International Women’s Day: a year of revolutions and gains for women in the Arab world

Since the Algerian protests erupted in February 2019, Algerian women have clearly emerged alongside men, rejecting the candidacy of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika for a fifth term and demanding change.

Some Algerian media reported that the presence of women was low during the early days of the protests, but that quickly changed.

Women like Jamila Bouhaired and Louisa Egil Ahriz, the “activists” of the revolution to liberate Algeria from French colonialism, led the ranks when they were over eighty years old.

On their way, the young activists demonstrated their courage and their desire for change.

Among them, the activist Samira Masousi, and the two rights claimants: Nour Al-Hoda and Yasmine Dahmani, who were arrested and sentenced to death for “expression of opinion”.

Among the symbols of popular protests in Algeria is Aunt Zahia, who carries a broom during protests to “cleanse the country of the corrupt”.

Algerian women captured the attention of newspapers, and many writers said the protests offered them a new platform to speak out and claim their rights.

On this subject, the Algerian journalist Farah Soames wrote, in a tweet on Twitter, before the final match of the African Nations Football Championship: “Women have regained public space since February 22, and today they restored the stadium buildings. A neighbor of mine who has lived in the area for 54 A year, she set foot on the stadium for the first time. There are thousands like her today. “

Journalist Amal Blidi declares in Al-Watan newspaper: “The restoration of spaces for expression has given new life to the cause of women thanks to the February 22 movement.”

The participation of women in the Algerian movement has not been without challenges and risks, in which it has demonstrated its ability to overcome and face them.

Among the most significant threats to Algerian women is the demand of an Algerian – believed to be living in the UK – to throw water on protesters via a video on Facebook on March 5 last year.

Women have dominated the protests in Lebanon, which began on October 17, days after the government decided to impose new taxes, demand the departure of the ruling class and the end of the sectarian regime and the corruption. His participation was unparalleled and extremely influential.

In addition to political demands in what was known as the ‘October Revolution’, women pushed their demands for equality in the country, which ranks 145th out of a total of 153 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, published by the World Economic Forum.

Although women were exposed early in the movement to sarcasm campaigns addressing women as a sexual subject on social media platforms, protesters in Lebanon challenged stereotypical judgments against them and became an inspiring role model for women of the Middle East.

Many photos have appeared with the participation of Lebanese women, some of whom have become icons of the “October Revolution”, the most prominent being of an Alawite king kicking security personnel for the prevent shooting at the demonstrators.

The photo sparked controversy on social media between supporters and opponents, but it was certainly an inspiration to many who saw it as “courage”, a revolution and a “new Lebanon”.

The courage of the Malaks and the protesters in Lebanon in general also inspired women in the Middle East, as did the< Kandaka >> (i.e. Queen of Nubia) Alaa Salah, who inspired protesters in Sudan and became an icon of the movement which, after months of protests, succeeded in overthrowing the regime of Omar el- Bashir.

Women’s participation in the protests in Iraq, which began on October 1, is unprecedented in the conservative Arab country, which has suffered decades of war, radicalization by Islamic groups (Sunnis and Shiites) and violence.

Iraqi women registered their bold presence in Tahrir Square in Baghdad and in all areas of the popular movement, what Iraqis described as the October anti-government revolution and corruption.

The participation of women in protests was not limited to mere attendance, but also to various forms of participation, such as the provision of food and the needs of protesters.

Women have also responded to calls for the exit of a million women in the capital, Baghdad, and in the governorates of Basra and Nasiriyah in the south, which have been described as “a million feminist protests for the first time in the history of Iraq ”.

On March 8, International Women’s Day was called for feminist protests, on the occasion of what has been called “Iraqi Revolution Day”.

This unprecedented step captured media attention, but it also faced widespread criticism, including criticism from Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his supporters who called the calls “spreading vice.” in the society.

Since the protests began, women have also been subjected to harassment and threats, including resulting in kidnappings and murders, as happened in the case of young Kurdish woman, Zahra Ali Salman. , last December.

However, Iraqi protesters defy religion and traditions that condemn the mixing of the sexes. The first women’s protest took place in the town of Najaf, where they launched the slogan “I was born Iraqi to become a revolution”.

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