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It’s Not a Joke: Women’s Suffering Turned into a Mockery in Egypt

February 23, 2021
Credit: Mahmud Khaled/AFP

Being a woman in Egypt indicates that you most probably experienced at least one of the following: being physically or sexually abused, having no autonomy over your body, being a victim of female genital mutilation, or making less money than men and not being allowed allowed to hold certain positions just because you’re a woman. Then men find the audacity to ridicule your sufferings and your fight for gender equity, calling you “a whining exaggerating hormonal woman.” Isn’t it fun to make jokes about women’s oppression and suffering? No, it’s not. My struggle is not a joke for you to make because it is mine. After all, it is my reality that I have to confront every single day. Not for your pleasure, not for your amusement, and most certainly not to boost your male ego. Looking back at Adel Emam’s movies, Ahmed Ezz in Awlad Rizk, Tamer Hosny’s Sy El Sayed, Tameem Youness’s Salmonella, and most of the memes on Facebook, we will find that they are endorsing rape culture and patriarchy. I know what most of you think: it is just a song, a scene, a meme, no…


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