Cairo -
An association for the defense of men's rights was established in Egypt, and it was declared as the "Egyptian Association for the Defense of the Rights of Men and Children in the Egyptian Family Law" in conjunction with the work on drafting a new law to replace the current controversial law.
This is the first association to defend men's rights, according to local newspapers, in light of the growing trend of the state and women's movements and organizations to grant women wide powers in the personal status law to be amended.
Inauguration of the assembly
Regarding the goals of establishing the association, its board chairman, lawyer Ahmed Matar Rizk, said, “The association seeks to defend the entity of the Egyptian family, and to resist the steady increase in divorce cases,” noting that it aims to enable men to use their rights by law and resist the provisions of imprisonment and abuse, especially if the divorce is the wife’s desire. and requested it.
Rizk criticized, in press statements, the current law's interest in women's rights at the expense of children and men.
The association held a press conference, last Wednesday evening, at the Center of Arab Civilization in Cairo, in which it announced the inauguration of the association after obtaining official approval for publicity, according to Mustafa Shafik, vice president of the association for media affairs.
An invitation to prove everything that the man submits in the marriage document, and the wife is obligated to return it in the event of a request for khul’ (Al-Jazeera)
The organization's goals
The Association for the Defense of Men's and Children's Rights had called - on its Facebook page - all Egyptian men to join its founding campaign, explaining that among its most important goals:
Reducing the age of custody to 7 years for a boy and 9 years for a girl, and canceling the option.
Replacing the vision law with the hosting law for the non-custodian.
Evidence of all the gifts and nets that the man gives and the movables he contributes in the marriage document as a dowry provider after its value has been converted into gold, and the wife is obligated to return it in the event of a divorce request.
Tougher penalties for anyone who is proven to be involved in illegal aid to women in the litigation stages (especially from those working in the judicial field or the police).
Tightening the penalty for adultery for the wife and the other party in the event that the act of adultery was committed during discord.
Providing legal and legal assistance to every husband whose rights have been violated by women because of the family law.
The establishment of the first association for the defense of men’s rights in #Egypt, after its declaration in the Directorate of Social Affairs in the name of the Egyptian Association for the Defense of the Rights of Men and Children in Family Law pic.twitter.com/iQddTL1zEc
— Monitor Network (@RassdNewsN) June 10, 2022
Controversial Status Law
The Personal Status Law, which has been controversial throughout time, is a set of legal rules that regulate the relationship of individuals among themselves, in terms of kinship and marriage, and what results from intermarriage, birth, guardianship, custody, and mutual rights and duties, and what may be experienced in matters that entail rights in alimony, custody, inheritance and will .
The history of the law, which discusses family affairs, dates back to 1920, and since then the state has made many amendments to it to keep pace with modern life and modern societal developments, but it has been subject to criticism, especially from feminist civil society organizations and a list of writers, thinkers and MPs who support them.
Some interacted on the communication platforms with the news of the announcement of the association concerned with the defense of men's rights, for the first time in Egypt, and considered it an important step in confronting what they called the "feminist" phenomenon, a feminist idea that seeks to centralize women around themselves.
Praise be to God, the first association to defend men’s rights was established in Egypt. Watch the series “Men of the World,” Unite to Know Your Fate!!!!
— shadyelrefaie Shady Al-Refaie (@shadyel_refaie) June 11, 2022
The establishment of the first association for the defense of men’s rights in #Egypt, after its declaration in the Directorate of Social Affairs in the name of the Egyptian Association for the Defense of the Rights of Men and Children in Family Law pic.twitter.com/iQddTL1zEc
— Monitor Network (@RassdNewsN) June 10, 2022
25 divorce cases for every 100 marriages
Egypt is witnessing a remarkable increase in divorce rates with a decrease in marriage rates, as the number of divorce certificates increased during 12 months 2020-222 thousand, compared to 199 thousand in 2015, an increase of 12%, and at a rate of 26 divorces every hour, according to the statistics of the Central Agency for Mobilization General and Statistics (official).
Divorce rates in the country increased by 49% during the 10-year period from 2010 to 2020.
The number of marriage contracts decreased in 2020 to 876 thousand, compared to 969,000 contracts in 2015, a decrease of 10%, and an average of 101 marriage contracts every hour.
There are 24.5 divorce cases for every 100 marriages, which are not reassuring numbers and need study, according to the head of the Central Agency for Mobilization and Statistics, Major General Khairat Barakat.
Lawyer Montaser Al-Zayyat refuses to limit the preparation of the draft #Personal_Status_law to judges without involving #Al-Azhar and lawyers pic.twitter.com/4xPgo5JzGy
- Al Jazeera Egypt (@AJA_Egypt) June 8, 2022
Judges only on the draft law preparation committee
A few days ago, the Minister of Justice, Counselor Omar Marawan, decided to form a committee to prepare a draft personal status law and family courts, limiting them to judges only, and devoid of the participation of representatives from Al-Azhar or any other feminist or societal institutions, under the pretext of “the impartiality of the judge,” according to Marwan.
The minister assigned the decision to form the committee to the head of the Tanta Appeals Court, Counselor Abdel Rahman Mohamed Abdel Rahman Hanafi, and 10 other judges, and preparing the law within 4 months, and only receiving proposals via e-mail.
The head of the committee has the right to form an advisory group of specialists to refer a specific topic to it, and to take its advice on personal status issues that are presented to it, including medical, social, financial, religious, and other issues.
The opinion of Al-Azhar scholars will be advisory, according to the Minister of Justice, noting - in press statements - that Al-Azhar Al-Sharif is among those bodies whose opinion is sought on the law, and all the bodies stipulated in the constitution are taken for their opinion on any draft law.
Personal status law is a different subject from any law or decision that is taken. On the occasion, it is known that decisions will not find popular approval, and this is the recognition of the president, but this is their view of the public interest. Personal status is difficult to test because neither Al-Azhar nor women’s organizations will be able to exclude them easily
— Ahmed iraqi (@Ahmad_Iraqii) June 10, 2022
Although there is almost unanimity on the necessity of amending the Personal Status Law, in line with the requirements of modern life, it remained confined to Parliament’s discussions, and there are several parties that are in conflict with the development of the amendments and final conceptions of the law, namely Al-Azhar, the government, representatives in Parliament, the National Council for Women, and community organizations. Civic and feminist movements.
The Minister of Justice commented on this conflict, earlier, by saying that each party wants to win its opinion and achieve gains for the group it represents in the personal status law proposals.
Despite Al-Azhar's adherence to its right to prepare and review the Personal Status Law, which derives many of its provisions from Islamic Sharia, the restriction of the committee concerned with preparing the draft law to judges and the absence of any other party was surprising to some.
https://t.co/Y9dfT4BZ2E
The Freemasonry agenda is applied to Muslims and the exclusion of Al-Azhar from the personal status law so as not to object to articles that affect Islamic law, as in Tunisia
— Abd elrahman (@engabde12098185) June 9, 2022
The Sheikh of Al-Azhar, Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, said - in an article in October 2019 - that Al-Azhar prepared the draft law “out of its legitimate duty,” explaining that, when the situation is related to laws whose source is the Qur’an, Sunnah and Islamic Sharia, which is the only source that can be launched. It includes the provisions of personal status, and it is never valid and it is not acceptable to leave talking about it to those who come and go.”
Ok, what is the new personal status law that Al-Azhar does not participate in?
— karim arafa (@karim0_arafa) June 9, 2022
Sisi's vision for the marriage contract
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi considered the Personal Status Law one of the most serious issues facing society and affecting its cohesion and future, calling, in televised statements, to unite and listen to all opinions to resolve the personal status file, and for the marriage contract to resolve the issue.
The purpose of the marriage contract to resolve the issue is that the marriage document should be accompanied by an appendix in which the rights and obligations of both spouses are established in the event of the marriage contract or their separation.
Despite his assertion that he is not biased towards women in the personal status issue, Sisi - according to what the Al-Ahram Gate website mentioned - considered women oppressed, considering that the efforts made in this regard are primarily aimed at achieving balance within society.