A Second Revolt for Sheherazade's Daughters: Women's Rights in Post-revolutionary Egypt (Photo: Qantara.de)

In the "Arabian Nights", King Shahryar kills a woman every night in a delirium of vengefulness – until Sheherazade comes and saves herself and her fellow-sufferers with the weapon of storytelling. Beautiful and exceedingly well-read, she enmeshes the king of kings in quips and seduces him with the power of knowledge.

The charm of her tales overcomes death and chases away his ghouls. But for all their artistry and allure, the "Arabian Nights" are clearly marked with expressions of hatred for women. And they teach us a fundamental lesson: Knowledge liberates!

Utopia in Cairo

This old, but never altmoded lesson also applies in the context of the revolution and in consideration of the role played by women in the resistance movement. The Egyptian granddaughters of Sheherazade were marching right up front. Unlike Sheherazade – who was a daughter of her time and subject to the prevailing circumstances – they were not content to bewitch, cradle and stroke the head of the executioner, but rather courageously stood up to a brutal security apparatus.

At the very heart of the revolts, they bestowed upon these their most beautiful aspect. We saw veiled girls and girls with uncovered heads who, carried on the shoulders of their male fellow protesters, called out their slogans with burning enthusiasm.

We saw elderly women dressed in black, venturing with great effort out onto the streets although the entire nation was teetering on the brink of war; they handed out oranges to the soldiers and state security officers, begging them – in vain – not to open fire on the demonstrators, their brothers and compatriots.

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By Mansura Eseddin; Translated by Nina Coon

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