Here in Cairo, walking the streets is a difficult experience. A pedestrian must swerve and meander around the streams of vehicles jolting, stopping and speeding past in order to save a life. As a woman, it has become that unbearable daily activity that has quickly become Egypt's worst problem. Yes, worst problem. The political situation is difficult, frustrating and stagnant. But to be a woman in Egypt is to feel all the political handicaps and more. Talking with many Egyptian women and the desire to leave or stay at home if they cannot exit the country has become the norm. The problem is that Egypt, unlike many other countries worldwide – and in the region – has gone backward. Women are treated as 3rd class citizens. They have little say in what occurs in society. On Sunday, I sat down with leading women's advocate and self-proclaimed spinster Eman Hashim. The doctor said that she recently was asked by a woman how she could make her fiance happier. The reason the question arose? Her fiance had slapped her. “This is the problem, women still believe it is their fault,” Hashem said. And she is right. How many times has a woman in this country attempted to take a harasser to the police station only to hear from the police officers “well, what were you doing? What were you wearing?” If she is not veiled, they will say she should be veiled. If she is veiled, wear the niqab. Women are the problem. Certainly, women's thinking and understanding of their rights are lagging behind, but Hashem said that women must realize that they can do better and have better lives. Sure, she is right and there is much to agree with when the previous generation of elderly women put the blame on a woman abused, harassed or raped. “Why didn't you want to have sex with your husband? It is his right,” are common phrases spoken on the street and in the home. But, as a man, it is not my place to tell women what they should or shouldn't do, however much I would love to. That is the job of people like Hashem, who have worked tirelessly to improve the plight of who have become akin to men's chattle. Men need to step up. For far too long Egyptian men have remained silent over the social problem that threatens the development of what had been the Middle East's cultural hub. They see harassment on a daily basis. Their girlfriends, fiances, sisters, mothers and wives all experience the daily trauma of walking Egypt's streets. It is time for action. The solution is a simple one. Speak up and stop the apathy toward your most precious resource. How many times has a man seen a woman harassed, verbally or phsyically in this country and not said anything? Too many. They are just as responsible as the one perpetrating the crime by doing nothing. I say to them that if you see harassment, intervene. It might not do much, but it will certainly stop the harassment and allow the woman to leave in peace. Second, men are the leading opposition figures and some would say most politically active – partly because it is a man's world in Egypt – so they should start reading the history they so desperately want to be a part of. In the United States, during the 1950s, the country was much like the Egypt of today: frustrating conservatism that forced women into the home. It was not until a few women started to speak up that things began to change. It was also the support of their men that the United States was able to become the nation it is today. Things aren't perfect, but to think of a man telling his fiance that she can't do this or can't do that is almost unthinkable. Slapping his girlfriend would almost certainly result in the end of the relationship. Men are more responsible for the deteriorating situation of women's rights in the country. They like it this way, that is probably true. Women are becoming their bosses and this must eat at their machisimo, but the reality is until they start to take their wive's opinions seriously, one day they will find themselves without a partner because all the partners will have left. It is only a matter of time before Egypt's women begin to take action and when they do, the majority of Egyptian men will be left aside because for far too long they stood by silently, culpable criminals in the destruction of women's rights. BM
