Egypt's 1st female Culture Minister refuses to be cowed by Salafists.

[Bald1]

Why should anyone help the Sisi regime?

I doubt her position matters enough to attract an assassination.

Was thinking more of supporting a woman of some (symbolic or not) power in an Islamic country, and less the regime she's working under. The less fundamentalism the better.

 

[Islam Imamate]

Was thinking more of supporting a woman of some (symbolic or not) power in an Islamic country, and less the regime she's working under. The less fundamentalism the better.

Sisi probably gave her this post for brownie points in the West just like his silly speech calling for an Islamic reformation. Plenty of dictators in the region use top down, surface level nods to women's rights and whatnot for legitimacy and I'd bet this is one of those cases. No one gets their job in such regimes based on merit, that's for sure.

 

[Bald1]

Sisi probably gave her this post for brownie points in the West just like his silly speech calling for an Islamic reformation. Plenty of dictators in the region use top down, surface level nods to women's rights and whatnot for legitimacy and I'd bet this is one of those cases. No one gets their job in such regimes based on merit, that's for sure.

Fair enough, you're probably right that it's virtue signalling.

Ha! Whodathoght that phrase could be used like that?

 

[Pupi]

So, she gets to approve what National Geographic gets to write about ancient Egypt before they hit the presses?

She gets to approve the continuity or discontinuity of the significance of certain events, people, and symbols in Egypt. Essentially, she gets to set the standards of what it means to be Egyptian within Egypt. She helps construct Egyptianness.

 

[Gregolian]

No one gets their job in such regimes based on merit, that's for sure.

Must... not... make... blowjob... joke.......

She gets to approve the continuity or discontinuity of the significance of certain events, people, and symbols in Egypt. Essentially, she gets to set the standards of what it means to be Egyptian within Egypt. She helps construct Egyptianness.

So... the winner writes the history book sorta thing?

 

[MicroBrew]

Let's hope nothing happens to her then.

Doubt it, but with ISIS still managing to carry out attacks every once in awhile, who knows...

Sisi is very authoritarian , runs a pretty tight ship. His grip on power is such, that it would be difficult for Salafists to really do anything militant against her, unless it is ISIS.

While this a positive step forward, Sisi regime has been turning up heat on LGBT people. The authorities are really going after them.

 

[Islam Imamate]

While this a positive step forward

Its not. Top down nods to women's rights like this are virtually worthless when the regime creates such a suffocating environment for legitimate grassroots women's rights organizations and civil society more generally.

 

[MicroBrew]

Its not. Top down nods to women's rights like this are virtually worthless when the regime creates such a suffocating environment for legitimate grassroots women's rights organizations and civil society more generally.

I don't claim it is a meaningful step, just that it is a positive step, even though it is just a minor step.

I consider it a positive because it lets society know that it is ok for a woman to lead, for a woman not to be subservient to Salafists. The optics are positive , even if it is not significant in the grand scheme of things. The downside is Sisi using cases like this to cover-up his attack on civil liberties and if people fell for it. But there is nothing at all to suggest Egyptians would be so easily fooled.

 

[Islam Imamate]

I don't claim it is a meaningful step, just that it is a positive step, even though it is just a minor step.

I consider it a positive because it lets society know that it is ok for a woman to lead, for a woman not to be subservient to Salafists. The optics are positive , even if it is not significant in the grand scheme of things. The downside is Sisi using cases like this to cover-up his attack on civil liberties and if people fell for it. But there is nothing at all to suggest Egyptians would be so easily fooled.

The optics are more so for Westerners, the more the West buys his facade the worse things will be for Egypt IMO and this is part of his facade.

 

[Michaelangelo]

hopefully she can get a bullet proof hijab

 

[Bargey]

My first thought was to crack wise and ask if we should take up a fundraiser to help with her funeral costs.

Instead I'll ask if there's anything non-Egyptians could do to help her?

Continue to oppose and hold to account salfists and wahabbists’ best friends - leftists generally. There are some more specific groups but thats a start.

 

[tonni]

Good luck.

 

[Islam Imamate]

Continue to oppose and hold to account salfists and wahabbists’ best friends - leftists generally. There are some more specific groups but thats a start.

Yeah, its the leftists that are the biggest friends of the wahhabists...

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