Egyptian parliament Mohamed Fouad submitted a draft bill with the House of Representatives to amend Law No. 103 for 1961 on re-organizing Al-Azhar and its affiliated institutions in order to further encourage gender equality.
The draft amendments suggest that women be represented by no less that 25 percent of the members in the Senior Scholars Authority of Al-Azhar, which is a 40-member body.
In the explanatory memorandum to the draft bill, Fouad said that these suggested amendments came out of commitment to Article Nine of the Constitution, which obliges the state to achieve equality of opportunity among all citizens without discrimination in accordance with Article 11 of the Constitution, which stipulates that the state shall ensure equality between women and men in all rights; civil, political, economic, social, and cultural, in accordance with the provisions of the constitution.
“We believe that national duty and responsibility to history require us to guarantee women the right to participate effectively in all aspects of national work and to safeguard their rights,” Fouad said.
“The amendment is in line with Egypt’s 2030 vision and its sustainable development strategy, which seeks to build a just society that guarantees equal rights and opportunities for its sons and daughters for the highest social integration of all groups,” he added.
He pointed out that the purpose of the draft law is to comply with the provisions of the Egyptian Constitution, which reflects the will of the people and emphasizes equality of opportunity, non-discrimination and guaranteeing the achievement of equality between men and women in all rights and various fields.
The draft also stresses that all citizens are equal before the law and never to be discriminated against religion, beliefs, gender or otherwise.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
