Handbook of Arab women and Arab Spring : challenges and opportunities

231 Pages·2014·1.908 MB·English

by  Muhamad Olimat

Handbook of
Arab Women and Arab Spring
This volume is devoted to examining the role of Arab women in Arab Spring and their con-
tribution to the ongoing process of change in the region. It is one of the few, if not the only,
work devoted to this purpose. The book begins with an examination of the process of demo-
cratization and its impediments in the Arab World since the Second World War. It then looks
at the conditions that led to the upsurge of the so-called Arab Spring. Finally, it underscores
women’s role as participants, organizers and leaders, but also as victims.
The main thesis of the book is that, while Arab women were an integral part of the revolu-
tionary efforts within the Arab Spring paradigm, they did not benefit from their sacrifices.
Although they continue to be part of the process of change, their gains, rights and scope for
participation are still limited. If the expansion of women’s participation and the scope of their
rights do not seem to be a priority for revolutionary forces, women have made remarkable
achievements, especially in some Arab Spring countries such as Yemen and Libya.
ThebookincludescasestudiesofsomeArabSpringcountriesandothercountriesinfluenced
by developments: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia,
Tunisia and Yemen. It calls on revolutionary and reformist forces to give special attention to
issues related to Arab women, as they are an indispensable pillar in the process of reform,
development, peace and stability in the Middle East.
Muhamad S. Olimat, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Middle East Politics and International
Relations at the Institute for International and Civil Security, Khalifa University for Science,
Technology and Research, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. His area of expertise is Middle
East politics and US foreign policy toward the Middle East. Dr Olimat has published several
articlesonthe region, and his book,China and the MiddleEast:From Silk RoadtoArab Spring, has
been published by Routledge.
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Handbook of Arab Women
and Arab Spring
Challenges and opportunities
Editor: Muhamad S. Olimat
Routledge
¡ Ik Taylor &. Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
Firsteditionpublished2014
byRoutledge
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RoutledgeisanimprintoftheTaylor&FrancisGroup,aninformabusiness
©2014MuhamadS.Olimatforselectionandeditorialmaterial
©2014JournalofInternationalWomen’sStudies,BridgewaterStateUniversity,
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Therightoftheeditortobeidentifiedastheauthoroftheeditorialmaterial,
andoftheauthorsfortheirindividualchapters,hasbeenassertedinaccordance
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Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedorreproduced
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LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
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pagescm.--(Routledgeinternationalhandbooks)
Summary:““DiscussestheroleofArabwomenintheArabSpringandtheircontribution
totheprocessofchangeintheregion.Includesanexaminationoftheprocessof
democratizationandthecausesoftheArabSpringinadditiontocasestudiesfromArab
Springcountries.”--Providedbypublisher”--Providedbypublisher.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
1.ArabSpring,2010-2.Women,Arab.3.Democratization--Arabcountries--21st
century.
4.Arabcountries--Politicsandgovernment--21stcentury.I.Olimat,Muhamad
JQ1850.A91A7932014
909'.097492708312--dc23
2013036610
ISBN:978–1-85743-712-6(hbk)
ISBN:978-1-31585-866-1(ebk)
TypesetinBembo
byTaylor&FrancisBooks
EuropaCommissioningEditor:CathyHartley
EditorialAssistant:AmyWelmers
This book is dedicated to Arab women across the Arab world
who sacrificed themselves in Syria, Yemen, Libya, Egypt, Iraq and
elsewhere so that the Arab World could live free of tyranny; to the
thousands of Syrian women and girls, victims of torture, rape, sexual
violence and state terrorism; to the Arab people who, since the 13th
century, have risen against tyranny and continue to struggle to liberate
themselves from external dominance, colonialism, neocolonialism
and tyranny, and seek to restore their dignity, prosperity, peace and
stability. Although the world seems silent and indifferent toward your
suffering, you are not forgotten, and justice will be served one day.
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Contents
List of illustrations ix
List of contributors x
Foreword xiii
Acknowledgements xv
Abbreviations xvi
Introduction: democratization, Arab Spring and Arab women 1
Muhamad S. Olimat
1 Arab women and political development 17
Rowaida al-Maaitah, Arwa Oweis, Muntaha Gharaibeh, Hmoud
Olimat and Hadeel al-Maaitah
2 Gender empowerment in Algeria 32
Sangeeta Sinha
3 Bahraini women and the Arab Spring: meeting the challenges of
empowerment and emancipation 48
Magdalena Karolak
4 An Egyptian Spring for women? 61
Nadine Sika
5 The role of women in the Egyptian revolution of
25 January 2011 70
Manalal-Natour
6 The Arab Spring and women in Kuwait 86
Muhamad S. Olimat
7 Prospects for women in the new Libya 106
Wafa Bugaighis
vii
Contents
8 The struggle for women’s rights in Morocco: from historical
feminism to 20 February 2011 activism 121
Zeineb Touati
9 Saudi Arabian women’s rights and the Arab Spring uprisings:
contextualizing grassroots activism and state reforms 134
Magdalena Karolak
10 The status of women in Syria before and during the Arab Spring 146
Lorraine Charles and Kate Denman
11 Social networks and women’s rights activism in post-revolutionary
Tunisia 162
Zeineb Touati and Sami Zlitni
12 The Arab Spring: the beginning or the end of women’s dreams
in Yemen? 176
Lody Odeh
Conclusion 193
Muhamad S. Olimat
Index 197
viii
List of illustrations
Figures
10.1 Perpetrators of sexual attacks in Syrian uprisings 156
11.1 Organization of activism according to a reticular networking model 168
Tables
2.1 Gender indicators, 2005 41
2.2 Gender indicators, 2010 42
2.3 Labour force participation rates 44
4.1 Female education and employment levels in Egypt, 1990–2011 65
6.1 Kuwait’s elections since 1921 87
6.2 Elections data, 2009 90
6.3 Assembly elections data, 2009 90
6.4 Assembly elections data, 2009 and 2012 91
6.5 Elections data, 2008 91
6.6 Elections data, 2006 92
6.7 Elections data, February 2012 94
6.8 District 1 results, February 2012 94
6.9 District 2 results, February 2012 95
6.10 District 3 results, February 2012 96
6.11 District 4 results, February 2012 96
6.12 District 5 results, February 2012 97
6.13 District 1 winners, December 2012 98
6.14 District 2 winners, December 2012 98
6.15 District 3 winners, December 2012 99
6.16 District 4 winners, December 2012 100
6.17 District 5 winners, December 2012 100
9.1 Growth of the Saudi population 142
10.1 Female victims of the Syrian uprising 154
12.1 Total number of casualties in the Yemeni uprising 186
12.2 A breakdown of participants in the Yemeni National Dialogue conference 189
ix