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‘Be a Man’ campaign against women in Egypt

29-8-2017

Al Hayat newspaper drew attention yesterday to banners spotted in many neighborhoods and streets in Cairo related to so-called ‘estargel’ (best translated as ‘Be a Man’) campaign. It is not a soft drink sales promotion, or a call for return to “authenticity” and modesty, but rather a multi-variate crusade pressing men to prevent their daughters from wearing tight or ‘revealing’ outfits, Al Hayat wrote. In its analysis, the newspaper said the campaign has recently introduced new terms to the urban Egyptian dictionary imparting a depraved dimension that sexualize women and girls by associating them with sex and indecent or inappropriate behavior. Such vocabulary has upset many parties, thrilled others or just did not appeal to the majority of Egyptians. Al Hayat cited professor of political sociology, Dr. Huda Zakaria, who, in a televised interview, described the campaign as an “immoral scandal exposing to men their unmanliness”, criticizing those who stand behind it as being women-haters. “Why not have a campaign called for example: ‘man up and treat women politely’!” Zakaria said, pointing that the campaign clearly conveys provocative messages against women. It is an Islamic society, she said, but campaigners have encroached on how Islam views a woman by “simply reducing her to a sex doll that ought to be covered," Zakaria sarcastically said. They are rabble-rousers and a disgrace, and therefore should be held accountable by law, Zakaria warned. (Al Hayat, August 29, 2017)

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