CAIRO: Experts warned against using religion to sway the vote in the second round of the parliamentary elections, saying that “religion and politics do not merge,” at a conference held Sunday to raise awareness for female voters. The Association for Women's Safety (Aman Al-Mar'ah) and the Arab Alliance for Women hosted an election awareness conference for female voters in Giza, as part of a campaign to educate and raise political awareness among women. The conference was attended by around 50 women of varying ages and social statuses, and addressed issues such as the role of parliament members towards society, voters' assessment of candidates, and voters' monitoring of election-day violations. “If we don't have awareness then the cause is lost,” said Rushdy Shehata, professor of Sharia and Law, “Everyone of you is expected to spread the message she hears here among her household and neighbourhood.” He explained that ideal candidates are the ones that “have global awareness, employ rational thinking, and that commit to codes of ethics.“ Shehata particularly warned about candidates who used religion as a front to their political campaigns, explaining that religion and politics do not merge, and likened the situation to “sports players who consume steroids to beat opponents.” “We want candidates that focus on creating legislatures that are concerned with daily dealings and transactions, not with acts of worship,” Shehata affirmed, citing the Hadith “You are more knowledgeable of the affairs of your own world.” He also warned of election-day campaigning, also using another sports example, where “referees are allowed to use red-cards to eliminate players who commit illegal moves.” Warnings were also made of a potential parliament that was dominated by a particular bloc and didn't include women, echoed both by Shehata and Iman Darwish, project manager of the Arab Alliance for Women. “We do not want another National Democratic Party,” she said. Darwish, responsible for the “Who is your vote for?” campaign, explained the key points which she touted as women's criteria for properly assessing candidates, and distributed awareness flyers among the attendants and explained their points. “Your vote is for your country, not for sale ... [it's] a blessing not a sin ... [it's] for whoever provides me and my daughter with our rights ... [it's] for whoever cares for my health and education, and for whoever employs my daughter and son,” read the flyers. Darwish also warned the women to prevent any flyers being handled on election day, stating that “all faiths prohibit [usurpation] in the name religion.” Laila El-Banan, chairperson of the Association, also asked the women to make sure their rights were not taken advantage of, and that each one of them formed a miniature government in her own household, therefore women were eligible to serve in parliament. The presentations were then followed by a Q&A session with the speakers. “I didn't know what to say when I was stopped by some women asking me about the election fine, and they were told by a particular party representative that the fine would be imposed if they didn't vote for that party,” said Hanan from Soul, Giza. Hanan was also told that the party had told the women “voting for us will be counted as an 'ongoing charity'.” Shehata's reply reaffirmed that the elections and government were 'civil matters,' and used another sports analogy where he likened clerics to coaches and civil servants as players. “Can the coach join his players on the field and participate in the game?” he asked. The Arab Alliance for Women is due to host another awareness conference in Qaliuobiya on Dec. 27 that will join voters with female parliamentary candidates in the third round of the People's Assembly elections.
