New law grants Egyptian women new privileges

The Egyptian People's Assembly (parliament) agreed last night after six heated debates on the new law for the personal status, as the new law granted many privileges to Egyptian women.

All members of the assembly from the ruling party voted for the law, while one independent member, and two members of the Islamic movement-- Ali Fath El- Bab of the Labor Party and Ragab Hemaida of the Ahrar Party-- refrained from voting.

The law allowed women to obtain a divorce in return for giving back the dowry given by the husband and exempting the husband from any further (future) financial obligations. This right of divorce for women was not legally recognized previously. Men however have the right to obtain divorce easily.

The opposition argued until the last moment on the husband's approval for a divorce and that the husband should be the only one that can initiate a divorce and not a judge, but a majority prevailed and approved the new law. Meantime, and in the same law, Egyptian women lost the right of travel abroad without the husband's consent.