CAIRO: Less than 24 hours before its scheduled start, the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights' (ECWR) celebration of the Egyptian Women's Day was canceled. As the celebration was planned to take place on the stage of Al Agouza's schools' Student Union, the ministry of education called off the event. According to ECWR, the ministry's officials said national security was the reasoning behind the canceling of the event. When ECWR asked national security officials if they were responsible, however, officials said they had nothing to do with the event. Due to time limitations, the paper could not reach officials at the Ministry of Education to respond. ECWR's president, Nehad Abu El Qumsan, says that there can be many reasons behind the cancellation. "As long as we are in a country in which transparency and information are absent, then anyone can come up with the speculations they want. She explains that the decision could be related to the state's efforts to curb the work of Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). "There are a lot of limitations on the legal and practical levels so [NGOs] wouldn't be able to communicate with the people, she says, adding that the ministry of education must have been shocked with the number of expected attendees; about 800 people were expected to attend. Twenty-five developmental and women-related NGOs were invited to the event that took a month to prepare, according to an ECWR press release. "The real problem is what the situation reflects, notes Abu El Qumsan. Contempt and disrespect to NGOs and to people's value and rights are Abu El Qumsan's explanation. "This contradicts with talks of developing educational curriculums to include democracy and human rights, she explains. "What type of democracy and human rights are they trying to teach the kids if they can't apply it? "This contradicts with talks that the state is giving special attention to women and women rights. This is a celebration; we are not organizing a march or a demonstration. But Abu El Qumsan's main concern is the involvement of national security. Although national security denied responsibility when asked by ECWR, Abu El Qumsan says, "You can't but sense security's involvement. "This is the first time I hear that a ministry for the education of children is governed by a security authority. This is another disaster . What are they teaching the children? What type of future is it that is governed by fear? she adds. Abu El Qumsan's friends have suggested another reason. She was told that it might have been a punishment put forth by the government for speaking her mind; a night before the decision to cancel the celebration, Abu El Qumsan appeared on Dream TV talking about the lost rights of the sunken ferry's victims. She said there are suspicions that the ferry's owner was helped to escape the country. Furthermore, the government relied on the Mufti as a religious authority to put an estimate for financial compensation, that contradicts with a treaty Egypt signed in that matter. Compensation was estimated at LE 36,000, while the Athens 1974 Treaty states that the compensation should be LE 4 million, she said. In order to receive a solid answer regarding the truth behind the cancellation. she filed complaints to the minister of education, the ministry of social affairs, the National Council for Human Rights and the National Council for Women. "This is a case that might look simple, but it is a catastrophe, she notes.
