The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has rejected a newly issued law which restructured the semi-official National Council for Women (NCW), saying that the law should have been discussed with other political forces. On Saturday, Egypt's de facto leader Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi issued a law selecting 30 new members of the council. The new members include women's rights activists, academics and public figures. Nehad Aboul Komsan, head of the Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights, Neveen Mossad, political science professor and Hoda al-Sadda, an academic specializing in gender studies, are among the new members of the council. In 2000, a law was issued by the former President Mubarak establishing the NCW, which was meant to reinforce the position of women in the country. However, the council has been heavily criticized by both secular and religious figures. Secular feminists criticized Suzanne Mubarak's involvement with the council, saying that it falsely portrayed her as an advocate of women's rights. Farkhonda Hassan, former head of the council, also faced accusations from revolutionary feminists of being part of the Mubarak regime. In December, a lawsuit was filed with Cairo Administrative Court demanding the dissolution of the NCW. The plaintiffs said that the body was formed by members of the disbanded National Democratic Party and is used by the party to achieve nefarious objectives. Meanwhile, some Islamists allege that the council intends to corrupt the traditional values of Muslim women. Sunday's statement from the FJP echoed these criticisms. “Political parties were not consulted in restructuring that institution, which was a tool of the former regime to break up Egyptian families,” the statement said. “Therefore, the reformation of this council is neither in the interest of the nation nor the goals of the revolution with regard to Egyptian women.” The statement added: “Restructuring the council without reconsidering its prerevolutionary purpose or evaluating its performance protects the Western agenda it was originally designed to serve.” Feminists say that Egyptian women face discrimination in the labor market and also under personal law. They also complain of the spread of gender-based violence. The rise of Islamic parties in Egypt have raised concerns among Egyptian feminists that gains made by women, especially with regard to personal laws and divorce rights, will be reversed.
