Role of Women in the Arab Revolutions - Essay Example

? The role of women in the Arab Revolutions Insert (s) The role of women in the Arab Revolutions Introduction Many of the contemporary Arab societies are masculine and as a result there have been little involvement of women in politics and other aspects of social life. The Arab spring not only resulted in the toppling of many dictatorships but it also witnessed many Arab women abandoning their stereotypic role of being voiceless and passive victims to fight for more freedom alongside men (Cole and Shahin, 2011, p. 4). From marching in Tunisia, Braving teargas in Yemen and Egypt to shouting slogans in the current Syrian popular revolt, women played a significant role in most of the events in the Arab revolution. After the revolutions in most Arab counties which show women and men united in their fight for freedom and democracy, the common perception of the Arab women in the eyes of their leaders as well as in the western media has changed. For example the idea that women were inferior to men in most of the Arab societies was done away with during the Arab revolution. The Arab spring was an epic of hope for thousands of women who hoped to achieve better lives and free themselves from the cultural inequalities that have continued to undermine women in the Arab world for many years. Prior to the Arab revolution, women in most parts of the Arab world were largely not concerned with politics. The roles of women were dictated by gender stereotypes that have been in existent for years. Consequently when the revolution began, many women in the Arab world took part in the political demonstrations as well as other revolutionary activities. Although the visibility and roles of women in the revolution varied from one region to another, they were united by their male counterparts in the fight for greater human rights and gender equality. Their positive role in the revolution served to highlight the important roles that women play in the contemporary Arab society. Generally women played a number of roles in the Arab spring without any discrimination. Some women such Tawakkol Karman, the Yemeni human rights activist led a number of demonstrations demanding more freedom and liberty for the ordinary citizens. This paper focuses on the significant roles that women played during the Arab revolution, their contributions to the Arab spring as well as highlight some of the notable women Arab women names whose contributions led to the success of the Arab spring. The role played by women during the Arab revolutions During the Arab revolutions, many women played key roles some of which were critical for the success of the revolutions that resulted in the end of many of the autocratic regimes in North Africa and the Middle Eastern regions. In places like Egypt, women abandoned their traditional roles and decided to stand side by side with men even in the face of dangers of suppression and harassment by the security forces that were defending the suppressive regimes. By actively participating in the events of the Arab revolution such as demonstrations, shouting slogans and taking to the streets, the Arab women demonstrated her strong determination for the realization of more freedom for their society. This heroic role did not only earn praise for the contemporary Arab women but it also changed the perception of women as mere housewives which has existed in the Arab world for centuries. The Arab revolutions also provided an opportunity for the Women to demonstrate that their role in the society can never be ignored. In the places like Yemen, Tunisia and Libya where women worked side by side with men during the demonstrations and popular revolt, the role of women significantly enhanced the success of the Arab revolutions as well as the consequent restoration of freedoms and rights for the ordinary citizens in most parts of the Arab world. Women were able to prove their strength and influence by voicing their concerns and opposition to oppression by dictatorial regimes that has been in existent in many Arab countries for many years. In almost all the regions that experienced the where the revolution, it was the perseverance and courage of the Women who participated in the revolution that helped shook the misconception in the Arab world that women’s role in the society is only confined to their inferior gender roles. Another important role that women played during the Arab revolutions was the provision of logistical support for the demonstrators during the revolt. For example in regions such as Egypt and Tunisia, Women were part of the committees that were formed to help watch against looters who may have taken advantage of the demonstrations. This was particularly of great significance to the success of the revolutions since the committees prevented the particular countries from the possible chaos that would characterize the revolutions. On the other hand, the solidarity as well as responsibility that were shown by women who took part in the protests as well as after the removal of the oppressive regimes was particularly impressive. For example Women such as Egypt’s Sally Zahran and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen all defied the high level of violence which was level against them during the demonstrations (DeLong, 2011, p.2). Women of various classes including students, journalists, housewives, employed and unemployed women all worked in solidarity with men to defend human rights and democracy in their countries as well as liberate their societies from the oppressive regimes. Far from the common stereotypical representation of women as housewives and submissive in the Arab world, the Arab revolution demonstrated that women can also play an active role in the public space and demand more freedom. It is therefore undeniable that Arab women played a significant role in the revolutions and the success of the revolution in most countries would not have been realized without their support. How women contributed to the success of the Arab spring According to many analysts, the success of the Arab spring largely depended on the efforts of many women who volunteered to take to the streets as well as use various social media platforms in the fight for more equality, freedom and democratic changes in their respective countries. Most of these women become the main protagonists in the various movements that lead to the recent upheavals in several Arab countries. During the Tunisian revolution, most of the bloggers who marshalled popular support for the uprising that led to the fall of the former suppressive regime were women. A large number of women took part in the demonstrations that eventually led to the collapse of Mubarak’s regime in Egypt as well as Libya’s Gaddafi regime. Many women were also involved in the peaceful demonstrations that were witnessed in Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the current Syrian revolt that is still ongoing. Many women also played a critical role in organizing the revolts and participating in activities such as shouting slogans and hunger striking. Muslim women throughout the Arab world also used various sources such as the international human rights laws and Koran verses to question the legitimacy of the Suppressive Arab regimes and demand more social and gender rights. Women also contributed to the success of the Arab revolutions by offering emotional support to their sons and husbands who faced oppression and injustices from the security forces in their fight for democracy and more social freedoms. For example some women stood firmly with their husbands and sons chanting anti oppression slogans. Others offered treatment for the wounded and encouraged their men to continue with their self sacrifice for the good of their particular countries. According to Abdulla (2010 p.23), the success of the Arab revolutions was significantly enhanced by the thousands of Women who chose to use of social media to organize the popular revolt, spread information and express their demand for greater social equality and freedom. In countries such as Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Egypt and Syria, women bloggers took advantage of the increased internet accessibility in their countries and used various social media platforms such as YouTube, twitter and Facebook to support the demonstrations and protest activities. This consequently enabled women particularly the ones with a considerable level of education to overcome cultural and social barriers and get involved in political activism. In most cases these women were working together with various non governmental organizations and women civil rights groups while at other times they were merely acting on their own conscience. Some of the most successful social media initiatives that were primarily organized by women during the Arab spring include the “HarassMap” in Egypt, Women2Drive in Saudi Arabia and the group Women4Libya during the Libyan protests. The success of Women in their use of social media for political activism during the Arab revolutions was a remarkable achievement particularly in view of the fact that only a third of the social media users in the counties that experienced Arab spring were women. The role of women standing side by side with men in the face of hardships During the Arab revolutions, many Arab Women abandoned their traditional roles and decided to stand side by side with men even in the face of dangers of suppression and harassment by the security forces that were defending the suppressive regimes. For example in places like Egypt, women were subjected to a number of injustices such as being subjected to forced virginity tests but they still stood firmly by their men in their fight against the oppressive regime (Amnesty International, 2011,p.4). There were also cases women were wounded during the peaceful protests. In the current Syrian popular uprising, women have stood with their sons and husbands indifferent to teargas and bullets. All these experiences during the Arab revolution have proved beyond any doubt that the contemporary Arab woman is no longer restricted to being a housewife and can no longer be viewed as a weak object that has no role to play in the society and politics. On the other hand, the Arab spring provided an opportunity for the Arab women to prove to the world that they have a voice and can stand up for their rights. In Tunisia, Egypt and Syria, women stood by the side of their men in demand for their own rights as well as the rights of the other citizens. In their big numbers women worked tirelessly to ensure that justice and freedom is achieved. The full participation of women in the events of the Arab revolution particularly in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and now Syria also demonstrates that the contemporary Arab woman is no longer afraid of adversities. This was particularly evident in the recent gathering of mothers in the city of Homs, Syria. Despite brutal shelling of the City by government troops, Syrian women from all social groups gathered in Homs, shouting slogans in their support of the Syrian revolution. Some women also prepared food for the rebels who were engaged in battles with the regime forces in the streets. Consequently such events also demonstrated that the today’s Arab women are not only strong and courageous but are determined to achieve whatever they want. In the other Arab countries that did not experience the Arab spring, women are increasingly taking part in the nation building and decision making processes in their countries. Many analysts concur that the post revolution Arab countries are likely to witness more women participating in both economic and sociopolitical processes (Kandiyoti, 2011). For example more women will be able to occupy government and civic positions and this will further empower women in the region. In short, by standing side by side with men, Arab women played a significant role in the revolutions and the success of the revolution in most countries would not have been realized without their support. Example of Arab women who contributed to the success of the Arab revolutions There are a number of Arab women who defied the popular image of women in the Arab world and contributed immensely towards the success of the revolutions in Tunisia, Yemen, Egypt and Libya. Women like Egypt’s Sally Zahran and Tawakkol Karman of Yemen withstood the high level of violence which was level against them during the demonstrations. In Egypt, another prominent woman who championed the course of the revolution was known as Assma Mahfouz. Mahfouz was regarded by many people as the leader of the Egyptian revolution particularly after she posted a YouTube video calling Egyptian youths to join the popular demonstrations. Her efforts helped spark widespread protests that eventually led to the fall of Mubarak’s regime. In Bahrain, the success of the revolution is significantly owed to a woman political activist known as Munira Fakhro who was a spokeswoman for the protesters. Munira was also one of the leading organizers of the peaceful demonstrations that demanded reforms in the Bahraini government. Together with the other leaders, she worked tirelessly to ensure that women and men of various classes including students, journalists, housewives, employed and unemployed women all worked in solidarity to champion reforms in Bahrain. Another notable woman during the Arab revolutions was a Yemeni journalist and human rights activist known as Tawakul Karman. She played a critical role in organizing the non violent demonstrations revolts as well as the other peaceful activities such as shouting in the fight for more freedom and justice in Yemen. Together with the other activists, Tawakul also called for the resignation of President Abdullah Saleh. As a result she was detained and faced a number of death threats after her release from detention. During the Tunisian revolution, a woman activist called Lina Mhenni traversed the entire country documenting the angry protests o her famous blog “The Tunisian Girl” She photographed the dead ass well as the wounded protesters and her blog highlighted the plight of Tunisians in their protests against the oppressive regime. Finally the current Syrian protests have also seen notable women such as human rights activist Razan Zeitouneh playing an important role in the freedom protests. These women leaders not only helped to change the image of the modern Arab woman, but their contributions significantly helped changed the political landscape in the Arab world (Sayigh, 2011, p.261). Working together with their male counterparts, they organized peaceful protests and demonstrations, staged sit-ins, networked with each other through social media platforms and endured brutal attempts by the security forces to suppress the popular revolts. Conclusion In conclusion, the active participation of the Arab women in the Arab revolutions has significantly helped to change the misconception in the Arab world that women can not play an active role in politics and in the society as a whole. This is particularly with regard to the fact that during the revolutions, many Arab women abandoned their stereotypic role of being voiceless and passive victims and instead chose to fight for more freedom alongside men. The contribution of women to the revolutions was not only limited to their sheer numbers during the protests but women also provided technological expertise, vision, logistics and the vision that ensured the success of the Arab revolutions. References Abdulla, R.K. 2010.The changing Middle East media over the past 20 years: opportunities and challenges. Cairo: American University Press. Amnesty International. 2011. Egypt: Admission of forced Virginity Tests must lead to justice. [Online].31May. Available at: [Accessed on 21 April 2012]. Cole, J., & Shahin C. 2011. An Arab spring for women. The missing story from the Middle East, Le Monde Diplomatique English Edition,26 April, pp.A1-A4. DeLong, J.N. 2011.The women of the Arab spring: from protestors to parliamentarians, Guardian Newspaper Common Ground News Service. [Online] 22, April. Available at: [Accessed on 21 April 2012]. Kandiyoti, D.M.2011. Promise and peril: women and the ‘Arab spring. Open Democracy. [Online] 8 March. Available at: [Accessed on 21 April 2012]. Sayigh, R.M.2011.Roles and functions of Arab women: a reappraisal. Arab Studies Quarterly, 3(3), p.258-274. Read More