Healing Egypt – Improving Human Rights, Social Cohesion and Education in the Arab Republic of Egypt

Since Abdel Fatah al-Sisi seized power in a bloody coup in 2013, Egypt has descended into a country of military dictatorship. Once a cradle of civilization of the highest spiritual integrity, Egypt today is a country which needs healing on many levels – socially, economically, politically and spiritually. Social challenges – such as democratic deficit, press freedom violations police brutality and sexual violence – are also explored, as well as suggestions how public- and religious education can be improved. Violent Extremism is another topic this book addresses; as both internally and externally, the region is faced with major security problems in terms of countering extremism. Hence this work explores social scientific-, ethical- and Islamic approaches how human rights and social cohesion can be improved in Egypt. MANIFESTING THE UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS (UDHR), GENDER EQUALITY AND THE UN CONVENTION OF THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD (UNCRC) IN EGYPT: Egyptian authorities routinely fail to adequately prevent and investigate widespread violence against women and girls in Egypt. Instead, the authorities have threatened, arbitrarily detained, and prosecuted survivors, witnesses, and activists who report or campaign against sexual violence. Consistent with patterns of entrenched impunity for sexual violence, the Egyptian authorities have made no efforts to work with women’s rights organizations and activists to encourage the survivors who shared their testimonies to report the abuses to State bodies by guaranteeing their confidentiality and safety. Women have repeatedly been stripped naked, beaten, and gang-raped while exercising their rights to protest. In 2011, among people singing, dancing, and celebrating after President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, witnesses recounted the screams of women, including those of international journalists, who endured sexual violations by dozens of perpetrators. Hence it is imperative that the Egyptian Government and the Egyptian Judiciary - in particular President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly and the President of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Egypt, Boulos Fahmy, implement the necessary measures to uphold the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the Arab Republic of Egypt - so that women and girls can be protected from sexual violence, and perpetrators of sexual violence are brought to Justice.