I admit that my writing has predominantly highlighted the talents of Egyptian men, as if Egypt’s legacy lacked any noteworthy female figures.
Today, I rectify a historical oversight and bring attention to various remarkable women.
Among them, I bring up Aisha Abdel-Rahman, Bint al-Shati’ (Daughter of the Shore), Suhair al-Qalamawi, Taha Hussein’s student, and in particular Aisha Rateb (February 22, 1928 – May 4, 2013), an Egyptian lawyer and politician who was the first Egyptian woman to hold the position of ambassador and also a professor of international law at Cairo University.
Rateb was born in Cairo into a middle-class, educated family.
Regarding her university life, she initially studied at the Faculty of Arts at Cairo University, but after only one week, she transferred to the Faculty of Law. She graduated from Cairo University in 1949 and then went to Paris for a short period to continue her education, subsequently receiving her doctorate in law in 1955.
Rateb applied for a judgeship on the State Council (Egypt’s highest administrative court), but was rejected solely because she was a woman. The then Prime Minister, Hussein Serry Pasha, stated that having a female judge at that time was against the traditions of society.
In response, she filed a lawsuit against the government for violating her constitutional rights – a groundbreaking case in Egypt.
Rateb ultimately lost her case. The head of the State Council at the time, Abdel-Razek al-Sanhoury, later acknowledged that she lost for political and cultural reasons, and not due to Egyptian law or Islamic Sharia.
Al-Sanhoury believed that other women were entitled to follow her lead, even though no female judge was appointed until 2003 when Tahani al-Gebali took office.
In 2010, the Prime Minister ordered a review of the recent decision against allowing the appointment of female judges.
Then, in July 2015, 26 women were sworn in as judges.
Rateb was part of the Arab Socialist Union’s Central Committee in 1971, where she contributed to drafting Egypt’s new constitution. Notably, amongst all the committee members, she was the sole voice to object to the extraordinary powers granted to the then-President Anwar Sadat by the constitution.
Following that, she served as Minister of Insurance and Social Affairs from 1974 to 1977, becoming the second woman to hold that cabinet position.
Throughout her tenure, she successfully pushed through reforms benefiting women in the country, despite attempts by conservative figures to undermine her reputation.
Rateb introduced limitations on polygamy, ensured the legality of divorce only with a judge’s validation, worked to support the poor, and established a law for the employment of people with disabilities.
She resigned in 1977 during the Bread Riots in protest against the government’s decision to lift subsidies on essential goods, which severely impacted Egypt’s poorer citizens.
In 1979, Rateb made history as Egypt’s first female ambassador. During her tenure, she skillfully navigated Egypt towards a balanced position in a world rife with polarized international relations.
About the author:
A seasoned journalist since 1991, Mohamed Amin has contributed to numerous publications, including Al-Naba newspaper, and served as a correspondent for Agence France-Presse (AFP).
His career trajectory includes several prominent editorial roles, culminating in his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper in 2016.
He has also held the position of Editor-in-Chief for the Cairo-based October Magazine in July 2017.
