by Manar Ammar
-Egypt-

“I was weeping and called on my mother for help, but the worst shock of all was when I looked around and found her standing by my side. It was her, yes. I could not be mistaken, right in the midst of these strangers, talking to them and smiling at them as though they had not just participated in slaughtering her own daughter just a few minutes ago,” writes Nawal al-Sa’dawi - the influential Egyptian feminist, novelist, physician and international speaker on women issues - in her book The Hidden Face of Eve: Women in the Arab World.

Sa’dawi was describing her own very real, very horrific experience of female genital mutilation (FGM) or circumcision. The ancient practice is forced on over 140 million women around the world, most notably in Africa, the Middle East, and South East Asia, according to UNICEF. FGM aims to keep girls ‘pure’ and to take away their ability to enjoy their own body, all in the name of virtue.

by Manar Ammar
-Egypt-

When Marwa* arrived at the hospital, her left arm was dangling beside her body like a lifeless piece of cloth. After examination, the doctors told her that her upper arm was shattered in three spots, and a number of surgeries must follow. The night before, following an argument with her mom, her younger brother interfered with his fist. For over an hour he hit and beat Marwa senselessly. He even threw a chair at her.

“I don’t have full normal movement in my arm, even after three and half years since the fight,” says Marwa. “I still don’t speak to my family, with the exception of my mother, and till this day he never apologized.”

by Manar Ammar
-Egypt-

In a sea of local press coverage and media appearances of presidential nominees for Egypt’s upcoming election, Bothaina Kamel’s name is left out. As the country’s first woman to nominate herself for Egypt’s highest position, she is doing more on the ground than any of her male competitors.

The 49-year-old former talk show host is no stranger to breaking social norms of what a woman can and cannot do. A self-proclaimed social democrat, her campaign motto is simple: “Egypt is my agenda.”

by Manar Ammar
-Egypt-

The sexual assault on CBS news correspondent Lara Logan at the hands of 200 Egyptian men in Tahrir Square the night former president Hosni Mubarak resigned came as no surprise to any woman who has been to or lived in the country. Logan, who was in the heart of Tahrir Square in the midst of the frenzy of celebration, was sexually assaulted and beaten for almost 30 minutes. A group of women and 20 soldiers took notice of what was going on and rescued the reporter. She was immediately flown back to the USA, where she was hospitalized.

Logan’s brutal attack has brought sexual violence against women in Egypt to the spotlight, calling attention to an old and rooted problem that has tormented the country for years.

by Manar Ammar
-Egypt-

On Friday, February 11, 2011 President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt stepped down, ceding power to the Egyptian military. Vice President Omar Suleiman made the announcement via state television. - Ed.

The news from Egypt arrived: People are revolting against Mubarak. They are marching in the thousands, chanting their demands. The fear that had its tight fist around our necks has been broken. And in revolting, we won back part of our freedom: the freedom to say no.