person they have been detailed to guard. "Any intervention on the part of the guard should be at the right time and in the right place," El-Shehawi says. While his company does not hire female guards, he is not necessarily against the idea. Many female security and bodyguards have only good things to say about their jobs. According to Dawlat Sami, 20, a female guard working for a security company in Cairo, "it all started when I read an advertisement in the papers from a company looking for female security guards. I liked the idea of protecting buildings. At first my family objected, but they soon approved after I had inquired about the job and said that I liked the idea. They are very happy now because I am happy and like the job." Sami believes that her job has many advantages, such as regular training, acquisition of a lot of experience and a good salary. She is against those who stereotype it as potentially violent. On the contrary, Sami says, "we don't solve anything violently. The most important thing is thinking. If there is any problem, there is always an intellectual solution for it." Mai Mohamed, 24, who is married and has a BSc degree in commerce, agrees with Sami and works for the same company. "It's a decent job," Mohamed says. "I like it because it is the essence of safety and protection. At first, my parents disapproved because it was a new field to them, but when I started working they accepted it." "Every job has its advantages and disadvantages, but I honestly can't see any real problems with my job." She believes that it is satisfying for her because she is constantly being introduced to people and becomes "part of their lives". What does it take to become a qualified bodyguard in Egypt? According to Soheir Gamal, head of female security at the company in which Sami and Mohamed work, women applying for the job should be 30 years of age or younger, and should be quick and typically good at a sport like tikondo, karate or ikedo. Applicants should also have a diploma in commerce, the thanaweya amma (school-leaving certificate), or any other certificate of the same level. El-Shenhabi adds that height is also a requirement, with applicants being at least 170cm tall. Each candidate should pass a medical and psychological test, and knowledge of English is preferred. "She should match all the criteria, such as having played a sport like karate, as well as other criteria such as intelligence. If she passes the aforementioned criteria, then she can be considered for a weapons licence," he says. El-Shehawi would also consider appointing a woman to this demanding job, though he adds that any newly appointed bodyguard would be carefully monitored. Training in the use of firearms is typically two years. A shooting licence is like a driving licence, he says. A guard has to be trained well enough to shoot before he or she is accorded a licence. "There is also a theoretical exam on the concept of security and the missions that a guard could be assigned," El-Shenhabi says, "as well as practical exercises, such as physical and mental fitness and self-defence exercises." There is what he calls a "concentrated training course" that lasts from four days to a week and that takes place straight after guards have passed the admission exams. During this period, potential guards are given a general idea about the concept of security before they are subjected to another test that determines whether they are ready to start working in the field. Weekly exercise then maintains their level of fitness and gives them the opportunity to be acquainted with the latest developments in safety. There are differences between the exercises appropriate to a woman guard and those appropriate to a man. A woman guard is given courses in security and how to protect VIPs and buildings, and a coach is assigned to train her every two weeks, or on a monthly basis depending on the free time she gets from her job, the minimum being once a month. Female bodyguards tend to protect female clients, while male guards protect men. According to Ahmed Mohamed, 31, head of department at the Cairo security company worked in by Sami and Mohamed, "there is no field that women nowadays cannot work in." However, Mohamed believes that men and women have different roles to play when it comes to guarding buildings. "Women have certain kinds of role to play, such as searching women visiting a mall, for example," he says. The new opportunities open to women in the security field are above all due to social and political changes, meaning that women are now more educated and are accepted in more fields of work. According to Mohamed, "there are more women working in building security than men nowadays." "The lady security guard has already made it. They are so successful that they are now being asked for by female celebrities," says Mohamed Abdel-Ghani, 29, head of the personal security department at the Cairo company. "In our company, we do not feel that there is a difference between a man and a woman when it comes to work. We don't have time for such things. Our bosses are generals after all. This is no place for joking around." According to Israa Mustafa, 18, a student at the Faculty of Economics and Political Sciences in Cairo, as a member of the public she could be more comfortable dealing with a female bodyguard and many situations even require one. "In general, I think it's a good idea because a female bodyguard does not care what people think. Also, female employers don't feel comfortable with male guards. I think that from the religious point of view it is better that a bodyguard for a woman be a female." However, Nourhan Hegazi, 18, a student at the Faculty of Commerce at Cairo University, disagrees and says that she believes that men are stronger than women and are able to take on rough sports such as karate with fewer problems. "I would prefer a male bodyguard to protect me," Hegazi says. "There are things that a man is capable of doing, and things a woman is capable of doing. This is how God created men and women." The last word, however, belongs to El-Shehawi, who says that in his view women could be competent enough to take on the security field, as long as there is an honest competition for jobs and women are able to do the job right. "I salute them because it is a new field and an opportunity to prove their capabilities in open competition," he says.
