Gendering the law in Egypt: A tale of two constitutions

Abstract

Egypt has lived under secular military rule since the middle of the twentieth centuary. The only short exception was the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood following free and democratic elections after the 2011 uprising against President Hosni Mubarak. During the brief tenure of the Muslim Brotherhood, under President Mohamed Morsi, the Egyptian parliament drafted and enacted a new constitution, referred to as the 2012 constitution. This chapter compares the 2012 constitution, which was drafted by a religiously oriented parliament, with the 1971 constitution, which was drafted by a secular parliament, under the rule of President Anwar Al Sadat. In doing so, it pays particular attention to the clauses that pertain to gender equality and women’s human rights.