The Modern Egyptian - His Manners and Morals

I found this interesting article on page three of my Tuesday issue. It regards the safety of women who have to pass through the streets in front of the Arab trading shops. The author of the article is defending Europeans and claiming that the Arabic tradesman are the ones who are verbally harassing and potentially molesting these women. The author states “ladies who understand Arabic are lucky if they can pass in front of certain cafes, etc., situated in the most respectable quarters of Cairo, without hearing the most atrocious comments”(Gael). What I found most interesting about this article was that it was not the poor, lower-class servants and such who were doing this harassing, but rather the upper-class men who “possessed some means of education.”

Unfortunately, women’s safety has not improved much in modern times. Since this article made women seem so helpless, I looked up women’s rights in 1906 and found that this was actually a very important time for women’s rights. During this time, Nabawiya Musa pioneered the movement for women’s education. She was the first Egyptian girl to have a high school education.

Here are some links to related articles from classmates:

• women are always lying
• wife murder