Egyptian
and Jordanian femicide spark outrage and calls for change
Basma,
a student at Cairo's Mansoura University, is still processing the shocking
murder of a classmate a week ago close to the university.
The
27-year-old woman, who did not want to reveal her full name out of concern for
retaliation, told DW, "I am still afraid and so far, I am not able to
leave my home."
Naira
A., a student from Egypt, was slain on June 20 by a man whose marriage proposal
she had turned down. Mohamed A., 27, was caught on camera and captured on the
phones of at least a dozen witnesses stabbing Naira A. in broad daylight before
onlookers intervened and detained him until the police arrived.
The
Mansoura Criminal Court gave Mohamed A. the death penalty after being found
guilty of "premeditated murder." The case has now been forwarded by
the court to Egypt's Grand Mufti, the country's foremost theological figure,
who will soon provide his legal assessment of the proposed death penalty.
Given
that Naira A.'s murder was committed because she had declined a marriage
proposal, Mohamed A. has already admitted to the crime.
Anger
over the case has spread throughout Egypt and on social media, where users are
demanding justice and condemning cases of femicide in the Arab world.
The
murder also suggests that femicide and other forms of violence against women
have increased in Egypt.
Domestic
violence is mainly hidden from view and mostly unaffected by regulations and
programmes, according to Habiba Abdelaal, a specialist in women's rights, who
told DW that while harassment of women in public areas has recently attracted
national attention.
An
evaluation by the Egyptian Edraak Foundation for Development and Equality from
February of this year supports that. According to the report, Egypt has seen a
"notable spike" in gender-based violence, with 813 occurrences
reported in 2021 compared to 415 in 2020.
Violence
is unacceptable
In
Egypt and the Middle East, violence against women is widespread, according to
Abdelaal. She went on to say that it was clear to her that "Naira's
killing was not an isolated incident and it won't be the last."
Anger
over the case has spread throughout Egypt and on social media, where users are
demanding justice and condemning cases of femicide in the Arab world.
The
murder also suggests that femicide and other forms of violence against women
have increased in Egypt.
Domestic
violence is mainly hidden from view and mostly unaffected by regulations and
programmes, according to Habiba Abdelaal, a specialist in women's rights, who
told DW that while harassment of women in public areas has recently attracted
national attention.
According
to Jordanian filmmaker and human rights activist Ghada Saba, "Such crimes
centre on underestimating and bullying women, as well as the belief that men
are always right."
That
might be one of the causes for the escalating social media debate regarding
women's rights and their freedom to choose or reject a possible mate that these
two femicide incidents have sparked.
Safety
is a fundamental human right
The
social discussion, which can be seen in people's comments on Naira's murder,
"proves that we are not only missing enforcement of laws and policies but
that we are also facing a society that continuously blames the victim,
especially if that victim is a woman," Abdelaal told DW.
Azza
Soliman, an attorney and the founder of the Center for Egyptian Women's Legal
Assistance, concurs. She told DW that it has become clear that the public is
"defaming women" more and more. She worries that soon, women's
violence will be accepted as usual.
However,
the recent killings and the ensuing discussions have served as a wake-up call
for Egyptian women's activist Lobna Darwish.
Darwish
told DW that it is obvious to her that if Egypt doesn't address violence
against women soon, "we will not be able to spread the social message
saying that women's protection from violence and the right to live in safety is
an essential right, is a basic right that cannot be threatened outside or inside
their home."
For
instance, Darwish claimed that in the case of Naira A, the family had made
three attempts to get a restraining order against the guy who would later kill
her.
It's
sad that "we have to get to the point where we see a live video of a woman
being killed in midday on the street before things change," Darwish said,
adding that "she went through the legal steps, she went to the police
station, filed the report that was supposed to get a restraining order, but it
did not take place."
In
response to the most recent murders, women's activists across the Middle East
have called for a transregional strike on July 6.
For
the time being, Basma, the Cairo student, is quite anxious about going back to
school.
Every
girl who refuses a man would worry that she might be slain like Naira, she
warned, and we might see the same scene repeated.