A Letter to My Future Daughter

My dear future daughter,

I wish I could hold you in my heart and keep you safe from the cruelty of this world but unfortunately I cannot.

I have recently turned twenty-one, still quite young, huh? But as I look into the mirror, I see a powerful fearless young girl willing to face the challenges of the life ahead of her! I do not claim to be the wisest nor the most experienced girl on Earth but I have observed life and realized some of its facts. However, they are not all sweet unfortunately.

Dear, life is not a fairy-tale nor the bedtime story I read to you. Reality can be harsher than you can ever imagine. People are not angels, they can be deadly serpents. People will hurt you, disappoint you, abandon you and intoxicate you. They will make you feel worthless and undesirable and nothing tastes bitterer than feeling worthless! One night they will lift you up high in the sky, put you to sleep and dream on the softest cloud and the next day they will leave you to fall to the hard solid ground again without catching you even though they promised they would. Believe me when I tell you that not everyone has the same heart as you. You should grow up! Learn to be mature, strong and independent.

Listen dear, you are beautiful. You are one in a million. You are an ocean full of secrets and a sky full of dreams and ambitions that shine too bright in the eyes of your envious enemies! You are the womb of a coming promising generation. You have got passion in your veins, rainbows on your mind and charm just slips out of your mouth the moment you speak. You do not need satin attires or precious jewels to make you shine, you are like a rare pearl that dazzles whoever looks closely at you.

Do not ever question your worth! Put your insecurities and doubts aside and just rise up and shine! The world needs you! Do not be afraid of a little bit of darkness, pleasure is only on the other side.

This post is a reminder for myself before my future daughter and to every woman who happens to be struggling with herself at the moment.

Women in Paris Protest against ‘No Go Zones’

Women protest against the "No Go Zones" in Paris.

The so-called "No Go Zone" in Paris, France.

Women took to the streets of one of the poorest areas of Paris on Friday to protest at what they say has become an all-male “no-go zone”, where any female daring to go there alone is subject to severe sexist harassment or worse.

It’s claimed the district of Chapelle-Pajol, in the north east of the French capital, has become more dangerous for women as the rate of immigration there grows. Large groups of men are said to hang around in the streets, sometimes drinking, and often intimidate women.

One 80-year-old woman from the district has even said she was sexually assaulted walking home one night. Others have complained about catcalls and verbal abuse, which makes them feel unsafe.

SOS La Chapelle, which organized the protest, has launched an online petition urging Paris authorities to highlight the harassment, drug-dealing and crime plaguing parts of Paris. It has so far been signed by more than 18,000 people. Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said: “We will not tolerate an area being prey to acts of discrimination against women.” “That does not correspond to the values of Paris nor of the Republic” he added.

Pippa Middleton’s wedding will be a ceremony fit for a queen

Pippa Middleton and James Matthews smile for the cameras after their wedding at St Mark's Church in Englefield. Picture: APSource:AP

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, left, stands with her daughter Princess Charlotte. Picture: APSource:AP

The world’s most famous bridesmaid, Pippa Middleton has married in a wedding fit for a queen — she tied the knot with her banker beau James Matthews at St. Mark's Church in Englefield, Berkshire in England on Saturday.

The ceremony took place in front of friends and family, including her sister Kate Middleton, her husband Prince William, their kids Prince George, 3, and Princess Charlotte, 2, who served as a page boy and bridesmaid, and William's brother Prince Harry.

The ceremony space was decorated in gorgeous garlands of pink and white roses and other flowers. The bride wore a stunning lace dress with a high neck, capped sleeves and a back cut-out designed by Giles Deacon, a London designer who started his career at Gucci under Tom Ford.

The guests later headed to the wedding reception, held at Michael and wife Carole Middleton's home. Harry arrived with girlfriend Meghan Markle, after reportedly driving back to London, about 50 miles away, to pick her up.

The National Council for Women in Alexandria participates in the inauguration of «Women in the Cycle of Violence» Exhibition

Dr. Magda El Shazly, rapporteur of the National Council of Women in Alexandria participates in the inauguration of the exhibition "Women in the Cycle of Violence".

Dr. Magda El Shazly, rapporteur of the National Council of Women in Alexandria, participated in the inauguration of the exhibition of the artist Abdel Salam Eid about “Women in the Cycle of Violence.”

The Rapporteur of the branch expressed her gratitude for the adoption of the artist Abdel Salam Eid, the issue of violence against women, in an attempt to celebrate the year 2017 of the Egyptian women. She also expressed her admiration for the different paintings in the exhibition.

The paintings of the exhibition tell the story of women and the view of society towards them in the past and the concepts and perceptions prevailing. In addition to that, the artist adopted the presentation of the two sexes; the masculine and the feminine and the issue of circumcision represented by a painting showing women as flowers then their hands have been cut off. The language of art is beautiful for expressing what is published and integrated with the message of the National Council Greetings to the artist Abdul Salam Eid.

Meet the Egyptian Female Archaeologist Leading Her Own Excavation

Egyptian archaeologist Nora Shawki during one of her excavations.

Nora Shawki is a 27-year-old Egyptian archaeologist who has been excavating ancient sites in the Delta for almost five years and is now getting ready to direct her very own dig this October. She maintained her passion for the field all through her undergraduate studies in archaeology at SOAS University in London and further on through her graduate studies at Durham University.

“My main challenge right now is trying to receive the permits from Egypt for the dig as the director. There are various roadblocks my way in the sense that I’m a female director, and that I did not obtain my degree from Cairo University,” she said. Shawki however is confident that with a little bit of diligence and persistence, she’ll be able to obtain the permits she has been trying to get a hold off for almost a year.

In 2015, Shawki received the prestigious Young Explorer Grant from National Geographic, which provided her with the funding needed to lead her own excavation of Tell Zuwelen, a site in Sharqiya governorate. This settlement was a satellite of Tanis, a major religious, economic, and cultural center in ancient Egypt.

Melania Trump hails 'empowerment of women' at Saudi company visit

First Lady Melania Trump is greeted as she visits GE All women business process service center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed

U.S. First Lady Melania Trump praised the "empowerment of women" at a General Electric all-female service center in the Saudi capital on Sunday, stating that women should work together and educate their children well.

She is accompanying U.S. President Donald Trump on his first international visit to Saudi Arabia since taking office in January, and told 200 female employees that she tried to make balance between her role as a First Lady and a mother.

"It is about finding the balance," she told the women there. Later on Twitter, she wrote "Enjoyed talking to the incredible women working hard @GE_Saudi service center. Great strides being made towards the empowerment of women."

Although Saudi Arabia is known to be one of the most gender-segregated nations in the world, the women’s situation started to improve as late King Abdullah declared in 2011 that women could join the government advisory Shura Council to diversify the economy, employ more women and cut reliance on oil.

Half of Macron’s Cabinet are Women!

Presidential Candidate Emmanuel Macron holds his electoral evening in La Louvre in Paris.

The newly-elected French president Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his cabinet on Wednesday. In accordance with an earlier pledge, women fill half of the 22 positions.

“It is a government of renewal,” the president’s office said in a statement to The New York Times. In addition to being gender balanced, Macron’s cabinet also includes a diverse set of members which come from both the right and left parties and who are from public, private and non-profit sectors.

And here are all the women of the cabinet, posing with the president and prime minister. The front row, left to right: Labour Minister Muriel Pénicaud, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, President Emmanuel Macron, Armed Forces Minister Sylvie Goulard, Culture Minister Françoise Nyssen and Higher Education Minister Frederique Vidal.

Second row, left to right: Junior Minister for Disabilities Sophie Cluzel, Minister in charge of European Affairs Marielle de Sarnez, Overseas Territories Minister Annick Girardin, Sports Minister Laura Flessel-Colovic, Junior Minister for Equality Between Men and Women Marlene Schiappa and Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne.

In January, Macron showed his support to gender equality when he said in a speech "Women currently represent 53 percent of the electoral body, so it’s unacceptable that they make up less than 30 percent of those elected to the National Assembly," he announced. "Unlike other political parties, we plan to respect gender parity."

Women Empowerment in Saudi Arabia

Women in Saudi Arabia. Picture: HASSAN AMMAR/AFP/Getty Images

   

In one of the most gender-segregated nations of the world and where women are not allowed to drive and are required to get the permission of a male guardian to study, travel or even get married, a major step has been taken. Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued an order allowing women to benefit from government services such as education and healthcare without getting the consent of a male guardian.

The king has given three months for all government agencies to provide a list of procedures that require the consent of a male guardian, underscoring the urgency to change the system. With declining oil prices and large military spending for the Saudi-led military campaign in neighbouring Yemen, women are actually being viewed by the monarchy and society as important and vital to the economy’s well-being.

Women’s rights advocate and a director at the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, Maha Akeel welcomed the new changes that would empower women and give them more freedom in important life decisions. “Now at least it opens the door for discussion on the guardian system” Akeel told the Thomson Reuters Foundation. “Women are independent and can take care of themselves” she added.

Meet Egypt’s first female deaf dentist

Esraa El Bably is an Egyptian girl who was born deaf. Despite the discrimination and the difficulties she had faced in the Egyptian society, she was able to make her dream come true and become Egypt’s first deaf dentist.

As a child, Esraa did not want to attend a school for the disabled so she applied for many mainstream schools in Egypt but was rejected from all of them. Her mother saw her potential and eagerness to learn and took her to Bahrain for her education.

 Esraa aspired to become a dentist but on her return to Egypt, she faced another challenge. She was turned away by all dental schools except for one which accepted her.

Esraa is currently working professionally and successfully in a dental office and her patients say that she is a great dentist and that they feel comfortable dealing with her. “We’re all different, we all have our own weaknesses. But, weaknesses can be turned to strength. As long as you are storng, and you don’t care what others think, the whole universe will bend in front of you” Esraa said.

Watch this video for Esraa's story: https://www.facebook.com/bbcthree/videos/10154945208055659/

Nour El-Sherbini the Queen of World Squash

Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini posing with the trophy after winning the Women’s World Squash Championship for the second time.

Egypt’s Nour El-Sherbini defeated compatriot Raneem El-Welily in the Gouna Squash Open Final on Friday, retaining her title in the Orascom Development PSA Women’s World Championship.

El-Sherbini, who is the first-ever Egyptian World Champion, successfully secured the title for the second year in row. The 21-Year-Old was at her best during her game against world number three El-Welily as she was able to close the win out by 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 in 40 minutes in an all-Egyptian final.

“I’m really over the moon with this win. Two or three months ago I wouldn’t have imagined myself winning because I haven’t won any major titles all season,” said Nour.

She added: “I’m really happy to win in front of my home crowd and it’s never easy to play Raneem. I’ve grown up learning a lot from her and she’s told me a lot of things off court and on court. She’s the best ‘sister’ I could ever have besides my squash career and I am really thankful for everything she did for me.”

Egypt Mourns Three Female Martyrs from Police Forces

Brig. Gen. Nagwa Al-Haggar with her son.

Sgt. Asmaa Hussein

Sgt. Omneya Roushdy

Three Egyptian policewomen lost their lives at the bombing of St. Mark’s Church in Alexandria on Palm Sunday. Those three heroines became the first Egyptian policewomen to pass away in the line of duty.

First woman to die in that horrifying suicide attack was Brig. Gen. Nagwa Al-Haggar who was 53 years old. She was in charge of inspecting people entering the church and to maintain the security of the worshipers. Sadly, Al-Haggar lost her life as she was securing the main gate of the church where a suicide bomber detonated his bomb after trying to enter but being exposed. The two other female policewomen were Sgt. Asmaa Hussein and Sgt. Omneya Roshdy who both died on duty as well.

The bomb detonated early on Sunday in front of the main gate of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, left at least 16 killed and 40 injured, according to the Health Ministry.

Watch video of the St. Mark's Cathedral bombing here:https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2017/apr/10/alexandria-coptic-church-attack-video-shows-lead-up-to-suicide-bombing

Women Who Changed The World

The world is full of strong, ambitious and influential women whose bravery and dedication are a source of inspiration. Those women were able to make their voices heard and to serve humanity in different fields and sectors. We have got a list here which includes ladies who are pioneers in medicine, science, literature and much more. Narrowing down my list was a not an easy task but let’s go together on a journey throughout history and get introduced to five women who changed the world.

1.  Elizabeth Blackwell (First female doctor)

“It is not easy to be a pioneer - but oh, it is fascinating!”

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to receive a medical degree from an American medical school. She faced lots of struggles and hardships including admittance to an all-all male institution and financing medical school. Along with her own sister and colleagues, she opened the New York Infirmary for women and children in 1856. This institution and its medical college provided training and experience for woman doctors and medical care for the poor. By entering this male-dominated career, Blackwell was able to pave the way for many women to practice medicine. 

2. Marie Curie (First female winner of Nobel prize)

“Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas”

Marie Curie was born in Warsaw, Poland. She was a physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. Curie was the first Professor of General physics in the faculty of sciences at the Sorbonne in 1906. She was also the first woman to obtain a Doctor of science degree and the first woman ever to win a Nobel Prize. In addition to that, she is the only person to win in two different sciences which were Physics and chemistry. Madame Curie was able to discover two elements, polonium and radium. She is unarguably a genius and a true inspiration to all women.

3. Mother Teresa (The compassionate humanitarian)

“Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love”

Mother Teresa was originally from Macedonia, she was a catholic nun and is considered one of the greatest humanitarians of the 20^th century. She dedicated her life to helping the sick and the poorest of the poor, her charitable work included helping evacuate young hospital patients during the war in Lebanon, doing earthquake relief in Armenia, and ministering to famine victims in Ethiopia. She founded the order of the Missionaries of charity, a Roman Catholic congregation which had over 4,500 sisters. Among many other honours, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. A true role model, Mother Teresa!

4.    Malala Yousafzai (The bravest children’s rights activist)

“We realize the importance of our voices only when we are silenced”

Malala Yousafzai was born in Mingora, Pakistan. She is a children’s and woman rights activist. As a young girl, she defied the Taliban in Pakistan who at times banned girls from attending schools and demanded that girls must be allowed to receive education. She was shot in the head by a Taliban gunman in 2012, but survived. She also wrote a book I Am Malala to tell her story and was the youngest girl to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. Her experience is so heart touching and inspiring, the world certainly needs more brave young people like Malala!

5.  Anne Frank (The little diarist who told history)

“Despite everything, I believe people are really good at heart”

Anne Frank was born in Frankfurt, Germany. She was a diarist, writer and one of the most discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust. She fled with her family to Amsterdam due to Anti-Semitism in Germany. However, seven years later, the Nazis occupied the Netherlands which caused Anne and her family to spend two years hiding in an annex where she wrote a diary as a means of self-expression. Her diary was published after her death under the name of “The Diary of a Young girl” and served as a unique eye-witness account of life during Holocaust and became one of the world’s most read books.

Hillary Clinton: Misogyny “certainly” played a role in my defeat

Hillary Clinton speaks at women in the World Summit.

At the Women in the World Summit in New York on Thursday, former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke on women empowerment and said that misogyny certainly played a role in her 2016 election loss.

Clinton was greeted with a warm welcome at the Women in the World Summit. She said she “spends a lot of time wrestling” with the fact that 53% of white women voted for Trump and the impact of her gender on her loss. She added “With men, success and ambition are correlated with likability, so the more successful a man is, the more likeable he becomes. With women, it’s the exact opposite.”

Clinton advised women to take criticism seriously, but not personally. She is also on her mission to encourage women to run for office. Clinton covered a range of other issues, including US intervention in Syria and bipartisan investigation into Russia election interference.

Former president Obama shared her perception as he said during his campaign period, “society is still grappling with what it means to see powerful women.”

For a part of her interview, watch here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2017/apr/07/misogyny-played-a-role-in-election-loss-says-hillary-clinton-video

                                                                 

Mass sexual assault in Zagazig

Women chant slogans as they gather to protest against sexual harassment in front of the opera house in Cairo June 14, 2014. REUTERS

According to Al-Ahram, six men were arrested following a collective assault and harassment of a woman returning from a wedding on Thursday night in the Egyptian city of Zagazig.

Dozens of men encircled a woman who was in a dress, returning from a wedding at night. The woman was then insulted, assaulted and harassed. The owner of a café nearby and other men helped the girl and let her into the café to get away from the crowd.

The police was later informed of the incident and arrived shortly at the scene. The group of men reacted violently which caused the police to give five warning shots to disrupt the gathered crowd. Six men were then arrested and identified by the girl.

According to 2013 UN study, 99 percent of women in Egypt have witnessed some form of sexual harassment. However, the Egyptian government passed an anti-harassment law in 2014, which penalizes those found guilty of sexual harassment with a fine of LE 3,000 to LE 5,000 and/or a jail sentence of no less than six months.
Watch video of mass sexual assault here: https://www.facebook.com/livemisr1/videos/1312220062147767/

                                                                       
                               

Feminism Is For Everyone

         To begin with, Feminism is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. How it all started? Well, feminism had three waves or movements. The first-wave of feminism refers to a period of feminist activity during the 19^th and early twentieth century in the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands and the United States. It mainly focused on legal issues and primarily on gaining women’s suffrage (the right to vote). However, lots of people have a misconception about Feminism.

         Unfortunately the term "feminism" usually has a negative connotation for some people. Some people think of feminists as a bunch of angry women who are men-haters and who are actually willing to discriminate against men or to promote women superiority. Men even tend to find women who call themselves “feminists” less attractive, less appealing or less desirable.

        Feminism is NOT for men-haters nor lesbians as some may claim. On the contrary, being a feminist is not a label and feminism is for everyone. Feminists' mission is to empower women not to degrade men. Feminism is for men and women who believe in the equality between the two sexes. “I am a feminist and we should all be feminists because feminism is another word for equality” says Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate.

         Why is it important? Feminism is a movement to give women a voice, to end sexism, male domination and female oppression in society. Feminism is taking gender out of the equation and treating women as free independent humans who have a lot to bring to the world and who are dreamers and ambitious individuals willing to leave their impact in society.

        What has Feminism accomplished? How has it made the world a better place for women? It granted women the right to vote, the right to receive an education, the right to have equal job opportunities and to equally get paid, the right to initiate divorce proceedings and the right to own property. In addition to that, according to research from Safe Horizon, 1 in every 4 women will experience domestic violence and 5 percent of women on college campuses experience rape or attempted rape every year. Feminism actually fights against sexual harassment, rape culture and domestic violence. Of course all of this varies from one society to another and we shall hope that Arab human right activists would help make the situation better in the Middle East and to spread awareness about Feminism on a larger scale. Don’t forget that even you can become an activist if you just believe in your cause.

                                                                 

EgyptAir Launches Two Flights with Full Women Crews for the First Time

Full women crew on board of EgyptAir aircraft. Source: EgyptAir

Full women crew on board of EgyptAir aircraft. Source: EgyptAir

 EgyptAir celebrated International Women’s Day in their own special way. On Wednesday the 22^nd of March, the flag carrier airline of Egypt launched two flights piloted by female-only crew for the first time ever. The flights departed from Cairo International Airport heading to their destinations in Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.

 The first plane which took off and headed to Abu Dhabi, was an Airbus 330 and was led by Captain Hasnaa Taymour. The second plane was a Boeing 737 bound for Kuwait and led by Captain Heba Darwish. Not only female pilots, but the first flight also had First Officer Sarah Abdel-Fattah, ten flight attendants and two female security members on board. On board of the second aircraft, First Officer Sarah Roshdy, five flight attendants, and two female security members were present.

El Sisi had announced earlier that 2017 is the “Year of Women”. The Egyptian president honoured Captain Hasnaa Taymour on Tuesday at the celebration of Mother’s Day and Egypt’s Women’s Day.

“Heya” Campaign in Bibliotheca Alexandrina

“Women in the Maritime sector” and “Women and Media” sessions

Prof. Layla ElSaeed while giving her session.

Mrs. Nashwa Al Houfi while giving her session.

 The department of public services in Bibliotheca Alexandrina organised “Heya” campaign celebrating International Women’s Day 2017, from Sunday 19^th of March to Tuesday 21^st of March 2017. There were many sessions and workshops in the event given by big names in different fields.

On the 20^th of March, Prof. Layla ElSaeed, forum chairperson in MENA & Africa Arab International Women’s Maritime Forum (AIWMF), gave a session under the title of “Women in the Maritime Sector”. She discussed the challenges which face women in the maritime and transport sector especially Arab women and the importance of enhancing women maritime and professional leadership. This session was followed by a session under the title of “Women and Media” by journalist Mrs. Nashwa Al Houfi. She discussed the impact of advertisements on people in the society and how they developed over the years. She also discussed the importance of education and how it can shape the youth’s personalities.

The “Heya” campaign’s target is to raise awareness about the effective role of women in the society and to work on women empowerment in different fields and sectors.