The revolution is not only in Tahrir it is in every Egyptian house , it is the revolution of fighting the patrirch as Hind said. In this revolution the women fought for their private and public life and this is the core of our feminist struggle as Mozn said.
I know many stories where women fought against their families to participate in the revolution , they were threat to be cut off financially or even that they will curse them and loss their blessings .
I will tell my story
I am the eldest daughter of a family of two girls and a boy, dad passed away in 1999, mum is is the main provider of the family, she is an example of dedication and hard work. However she is too patrirchal, she is not happy with my choices in work as a women rights researcher and she tried for several times to direct me to banking profession like her, I passes the test of the bank but I did not want to live with stupid numbers .
Add to this that mama ia diabetic and with very poor sight and she using this fact to force me to obey her.
In this revolution she was happy that I was a afraid and I did not want to participate , till I decided to change my behavior.
I wake up up early on 1 of February, it was the funeral of my aunt husband and all the extended family is gathered in the lobby of the building, I just walked between the crowd and told mama I am leaving, my relatives were worried that I will join the protest, they started nagging with her when I left, poor mama she was always trying to make sure that she raised good women and men, but sadly I do not fit in her standards or the extended family standards
She was calling me yelling and shouting and I was really stressed to I stopped replying back Khalto my aunt from mum side was way quieter I was was communicating with her and she conveyed my message to mama . and she threatened me that i will not be allowed to enter our house
My story is a very ordinary story , thousands of Egyptian girls had something in common with it
5 comments:
My dear Fatma - as activists we often seek to make our voices heard in very public spaces (as one among many)but we often forget that oftentimes one of the hardest struggles we ever face is the private one...the one no one ever hears about or sees. Thank you so much for your courage in sharing your experience. I hope it is enough to say that we (your sisters) find strength in yours and are immensely proud of the woman you are.
I stand with you, Fatma. You are brave and are being true to yourself and Egyptian women everywhere. Be strong and be safe.
Fatma,
Many women around the world, including me, are so proud of you and inspired by you. I can't imagine the internal conflicts you are experiencing but it is important to recognize that you made a decision and stuck by it. And hopefully soon it will all be worth it.
not just thousands of girls in Egypt, but also thousands of young people in the world at large, when the younger generation speak out for human rights and are prepared to fight for them.
umm.. hi i'm Polly from New Zealand, and have been quite captivated? captured by the story of Egyptian revolution of the people. *smiles* thank you for blogging your story!
*smiles more*
Polly
Hi Fatma from Sydney, Australia.
I've watched the revolution in Egypt with great excitement. I felt greatly inspired at what unfolded. It revealed an Egypt I didn't know. I hadn't really considered the battles that might have been going on in people's homes and specifically what it might have been like for a modern, young woman to try to join in. All power to you. And your sisters. I wish you well.
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