Akhenaten’s daughter inspires the granddaughters in Tahrir square
By Alamir Kamal Farag:
The Egyptian women played an eminent role in the 25th January revolution. Ladies and were at the vanguard of the first protesting demonstration against the former regime if the ex-president Hosni Mubarak.
And all if us still remember the photo of the girl who raised her fingers as a sign of us still remember the photo of the girl who raised her fingers as a sign of victory , and her sparkling eyes with power and Insistence . this photo was passed by political activists in their awareness campaigns for women, some of them are in the framework of the continues revolution, or the expression of some other issues specially : “to stand against harassment”.
We still remember many scenes for women who participated in the Egyptian revolution in its beginning, victory, or even setbacks , in Tahrir square or the streets bran cling out of it, in front if the ministry of Defense and the ministry of the interior, and in the streets and cities all over Egypt . these streets witnessed the killing like Mohammad Mahmoud st , al kasr Al- Ainy st , the parliament , and other places where the events were so raged like: port said stadium, and Ballon theatre. The women were present in squares, streets, even on the roofs of homes crying sometimes , streets, even on the roofs of homes crying sometimes, cheering another, and actively participated in hospitals.
Even if women did not appear in streets , they were in the heart of the scene, as they are the main social activator in the family , they are the main motives for their husbands, sons, unkles, the mother is the first who gives the statement to move and go , even if this move has no return.
I still remember how worry was my wife in every time I decide to go to Tahrir square , and her all empts to prevent me . these attempts to prevent me . these attempts that quickly turn to support and encouragement when she seas my insistence, and the than sands of young people who decided to go and get their country back from the pirates.
As there were political activists like Muhammad Abudoma, Belal Fadl, Muhammad yousri salama, and Al- Khatip, there were also women activist like dr. Helsa Raof Ezat, Nawara Negm, Israa Abdel Fatah, Mona Al- tahawg, Karima Al-hefnawy , Nermeen Hussin, and Asmaa Mahfouz. The Egyptian youth paid the price, they were injured and killed , beaten , Imprisoned, tortured, and physically and verbally insulted.
In contrast to the positive role played by the Egyptian en lighted Muslim , , veiled and unveiled , women, who participated in squares, there wan another role played by the ladies of the former regime who strongly supported injustice and oppression against the will of the Egyptian people , My mother- in – low once mentioned that during the parliamentary elections of 2012, a lady of the “justice and freedom” party called her and tried to convince her to vote for the Muslim Brotherhood party.
And thus, the Muslim Brotherhood women also played a role to get supporters for the ruling party.
The Egyptian woman presented her brother, son, and husband as martyrs for the sake of the Egyptian revolution. Perhaps the most famous of them of them was the was the mother of khaled said , who was tortured and killed and was the first step towards the revolution.
The egyptain women were willingly consented to pay the price of greedim by her blood, body, and dignity, so her sons can live freely . the Egyptian women were the main ingredient for the success of the revolution.
We still remember the young woman Sally Zalhzan who was killed in the events of the revolution. And whatever who credible was the news that told that she was killed by some thugs near Al-Tahrir square, or she fall down fro, her balcony after a quarrel with her mother who tried to prevent her from going to the square; any way the spirit of revolution deeply affected sally and many other women who insisted to participate in the revolution.
Salli was one of the candles that burned herself to light the way towards freedom and revolution . some political activists made a poster for her saying “ the Roses if Egypt”. We can never forget Samira Ibrahim, “the victim of the vergenity test” , who was arrested with some others girls from Tahrir they faced the worst abuse that women could face , whicl-istte verinity test. This test aims to deffernate the vergin girls and the unvergin ones, but actually it aimed at abusing the women activists.
Samira wasn’t defeated by this shame, she wasn’t oppressed by the social traditions and laws that always hide such violations just for keeping a good reputation, She had the courge to sue who was in charge . This scene emphasize the women resistance of oppression and her courge to defend herself against it.
Al though there was a statement announced by the military admitted doing that test for fear that military would be accused of raping, the court announced the innocence of the officer who did the test for Samira encouraged other girls who were other girls who wre other victims of the virginity test . Rasha Abdeihman announced publically all what happened to her.
Samia became the symbol of the violated Egyptian honor , she insisted that second phase of the revolution against that reward, she way prevent to get it because of some “tweets” she wrot on her twitter account which were consider as anti-American and Israeli policy.
In December 2011; when the military cancel controlled the government during the confused status of the country, the world was shocked by the scene : some armed were beating , slapping and dragging an Egyptian girl in Tahrir square, and beating her by their tough and strong shoes.
Some TV channels redid tappend this scene in which the soldiers slapped the girl showing her underwears and her body while another soldier were kicking her in chest. This vedio to represent the repression suffered by the women who protest for sake of freedom. Investigations had revealed the identity of the girl. She was dr. ghada kamal (28 years) a member of the “ 6 April” political mavemrut** . and she contributed to rescue the injred demonstrators in the square.
After the Egyptians have succeeded in removing the regime and the government of Hossni Mubarak, the Islamic political movements took control of the revolution and the banned group “ the Muslim brotherhood “ managed to rule “ with the help of the us” .
And quickly we discovered their reality as mere religion-traders who began to slowly kill the revolution.
They besieged the courthouse , Killed the Muslim protesters. Protected themselves by delusive constitutional declarations, and falsified the referendum on the constitution . they hired only their supporters in high position , and began to work on their plan, which depends upon the interests of the nation . then , a new repressive regime appeared and committed the same crimes that were committed by Mubarak’s regime, and even more.
The revolution continued, and woman still in the fore- front just as usual. This time, the revolution is on the Muslim Brotherhood regime and the Islamic currents that are planning to seize the country. And again the Egyptian women paid the price . their sous were killed by the curreut regime. As we saw Khaled’s and Mena’s mothers Al- gendy, and Al-husosing Abodeif. All these mothers cried for losing their sons , there is a vedio on YouTube for a women whose son was killed . these women denounced the regime, and ripped Mursi’s photos and send their curses upon him.
Women’s participation in the second phase of the revolution was characterized by creative ideas. For example : the compain that way organized by some activists in December 2012 to revolt against the Muslim Brotherhood’s constitution, although it was actually not acceptable for most political parting and currencies.
Women went out in a march from Tahrir square to the courthouse, they cut their hair as an expression of their objection on the constitution, in the same way al-Khenaten’s d** cut her hair as an expression of their objection to the injustice priests who oppressed her father . so it became a way it protest.
In February 2013 , the Egyptian activists women made a protest they called it a strang name :”Egyptian men shall not be naked”, to protest against the Egyptian police who kicked and naked the citizen Hamada Saber in front of Al-Etahadira patace, which was denounced by the human rights organizations in the whole world , and it was considered as a sign of the oppression suffered by the Egyptian protesters.
Many women were beaten, naked, and illegally improsined, they were physically and verbally abused by the government of the Muslim brotherhood . the Egyptian activists women were oppressed by raping, haves sment , defamation, and so many painful details that prove the sacrifices offered by the Egyptian women for the sake of freedom.
The activists show their objection against the government, the president, and the Muslim brotherhood.
The regime isn’t just any men, it can different between women and men . in the past , women were respected , in general it is considered as a lick of manhood . Now, the Islamite’s beat the activists women with no merci at all of even feeling ashame.
On the art scale, the womens' creative art began to appear after along time of male oppression, the oppressive mind finally disappeared and many creative women began to appear, like Ola Al-shafey, the creative writter who wrote "Morsi's marriage with Fouada is untrue", an essay that made the president sue her for the charge of insulting him. There was also the caricature painter Dooa El-adl whose paintings made fun of the president and his party. Her painting "the woman's voice is a revolution", as a reflection of the saying "woman's voice is a shame". Her painting was inspired by some incidents and photos that were documented in some social web sites in which a beard-man of the Muslim brotherhood supporters puts his hand on Shahenda Mokald's mouth ,an Egyptian activist, to prevent her from condemnation of Morsi's government. Doaa's painting quickly turned to be a slogan for a popular campain.
Through the whole history, woman was man's partner, she had a prominant political role. She was a queen in the pharaonic history, there were Cleopatra and Nefertiti. In more recent history, there was Shagaret eldurr. In the modern history there was also the queen Nariman.
But this prominant role has been undermined during the modern era. Women were hiden and marginalized because of customs and traditions and the misunderstanding of religion.
After years of oppression and repression, the woman's real voice returned and her participation in the political life has been increased. "womens' participation in political life has increased after the 25th January revolution by 64% and her participation in the presidental election by 83%" said Hanan Gergis , the director of operations department at the Egyptian center of public opinion research.
Akhenaten's daughter comes every night to the Nile bank, in a white dress, conducts her pharaonic rites on the water to dend energy, will, revolution, and freedom to her grand daughters.
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