Challenging Violence Against Women in Egypt

Egypt is the ‘Hollywood of the Middle East.’ People all over the region watch serials, films, and shows produced in Egypt, particularly during the month of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting and the most festive time of the year in most Arab countries. The collective consciousness of Arabs is largely shaped by the media. During Ramadan of 2001, for example, Egyptian television released a drama series centering on a male figure called Mitwalli.

Every day for an entire month audiences all over the Middle East were encouraged to sympathize with Mitwalli who married one woman, then a second, a third, and finally a fourth. His polygamous lifestyle was not only acceptable, but valued. In spite of occasional beatings or verbal abuse, Mitwalli’s four wives not only loved and respected him, they also managed to co-exist harmoniously. Mitwalli became a household name and the cause of much controversy. Whereas most previous drama series had showed polygamous men in a negative light, with the showing of the Mitwalli drama series, many started to defend polygamy. The lead actor and director defended the character’s polygamous, abusive lifestyle in talk shows. After this drama series, polygamy became a lesser evil in the collective consciousness of many Arabs.

Following this flagrant instance of violence against women on television, MediaHouse realised the urgent need to monitor the portrayal of women on Egyptian television.  There was no better time to initiate such a media watch as the month of Ramadan, the period when all the new series are competing for ratings. The televison series shown during Ramadan 2002 were obviously going to be affected by the controversy generated by the previous year’s Mitwalli series. Interestingly, the makers of ‘Mitwalli’ made a comeback with a series using the same team of actors, only this time the lead actor is adamant about being monogamous. He does not marry a woman with whom he is in love until his first wife dies!

The overall results of the media monitoring were surprising. There were 26 new serials being shown on Egyptian national channels, most of which were also broadcast simultaneously on Egyptian, Lebanese, Bahraini, Kuwaiti, Saudi Arabian, Syrian, Palestinian, Libyan, and Algerian satellite stations. One of the series, dealt with the life and work of Qassem Amin, the pioneer of women’s rights in Egypt. The timing for this production was certainly no coincidence - it was clearly made in response to the aftermath of ‘Mitwalli.’ Another series, ‘The Spice-Seller and His Seven Daughters’ was the so-called apology made to the public by the makers of ‘Mitwalli.’ It shows strong, almost monstrous female figures. Hardly admirable, these women don’t allow their husbands to stray into second marriages, but their overt control makes the viewer sympathise with their ‘downtrodden’ husbands.

Overall, the monitoring exercise revealed a visible tension in the dramas between portraying women as either heroes or villains. Two other serials, ‘Where is My Heart?’ and ‘A Princess in Abdeen’ - two of the most popular series shown this Ramadan, along with ‘The Spice-Maker’ – gave idealised portrayals of women.  One of these ideal women was ‘rewarded’ for her goodness by marriage to a handsome, rich man. The other was attacked by the press for being larger-than-life and unrealistic.

Monitoring of the incidences of violence against women in television programmes during this period, confirmed the high levels of violence traditionally shown by the Egyptian media. Cumulatively, there were 77 cases of physical violence by men against women, 221 cases of psychological violence and 33 cases of sexual assault. However, numbers say little when out of context. The report and documentary film of the monitoring results that MediaHouse is currently producing will therefore analyse many of the issues highlighted by the media watch exercise. How are forms of violence against women portrayed on television? Who are the main perpetrators of violence against women? What are the demographic characteristics of victims and perpetrators of violence?

Ultimately, whether heroine, victim or villain, women are still portrayed in an unrealistic light. If Egyptian dramas continue to portray men beating women as the way to a more fulfilling marriage, if women are shown as monsters because they stand up to men, and  if ‘ideal’ women accept various forms of violence, then there will be a need for a media watch every year to ensure that programme makers think twice before making hasty portrayals of women that far outlive the month of Ramadan.

By Maggie Morgan, MediaHouse, Egypt.