Egypt Islamists Want 'Family' Not Women's Council
A women's conference organised by the dominant Islamist bloc in the Egyptian parliament has called for a council for families to replace the existing National Council for Women, a state-owned daily reported on Friday.
The conference, held Thursday on International Women's Day, also condemned the 1978 U.N. convention against gender discrimination saying it was "incompatible with the values of Islamic sharia" law, the Al-Ahram newspaper reported.
The Freedom and Justice Party conference called for the formation of a national council for the family to "truly express the complementary roles of men and women," the newspaper said.
The current National Council for Women has been heavily criticised for its association with former first lady Suzanne Mubarak, whose husband, veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak, was overthrown in a popular revolt a year ago.
The Freedom and Justice Party, political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, says it does not endorse gender discrimination, although the Brotherhood argues women should not be allowed to rule the country.
The party is the dominant bloc in both houses of parliament after a sweeping victory in a multi-phase general election that began in November. Women hold just two percent of the seats in parliament.
10 March 2012, 09:37
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So much for Arab Spring. If this is what the Arab Spring is producing, then kiss your freedom goodbye. These Religious Fundamentalists will stop at nothing until they eliminate the last seed of Democracy and Human Rights. It is a shame that the Secular regimes has failed to rally majority supports because they ruled with Iron Fist and Corruptions. The Islamist's rise to power is due to years of oppression by the Military Regime. As long as the Culture of the Arab and Islamic world does not respect Human Value and Freedom of expression, we will always see either Religious Extremism or Dictatorship/Authoritative ruling.
10 March 2012, 09:38
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This so called Sharia Law is nothing but a manmade Tribal / Bedouin Laws of the desert. These laws were written more than 1100 years ago. With all due respect, these laws are outdated and useless for today's problems. To proof it, one just has to look at the misery of Islamic societies. No Innovations, No Technological advancements. For those who are calling to rule by Sharia Laws, haven't they seen the experience of Saudi Arabia and Iran? Do they really think they can do better, especially that they don't have OIL? What are they betting on? Their future will be similar to that of Pakistan and Afghanistan: Wars, Poverty, Discrimination of Minorities, Religious Persecutions, Fanaticism, Lack of Human Rights and most importantly the end of what is left of their civilization.
