When adultery is committed in Egypt and a husband catches his wife red-handed and kills her, the community demands a light punishment for him, taking into consideration that his manliness cannot tolerate such a thing.
But when a wife catches her husband red-handed and kills him, the community demands that she be hanged in a public square for killing the man who paid her dowry to enjoy her and sleep with her. She is then required to forgive him when he slips.
When a woman is harassed on the street, the community blames her for what she was wearing, as women should not wear clothes that arouse the frustrated hormones of men, as if only men have hormones. They do not realize that this is an insult to men, depicting them as raging bulls that cannot control themselves if they see a woman’s heel, lock of hair or earlobe.
And when a famous actor refuses to undergo a DNA test because a famous actress filed a lawsuit against him demanding he prove he is the father of her children, the community sides with the male stallion and stabs the woman with a sword soaked in poison for daring to expose herself.
The actor said the woman cheapened herself when she slept with him under an Urfi (unregistered, informal) marriage.
Regardless of whether an Urfi marriage is halal (permissible in Islam) or haram (prohibited in Islam), refusing the DNA analysis was a masculine privilege encouraged and applauded by the community, a community that even considers his secret relationship with the woman an act of virility.
This reminds us of the story of the Salafi MP who was caught in a car with a girl and how he was praised by his colleagues in parliament.
Men can get away with something like this, but women must hang in a public square. And the offspring of such a relationship might as well be killed, for that matter.
This is not a personal issue. It is a public issue that reflects the mentality of the community. It was brought to light only because it involved celebrities.
I believe the man had to recognize his children because he knew the position of his wife was stronger, thanks to her good parents who backed her up throughout this whole ordeal and did not succumb to sweeping attacks from the public. She was also supported by the National Council for Women, whose influence came from the support of the President's wife at the time (we know that nothing happened in Egypt at that time without presidential support).
But I believe the man would challenge the case and the woman would lose the appeal because the general atmosphere has changed as the Salafi thought has prevailed in peoples' minds.
Another reason she would lose the case is because she is an actress (we know that actresses in Egypt are looked down upon).
We are a sick community that has double standards. We are a community that secretly commits certain acts, but then condemns them publicly. We are a community that promotes virility for men and debauchery for women. We are a community that limits religiosity to wearing certain costumes and growing beards. We are a hypocritical community with no conscience and no future.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
