Women after Arab Spring

Standing against tyranny is not easy. Years of torture and years of oppression build up.  People become so scared of tyranny that they can’t raise their voices against the cruelty of their governments. For years Arab communities closed their eyes to the bribery in their governments, raping and mistreatment of women and children, poverty, unemployment, and violation of human rights. After one man set himself on fire in Tunisia it all triggered a revolution called "Arab Spring". Like a domino effect, with the help of social media, the whole world watched the awakening of Arab countries one by one. First it was Ben Ali to be overthrown in Tunisia then Mubarak in Egypt, then Abdullah Saleh in Yemen and finally Kaddafi in Libya. Major and minor protest occurred in all the Arab countries such as Syria, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. The protests lessened the power of absolute monarchies, and changed the government structures while raising issues of women’s  and human rights in Arab communities. 

After all the deaths and torturing of people, these countries still don’t have democracy. The dictators might be overthrown but religious governments are still being elected. For example in Egypt, the new elected parliament is extremely religious. 

So what about those women who fought for their own freedom right beside men? If the new governments are going to be ruled based on religion, in my opinion, it leads women into another era of oppression. Women won’t be able to choose whether or not to wear that veal or simply be seen in public with men. It is so shameful to see those women who fought with men and died with men during Arab Spring to be seen as second-class individuals. It isn’t the religion’s fault; it is men’s fault who try to empower women using religion. Unfortunately, if Arab communities continue on electing religious parliaments, the situation will not change for a long time.