Egyptian Women’s Movement

            In the novel, The Thief and the Dogs, the female characters were not held in the highest of standards.  Said believes his wife is a terrible person for committing adultery and betrayal.  His wish to have revenge, as to kill her is very intense.  His female companion Nur, a well-known prostitute, is victim to male clients who do not feel they are obliged to pay her for her services and resort to violence to avoid payment.  Though Said grows to “love” Nur, the only woman in his life that he has immediate respect for is his mother.  As she was injured and dying, she was turned away from help and could not be served at a hospital.  Altogether the women in Naguib Mahfouz’s novel have a certain bar of equality and respect that they cannot reach or overcome. 

            The reason for the inequality in the novel is because that is the way women are considered in Egypt.  In her article, “Towards an Egyptian Feminism,” Khalil Al-AnaniFirst states that in her Egyptian culture the inequality of women being mere subordinates to men begins in childhood of both genders.  The same mentality exists in Egyptian homes and continues throughout all educational institutions.  She uses the term “psychological wall” to describe the barrier of women overcoming the instilled inferior stereotype of becoming equally or more intellectual people than men. 

            Women are simply seen as secondary human beings and are often held with low respect making them inclined to be sexually harassed by men who have this “psychological wall.”  These sexually harassed women are victimized so commonly as walking down the street.  The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights recorded 84% of women are victims.    

In efforts to terminate such degrading treatment a small group of women began the Egyptian Feminist Union, well known as EFU, in Cairo in 1923.  The EFU aims to change the stereotypical status of women.  They strive to fight for women’s rights to vote, and have started programs to train women to make hand crafted products.  The EFU has also written and published reforms insisting equal education for females at schools and universities, and seeking equal opportunities for professional careers. 

I believe the women in The Thief and the Dogs are of low professional status or held in low regards as a person, because Mahfouz is using the natural Egyptian idea of a woman.  Nabawiyaa, Said’s wife, is considered an adulterer, and Nur is seen simply as a prostitute.  Even though Said is a thief and murderer, he is still able to label Nabawiyaa awful, and Nur to be undeserving of him.  This is a prime example of the superiority complex of men over women.  Though these women are portrayed as inferior, they have very strong personalities and great influence over Said.  This is because the women who made efforts towards women’s equality and the EFU were also women suffering from the same oppression, but used their potential and inner strength to fight it.  Mahfouz could be showing the inner potential of these Nabawiyaa and Nur to correlate with the courage of the contributors for women’s rights in Egypt.