Page 6 - Issue-15

ELITE ISSUE 15, JANUARY 2020 PAGE 6

ﻝﺰﻜﻔ لﺎﻕﺟ ﻖﻠﻕﺰﺎﻟ و ﻞﺤﺒﺶ ﺎﻗﺎﻉﻒﻠﺰ , يﺪﺠﻔ ﻞﻔار : (ﻖﻠﻕﻠﻑا) ﻖﻔ ﺎﻘﻟرﺭﺤﻔ ﻁﻔ ﺔﻟرﺎﻎﺬﺗ رﻜﺶ ﻞﻈ رﺎﻌﻉﻑا وذ ﻝﻘﻔ .د ﺎﻘﺘﻉﻠﺹ

recording what occurs in real life and objectively assessing after being rejected by multiple producers because it
the facts from a human rights perspective. Hence, w e was seen as non-commercial and that it wouldn ’t render
neither applaud nor criticize the whole time, but w hen profits.My father was a supporter of women ’s rights and
progress is made in legislation, implementation or services, Faten was enthusiastic about exposing and resolving the

we record that as well. problems of married women who cannot attain their
right to divorce by law. Therefore, he produced it;
consequently these issues were part of my everyday life
• You have a similarly an active role in women ’s rights,
and I understood Khul ’ early in my life. When I started
what is your evaluation of women ’s rights in Egypt?
my legal career in the 80s I prepared a draft of a new
There has been a significant progress at the consti tutional
marriage contract and campaigned that parents would
level and at the level of appointing women in leadi ng
put conditions in the marriage contract that protec t their
positions; we currently have female ministers, vice
daughters, including Khul ’ and the right of a woman to
ministers and members of parliament. On the other h and,
divorce herself.. At first, it was attacked for bei ng a
there are still no equal opportunities in the judic iary. I hope
western project; others attacked it for being a
that the Council of the State will consider positiv ely the
communist one; however, I proved that the Islamic
applications of the exceptional Egyptian womenwho a re
marriage contract is a civil contract and that incl uding
worthy of joining the Administrative Courts just as they
conditions is typical, and I referred to the marria ge
proved their competence when they joined the judici ary in
contract of Al Sayeda Sukayna daughter of Al Hussie n
the ordinary courts; especially that the Egyptian w oman is
and others. The campaign continued till I reached t he
hardworking and precise and that the constitution h as
conclusion that a woman ’s right to unilaterally obtain
affirmed her right to be appointed to all judiciary positions,
divorce through (Khul ’a) must be affirmed by law. It
without discrimination.
was a long battle but we succeeded in issuing the l aw in
The percentage of women ’s unemployment is more than
2000 and the film was a great support. Although th ere
two times the male ’s unemployment rate in youth and fresh
were many challenges against the Khul ’a provision, the
graduates and the poverty rate in female headed hou seholds
Supreme Constitutional Court rejected them all. Thi s
is one of the highest. So we work in financing micr o
law saved the lives of thousands of women suffering
projects as they help youth and the poor in general to fight
from violence or even unhappiness in getting divorc e
poverty and unemployment, and around 70% of the
through accelerated Khul ’a procedures, since women
beneficiaries are women. Nonetheless, the road ahea d is
give up their deferred dowry and financial maintena nce
still a long one, the new draft personal status law s are still
and automatically obtain divorce by Khul ’a. Divorce
laden with serious problems and there is still a co nsiderable
for damage still takes a long time and hence must b e
percentage of women who suffer from poverty and
reconsidered in order not to force women to give up
violence.
their financial rights to obtain divorce.
• What about your role in formulating the law of Kh ul ’a

(women ’s right to unilateral divorce) in 2000?
• What do you think about the draft regarding
The movie “Oreed Halan,i.e. I need a solution ” starring
personal status law drafted by Al-Azhar?
Faten Hamama was produced by my father Salah Zulfic ar