A Comment that has lost its way..

I'm sorry to deviate a bit from the goal of Fantasia's World. But I got so intrigued by a number of posts from Samir-Thoughts, that I so much wanted to comment on. Allow me to use this space for once to write my long comment.
Samir was describing a scene that we see often in our daily life, seeking the blessing from the dead religious icons. You can read his post to get a better idea, or you may read along and you'll discover a link between his subject and the message of this blog.

Dear Samir,
I find that our Eastern culture as whole is built on the same basis of seeking blessing and believing in the supernatural. Remember that we live in the land of mythology and religions. It's here that humanity have started its route to civilization, which has to have something side to side with its material (let's say concrete) achievements. This side had to do with the supernatural and it has spread to inspire all the coming civilizations that would follow the same pattern. But we kept our place as the pioneers. It's here that all religions started, and it's here that we are stuck with the supernatural when the whole world had moved forward to the age of science and technology. Revolution after revolution, we kept missing the train of one after the other.. The industrial revolution, the scientific revolution, (in all its phases, starting from astronomy to physics, to biology to genome) the technological revolution, and finally globalization. We failed miserably in them all, that we decided to lock ourselves into the shell of the supernatural and claim ourselves to be the guardians of moral ethics and preserves of the word of God on earth.

Anyone else from other parts of the world that have enjoyed the benefits of those revolutions and have evolved into better civilization, we labeled them as atheists and perverts. Although they worship the same God and follow the same religions, yet they dared do something productive for their world. They are happy, they look after their health, they play sports, and they want to live longer. They want to enjoy the beautiful life they have created through long work, until they reached democracy (nothing is perfect), the fruits of science and technology which made them richer, and research which made them fight diseases. They simply enjoy a higher quality of life, that we, immersed as we are in dictatorship, poverty, ignorance, and diseases, can never have hope of attaining. They have reasons to love life and seek to live longer, while we have our reasons to hate our life and look forward to death.

But we are looking for a hope in death, something that will relieve us from the suffering on earth. Thus we all wish to enter paradise, we want to enjoy the rivers of milk and honey. But we want to enter it from the wrong gates. We failed to do what God ordered us to do. We failed to create our paradise on earth. We misused all the faculties that God gave us, and we disdained his most precious gift, the human brain. We've made thinking and creativity the equivalent of a crime. So, do we have any hope in salvation?
The creators of myth have come up with the keys to the backdoors of paradise. You are to quit enjoying life, in all its simplest forms (Yeah, as if there is anything to enjoy!). You have to focus on fighting the evil ones who want to prolong their lives. You have to wrap your women in black cloth. You have to scare your children of doom and hell. You have to offer your whole life to death, so that when your time comes, you are as pure as a diamond. Then, and then only, can you enter the pearly gates. What about those who can't wait? What about those who want to secure their places fast and enjoy the 73 virgin maidens now. The numerous youth who can't sin or get married, what about them? Well, there is always a shortcut. You can go kill the atheists who don't obey. You can turn yourself into a bomb in the service of God. Go kill the naked tourists on the beaches, go kill the people who work to serve them and entertain them, go kill those who sell them souvenirs to take back home from our holy pure land. Then you'll be there in a snap of a finger. There's always a solution in death. There is always a way to reach paradise. Nobody comes back to tell us which gates he entered. Nobody comes back to tell his story. Nobody comes back to break the spell.
Now, Samir, you may know why people would write on the canvas of the Saints. It's the same reason why people would go to El Sayyeda and Hussein. It's Yehia Haqy's Qandeel Om Hashem. It's Osama Fawzy's Ba7eb E'seema. It's the life we are living in this part of the world.

Medusa's Head

She was beauty itself, dazzling all, an imposible prize, the forbidden fruit, a heavenly combination of feminine charms, "the jealous aspiration of many suitors" _ Ovid.
She's a nymph turned into a monster. The scariest image that human imagination have carved through history. She's Medusa.

All of what remained and what we now came to know and see of Medusa is her scary head, screaming an endless horrified scream as the Greek hero Perseus succeeded in cutting it off. Poor thing, she is doomed to be always remembered as such, pathetically ending up on a Versace logo!

How many of us know the tragic story of Medusa? The beautiful nymph, who was the dream of every god and mortal. She would never yield to any show of affection or a generous suitor hoping to lock her up as a precious possession. She loved life, and loved to keep her beauty an eternal inspiration to poets and artists. But one of the male gods decided to put an end to her arrogance. Inside the temple of Athena, while she was praying and thanking the gods for bestowing her with beauty, in came the monster, the sea god Poseidon, and he raped her.

In hatred of herself and the world, Medusa asked the goddess Athena to have pity on her and protect her from men. Her wish was granted. The goddess transformed Medusa's beautiful hair into serpents and made her face so terrible and scary that any man who would dare to look at her will immediately turn into stone. In that way, Medusa chose to forsake her beauty in order to find security and to enjoy the sight of men turning into stone, horrified at the sight of her monstrous face.Still she wasn't left alone. While Medusa was pregnant by Poseidon, King Polydestes of Seriphus sent the hero Perseus on a mission to cut off Medusa's head and bring it back to him. Perseus wasn't as heroic as it would seem. He succeeded in the mission by having a cap which makes him invisible and a pair of winged sandals and a mirrored shield. In that way, he could look at Medusa in the mirror instead of looking directly to her face. No wonder it was a piece of cake, but the myth was turned up-side-down to praise the bravery of the hero who wasn't scared of Medusa, the source of terror for men.

The reason why I told you all this long story is to make you see how any female who dares to challenge male arrogance, even if for the mere sake of self-protection, would not only end tragically, but will have a memory that will serve to make them heroes and make her a devil. Medusa was only the beginning. A memorial to all other women so as not to dare think like her (believing they could overcome men or threaten them), and to all men so that they will never allow any woman to challenge them and cause them fear. She should be uprooted, her head should fly, and her reputation has to suffer. Doesn't it sound familiar?

All those who call for women rights nowadays are given a bad name. The whole concept of feminism has grown notorious all of a sudden! No wonder why when a woman is labelled to be a feminist she is described by the worst adjectives and it doesn't hurt to call her a lesbian in doing so. If you feel proud of your gender and celebrate being a woman, then you are a whore. If you call for emancipation and freedom, then you are devil seeking to doom your society and distory its ethics! Yeah.. "ethics".. hahaha. If you seek for your independence and your right to live your life by your rules, then you are an outcast. If you don't want to wear the veil then you are an athiest. If you want to have a career, then you are a man. If you care about serious issues and want to make a difference in the world then you suffer from a psychological complex.

But if you hate being a woman, if you dispise your body, if you repeat what men say about you, it is a virtue. If you don't have any serious goals or aims in life, it is perfectly ok. If you are a lazy ass, wanna sit at home, do nothing and live your life as a parasite waiting for the man to feed you, then you are most welcomed. If you hate your life and look forward to death in order to find peace, then you are religious. If you're all covered up in black, then you are respectable. If you do nothing creative or constructive, good job, you know you should leave such things to men. If you never had your own opinions or views, then what an excellent thinker you are! If you see your only role in life is to amuse your husband and get children, then you have reached the ultimate wisdom.
What a sick society!


What this society doesn't care to see is that it has turned all of its women and girls ino Medusas.. Silent, undercover Medusas, each seeking shelter and revenge in her own way. But in doing so many of them have become so destructive, that one generation after the other will pay the price. The living corpse wrapped in black will extend her shrouds to wrap it wround everybody's neck. She won't let anyone escape the clutches of her black ropes. The parasitic creature will add up to the poverty of her nation. The idiot who hides behind her lack of personality and talent, will add up to the ignorance and poor culture of her country. The physical factory of sex and breeding will only add the number of miserable creatures in this pathetic society.

However, today's Medusas won't wait for someone to cut off their heads, cause their heads are useless. They live under the cover of blind obedience, while they are only destroying a society that refuses to treat them as full humans. The horror that they pose is not visible to the eyes of men, but is a thousand times more destructive, cause it's turning a whole society into stone.

Patriarchal societies have for long sold the lie that danger lies in the head of a thinking woman. Yet, a true Medusa's head is a woman's empty head. So, next time you see a woman fighting for her independence and freedom, don't freak out. And when you see a girl who embraces life and focuses on her goals, don't make fun. And when you see a girl who aims high or doesn't put marriage as a priority, don't come up with the stupid conclusion that she's got some psychological complex. And when you get ignored by a girl, grow up and don't take it as a personal challenge to bring her on her knees. If you really wanna be a man, compete in a mature and responsible way. Try to be as successful and as focused as a girl is. Yes, imagine! There's nothing wrong in taking after a woman. There's nothing wrong in admitting that a girl is worthy of respect and that there can be things to learn from her. Try to quit the childish ways of "I'm the best and she must come after me". Try to co-live instead of crushing a fellow human in order to prove a false concept. Try to see the beauty of a world where varity means intigration, not where someone has to be better than the other. Try to understand the true facts of life before those hidden Medusas turn this life into hell. Beware!

Prostitution

I knew I would inevitably reach this topic sooner or later. What made it sooner though, is that I was shocked to notice that prostitution in Egypt is on the rise, as contrary to the current ethical and religious cover the country wears nowaday. Never has been a time that corruption was a matter of daily life, something that you have to live with and take as a fact, as we are witnessing nowadays!
Now, you might have preconceptions about what I'm about to say here. Believe me this is different. The Cairian district of Mohandesseen has been a NO ZONE for me during summer. I simply decided not to hang out there (from July to September), for a number of reasons. But under great pressure from my friends I gave in for once, thinking it may serve as a reminder to stick to my resolution, which I've been sticking to for almost a decade. Anyway, there I was in the middle of all the chaos, noise, ugly sights, and crowdedness. I became so depressed that I was unable to join any conversations and I started looking through the glass front of the coffee shop we chose. I never saw a prostitute at work before. Heard about them, may be seen a few who got the reputation, but never actually witnessed one of them making a business deal. I was so amazed! And I found myself so intrgued that I actually thought about walking out there and talking to them. Like a TV interview, and ask all the questions that movies never attempted to give answers for.

The girl looked like a gathered car from the junk yard! She looked too young for what she's doing. She wore pretty expensive clothes but looked like a total mess in them. Her hair was half blond half brunette. Her make up made her even look messier. You'd say nothing in her fit the other. But she was so self-confident. She would stare the guy in the face and make an eye-contact that I bet was never thought achievable by communication trainers. She stood there as firm and as seriously as a business owner at a meeting. It then occured to me. Well, it's pretty much the same. She owns her body, that's her goods, and she's making a deal for selling it. But the scene looked nothing like what we see in the movies. She didn't exhibit her sexuality, she didn't laugh, she didn't look friendly at all. She was clearly and seriously stating her rules, her conditions, her price. Seems, they got a rough point during their negotiations, but reached an agreement in the end. She was victorious in imposing her conditions, I suppose. She then walked would him, as if they were long term friends. She never looked around. It never occured to her, that maybe someone like me is watching the whole thing. Never thought that there's someone out there who knows about her business deal. Or maybe she didn't care. And that's what I thought to be the case most probably. Why would she care? What did I or anyone else do for her? Did we care enough about how she ended up now, that she would care about us? What if she's labelled a prostitute in today's world where everybody has his/her own way? Why would anybody care about her anyway?

She wasn't the only prostitute I saw that night. I saw a couple of others. But I spent the whole night thinking about this girl. A million questions would run into my mind. At first I was full of pity. I was thinking about what could have been the reasons that drove her down this road. I said she is most probably a victim of poverty, bad life conditions, absence of parents, social negligence, you name it. Yet, as I thought about it more and more, I just said "Hey, she's in good health, she could work and earn a decent living." Yes, even if she never received any education, she can work. She just wouldn't be able to buy the expensive clothes which don't fit her anyway. But she wouldn't have to sleep with strangers. Isn't that enough?

Then another different scenario occured to me: A girl from the countryside, she gets married at the age of 15. Her husband disappears after a while and she's pregnant. She has a baby to take care of besides her family who sold her off to the rich man to solve their own problems. Instead of providing for her, she now has to provide for them and her baby. The man who got her the first groom offers another one on the condition that she gets a piece of the pie. One marriage after another, the girl discovers that she's actually a prostitute and that the man shares her profits. She decides to own her own business. She's now free. She puts the terms. She decides when, where, and for how much. She can dye her hair blonde, she can wear expensive clothes (even if she may look funny in our eyes, she feels happy and satisfied) , she can provide for herself and her baby. She can put him in a private school and pay its fees, he can have a future that is far better than what she had. Who cares if she's a prostitute? Does anybody know her? Even those in the shops who probably know about her business, would they refuse selling their goods to her if she has the price? What if she is the most honourable woman in the world but didn't have the money? Would they welcome her in their shop? Nobody cares. I repeat, NOBODY CARES.

She's free. She owns her body at last. The body that she always hid in shame. The body that received the beatings of her father. The body that was raped by a husband or whatever is the name. The body that everybody disgraces. It's hers at last. Nobody has a say over it, except herself. She chooses when and to whom to give it and for what price. She's no longer a victim. She has nothing to be ashamed of. She got the price for everything. That's what matters.

The real victims are the men who disgrace her by day and pay to sleep with her at night. The real victims are the cockoldmen who think that it is perfectly fine for them to have sexual freedom and refuse to see that it takes two to perform the act. The real victims are those men who go about looking for pleasure everywhere while they lock up their women at home. The real victims are those who live by this girl's money and still call for ethics and veiling women.

Prostitution is a dirty job, but whose hands are clean?

Fishing Manual

Just take a moment to think about the title of this book.. Let aside the ugly ad and the pathetic message they used to market their pathetic product "Marriage is the most important goal in your life".. Let aside the humiliating words used to emphasise the presumed importance of the sorry to call it "book".. Imagine the author writing the book. Imagine his background and his view of women.

What's next? What will be enough for you women to see how society sees you? What more do you need to understand how this society confines you to a humiliating position? What else can make you admit that this is a male society? When your decent dream to have a family is treated in such a way.. When the our image is destorted in such a way.. When a society dares to slap you on the face and label you as a male-fisher.. When you are supposed to put marriage (the marriage that their ugly social rules have created) to be your ultimate goal in life.. Do you have any hope to make this society understand? Do you still believe that it is only your bad luck that you always meet the wrong people? Are you still waiting for the impossible miracle to happen? Please wake up.. It's time to act. It's time for change.. It's time to change yourself. Build yourself and create the life you deserve instead of waiting for others only to crush you in the end. Wake up girls!

Bravo?!

A Room of One's Own

One of my favorite texts by my beloved Virginia Woolf. In this book, the exceptional author talks about creative women and how they are denied a place under the sun. Woolf poses the question of why we don't have a female counterpart for Shakespeare. She then imagines a fictional character, Shakespeare's sister, and explains through her the numerous obstacles which face a woman who wants to write. While this sister cooks and cleans, her brother is allowed a peaceful solitude in a room of his own, where he can explore his creativity and experiment with it. He has access to theatres and producers. He is allowed the freedom to express himself and exercise his talent. She may be more talented than him, but her life forces her to stay in the shadow and prevents her from showing this talent.

Woolf then talks about the idea of independence. In this sense, a room of one's one, becomes a space. A space where a woman can have her privacy.. where she can work and think. She also needs financial independence in order to secure this space for herself. A Room of One's Own is a brilliant text, with very solid arguments and interesting ideas.

Yet, this is not my subject. I owe the idea of this post to Egypt Rose. Thanks to her sweet compliment, she compared my writing style to that of great writers, and urged me to consider professional writing. Sometimes my mind runs through so many things as a result of a random stream of consciousness where one thought leads to another. When I read what she said I went like: "Why haven't I tried even for once to publish what I write?" "Why don't we have popular female novelists in Egypt nowadays?" There are many great female novelists like Ahdaf Souif, Nawal ElSaadawi, and others. But they aren't as popular as the male authors. They don't have a bestselling novel. I then remembered Woolf's words. How is a woman expected to be creative and have a writing career with all the loads and pressures she is subjected to in our society.

I then remembered how I used to keep a diary when I was in elementary school. I remembered how my mom used to sneak behind my back to get access to them and read them without caring to ask if it was ok with me or not. The way she denied me a room of my own, a space of privacy, a breath of air, has caused me to quit writing my memoirs altogether. It took me a long time to start realizing that I should fight for my existence and my rights. Writing is an act that needs privacy but aims to reach the public. My pains will only have value when shared. Instead of burying the pain in one's chest until it destroys her, pain can be expressed and spread out for relief as well as for education. Education itself is painful. You have to go along the passage of thorns in order to gather the roses. But I learned that lesson late in life and I wish I had learned it earlier.
My admiration for Virginia Woolf made many friends predict that I will meet the fate she had; by that they meant going mad and commiting suicide. I would answer back saying that I truely wish I would follow her footsteps, but I meant her literary and intellectual achievements, her talent, her fruitful life, and having a wonderful man by her side (Leonard Woolf). People always have different readings of anything. It is only if you have a room of your own that you come up with your own reading, find your own voice and discover your own self.

A Woman for Love

She is the woman in the past of every Egyptian man. She is the one in the shadow. She hides in his imagination and memories. She is the woman who is cursed for being smart, or talented, or independent, or free thinking, or daring, or beautiful. She is attractive and intriguing. She's the one with whom you can never get bored, and with whom you can really have a conversation going. She may have a sense of humor and a quick wit. She may understand you from a glance and she may get under your skin in a blink of an eye. She's all that a man dreams of.. in love, only love, just love, no more.

When it comes to having a family, a man totally shifts his criteria. He wants the meek, the shy, the conservative, the veiled, the dependent, and, most important, the submissive. He wants someone who can never be his equal or pose a challenge to his mind. He looks for someone who is born for the home, with no ambitions of her own, no ideas of her own, and certainly no individuality. He looks for his mother, who was always there to take care of everyone while forgetting herself in the process.

It is amazing how the same man forgets his old love and what used to like in a woman. The spark of intelligence in his woman's eyes he now finds scary. How can he live under the same roof with such a tigress? How can he tame a woman who has her individual personality and independent thinking? She poses a threat to his manhood. She will never practice the blind obedience of his mother and grandmother. And she will definitely cause trouble.

But do these factors mark her as unfit to be a wife? I believe, in our male dominated society, they do. An Egyptian wife has a specific image. It is like a mold, if a woman can't fit into it, then she can't become a wife. If she really wants to have this "honor" she has to give up all her qualities and conform to societal demands. She has to become the typical woman who only cares about cooking, cleaning, satisfying her husband and getting him children. She must follow the footsteps of her master and never take decisions on her own. She must agree that she is less than him in everything. And she must raise her male children to think that she, as well as their sisters, are less than them.

So it's a woman's destiny to lead a life of sacrifice. She can sacrifice herself, her personality, her dreams, her ambitions, her humanity, or she can sacrifice her love, her right to start a family, and her motherhood. Her choices are limited into being a woman for love, or a tamed wife. I am afraid that in our societies a woman is squeezed into one of those two categories; she is either one or the other, but never both.

The Hammer of Witches

This infamous book was responsible for taking the lives of approximately 5 million women between the 15th and 17th centuries. The Hammer of Witches, or Malleus Maleficorum, was the judges' bible in witch-hunts which spread throughout Europe in the late Middle Ages. Women who showed any signs of character, refused to obey their husbands, or had radical opinions were considered evil witches and faced trials in front of special courts. When a suspect is charged with witchcraft, those women received a death sentence, not jail. Executions took place in public, where the guilty women were burned at the stake.

And why was it only women who were charged of this crime? Because, like today, it was a common belief that women are weaker and have got weaker faith. That's why it was easy for the devil to lure them into this dark art in order to spread evil on earth. As stupid as it sounds, it doesn't seem like an outdated rationale to me.
Read more about Malleus Maleficorum here and here.
The Hammer of Witches, I believe, is not merely the product of the Dark Ages, but was reproduced one age after another. Up till now, a woman who is independent, a woman who questions social costumes and traditions, a woman who refuses to be an inferior, a woman who stands up for herself is considered to be an evil witch. However, this "witch" doesn't face legal trial, but rather a social one, where almost every member in society will have his/her say in her case and use their hammers to make her comply with their rules. The social hammers surround women everywhere to make sure they knock down any signs of free thinking or rebellion in their early beginnings.

An innocent little girl taking her first steps into life finds a world which isn't welcoming.. a world of boundaries, a world of shame, a world of fierce eyes, a world full of restrictions, a world which does not respect her innocence. If she happens to have a brother she will learn very early that not every child receives the same treatment. She learns that she is the problem. She came into a world that has no place for her, a world for the males, where females are imprisoned and prepared to serve them in a later stage of life. She lives in continuous fear, being deprived of playing with other boys, being forced to hide under a bundle of clothes, being warned not to explore her own body, being raised as an object which always belongs to somebody else (whether her parents or her husband). If she tries to understand why, the hammers are ready to forbid her from asking. If she rejects this treatment, the hammers will punish her. If she went as far as breaking those rules, the hammers will discipline her. And if she insists on her freedom, the sentence is ready: she shall be an outcast.

But the hammer today is not only for rebellious witches and free thinkers; it is also for the innocent. As long as you are a female, you are a criminal. You will be a suspect as long as you are single. You will be slave as long as you are married. You will be despised if you are divorced. You will be the talk of the town if you break an engagement. You will be harassed as long as you walk down the street. You will be a whore as long as you aren't veiled. You will be evil as long as you don't share the interests of old housewives. You will be a witch as long as you are a woman. That's the law of our society.

Men Out of the Jungle

The jungle is the ultimate male paradise. That's their perfect environment. They can't live away from the wild life of hunting, adventure and making use of their physical strength. That's what makes them feel satisfied and proud. That's where they can attain their maximum achievement and pleasure. Men just want to struggle with beasts and hunt them for food. A man needs to fight with another man over a beautiful woman to see who is more macho and deserves the prize! That's how their barbaric nature prevents them from enjoying civilized life, where a person is valued by his brain not his muscles! They just can't take it. I sometimes feel pity for those who can't accept the idea that jungle days are over. Now, they can't jump from tree to tree, or from woman to woman. They can't go out exercising their physical strength and coming home with the broken arrow of their opponent. They can't go hunting to prove their bravery and receive cheers from the hungry members of the family waiting for food. All the good old days of fun are over.

But men won't accept this fact. They still live in this myth that they are the savers of the world and the protectors of half its population, that is the weak helpless creatures called women. Oh, how will women survive without those strong fellows, with their solid bodies and loud roars which drive the enemies away? How can we just go about in life without a man by our side to protect us from harm?

They can't believe that we don't live in caves anymore. You can easily go to rent or buy an apartment with a solid door and reliable lock. There is a nice service called police to report the evil guys and have them put in jail. There is a civil society where people work in offices using what they learned and what their mental skills enable them to do. The best people in this society are the most successful and most creative, not the strongest or the bigger built! Hunting and wrestling became games for leisure and not a way to make a living! Women choose their partners according to rational and emotional reasons. They don't want you to hunt for them to enjoy your imaginary victory. If a woman chooses you, it's not out of your clever crafting and endless stalking, it's simply because that's her decision. She may allow you some time to perform all the games you learned in the jungle, just for her amusement and for satisfying your empty ego. She may then complete your myth by telling you all the things a caveman wants to hear: "You are my first love," "You are the best man in the world," "You are the only one who won my heart," ... bla bla bla.

Men complain cause women are not straightforward or cause they lie to them. Well, you live in an imaginary world and you refuse to get down to earth and live as a human. If a woman gets promoted at work, you go crazy. If a woman is brave enough to let you know that she is interested in you, your hunt is ruined and you leave her for a difficult chase (or what you want to think is a difficult chase). If a woman speaks her mind freely, you think she's easy and treat her with disrespect. If a woman says she doesn't need protection, you imagine her as the star of a porn movie.

I'm so sorry to see that men can't adapt to their new lives outside the jungle. But I also warn that we shouldn't deceive them by making them believe that jungle rules still control our lives today. Leading them on has had its disasterous effects on society as a whole. I know that they will have a psychological shock when they face the truth, that their only advantage (physical strength) is useless in today's world. A tiny gun can kill a thousand men. A woman can protect herself well enough without a bodyguard. And switching from one woman to another is called cheating in all the world's dictionaries. Sorry guys.. You'd better cope with it.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!

No, it's not a new dance routine.. It's the situation of women nowadays. For every step we take forward, we move two steps back.

Scene 1:

There was a time when Egyptian women had their position in every facet of life. Now, we are arguing basic things like women's work. The next thing you see is some crazy person coming out to say that a woman should breastfeed her male colleagues to be able to share the office with them! What kind of sick mind is this? Why are many clerks obsessed with women and sex?

Scene 2:
Not so long ago women used to go to college wearing miniskirts and sleeveless blouses without being subjected to any kind of harassment. They received due respect from everybody. They rode public transportation. They walked in the streets. They mingled healthily with their male colleagues. Nobody dared to criticise them even! Now, it is not enough that you dress moderately, you have to cover your hair too, and still expect to be harassed at any time, not only verbally, but physically also! And if you complain, it is always your fault. You encouraged him, you like being harassed. Why did you leave your home then?!!! OMG.. Sick, sick, sick!
Imagine how far from civilization we've gone!

Scene 3:

Successful girls received scholarships abroad and were allowed by their parents to travel and come back with MAs and PhDs. Ask your female professors at university, who didn't come from rich families, or families which were westernized. Now, girls will be so grateful if they are allowed to apply for graduate studies inside Egypt even. Imagine if she mentions travelling abroad! Talks about you will get too busy and you won't find time to get married! Or you won't find a man who agrees to have a wife who holds a higher degree than him!! No man will consider a girl who lived abroad on her own for 1 or more years! No man, no man, no man.. F*** this man!

One sorrowful scene after the other, we just keep moving backwards. Forget about women liberation movements, we're back to square one! How far do they want us to go? We reached the bottom, yet it's not enough.. They want us to dig our own graves!