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Demonstrations of women in Lebanon on the occasion of the International Women’s Day. March 8, 2020
The new wave of Arab Spring protests saw a strong presence of women who came to the fore in demonstrations, sit-ins and popular crowds, thus creating an opportunity to raise the ceiling of their demands for equal and equal rights.
What has been described as the second wave of the Arab Spring began in Sudan and then spread to Algeria, Iraq and Lebanon.
The anti-government protest scenes in those countries have shown the emergence of women as an inseparable part of the masses, as they not only demand political change, but also challenge the customs and traditions that they regard as limiting their role in society.
This overwhelming and central presence of women in this wave of Arab revolutions made last year an extraordinary year, in which she reaped more benefits added to what she achieved in 2018.
Image released, Social media
Women from different Arab countries during the protests
Algerian women “prepare public places”
Since the Algerian protests erupted in February 2019, Algerian women have clearly emerged side by side with men, rejecting former president Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s candidacy for a fifth term and calling for a change.
And some Algerian media indicated that the presence of women was weak during the first days of the protests, but things soon changed.
Women like Jamila Bouhaired and Louisa Egil Ahriz, the “militants” during the revolution to free Algeria from French colonialism, led the ranks even though they were over 80 years old.
Along the way, the young activists have shown their courage and their drive for change.
Among them, the activist Samira Masousi, and the two claimants of rights: Nour Al-Hoda and Yasmine Dahmani, who were arrested and sentenced to death on charges of “having expressed an opinion”.
Among the symbols of popular protests in Algeria is Aunt Zahia, who carries a broom during demonstrations to “cleanse the country of the corrupt”.
Algerian women have received the attention of the newspapers and many writers have indicated that the demonstrations have given them a new platform to express themselves and claim their rights.
In this regard, Algerian journalist Farah Soames wrote, in a tweet on Twitter, before the final match of the African Nations Football Championship: “The women have recaptured the public space since February 22 and today restored the buildings of the stadium. One of my neighbors who have lived in the region since 54 In one year she set foot for the first time at the stadium. There are thousands like her today.
Journalist Amal Blidi says in the Al-Watan newspaper: “Restoring the spaces for expression has given breath to the cause of women thanks to the movement of February 22”.
The participation of women in the Algerian movement was not without challenges and risks, in which she demonstrated her ability to overcome and face them.
Among the most obvious threats to Algerian women is the request of an Algerian – who is said to reside in the UK – to throw water on protesters via a video on Facebook on March 5 last year.
Image released, Socialmedia-twitter
In Lebanon “revolutionaries and not good women”
Women overcame the demonstrations in Lebanon, which began on October 17, a few days after the government decided to impose new taxes, to demand the departure of the ruling class and an end to sectarian rule and corruption. His participation was unmatched and extremely influential.
In addition to political demands in what was known as the “October Revolution,” women have pushed their demands for equality in the country, which ranks 145 out of a total of 153 countries in the 2020 Global Gender Gap Report, published by the World Economic Forum.
Despite the fact that at the beginning of the movement women were exposed to sarcasm campaigns targeting women as a sexual topic on social media platforms, women protesters in Lebanon have challenged stereotypical judgments against them and have become an inspirational role model. for women in the Middle East.
Many images have appeared with the participation of Lebanese women, some of which have become icons of the “October Revolution”, the most important of which is the image of an Alawite king who kicks security personnel to prevent them from shooting to the demonstrators.
The photo sparked controversy on social media between supporters and opponents, but it was certainly a source of inspiration for many who saw it as “courage”, revolution and “new Lebanon”.
The courage of the Malaks and demonstrators in Lebanon in general also inspired women in the Middle East, as well as “Kandaka” (i.e. the Nubian queen) Alaa Salah, who inspired the protesters in Sudan and became an icon. of the movement, which, after months of protests, managed to overthrow the regime of Omar al-Bashir.
Image released, Socialmedia-twitter
“I was born to rebel”
The participation of women in the demonstrations in Iraq, which began on October 1, is unprecedented in the conservative Arab country, which has suffered decades of wars, radicalization of Islamic groups (both Sunni and Shiite) and violence.
Iraqi women have registered their courageous presence in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square and in all fields of the popular movement, which is what Iraqis have described as the October revolution and anti-government corruption.
Women’s participation in the demonstrations was not limited to just participation, but also to various forms of participation such as the provision of food and the needs of the demonstrators.
The women also interacted with exit calls for a million women in the capital, Baghdad, and in the provinces of Basra and Nasiriya in the south, which were described as “a million feminist protests for the first time in Iraq’s history.” “.
On 8 March, International Women’s Day was called for feminist demonstrations, on what was known as the “Day of the Iraqi Revolution”.
This unprecedented move has received media attention, but it has also faced widespread criticism, most notably the criticism of the Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, and his supporters who have described these calls as a “widespread vice” in society.
Since the start of the demonstrations, women have also been subjected to harassment and threats, including those that have resulted in kidnappings and murders, as happened in the case of the young Kurdish woman, Zahra Ali Salman, last December.
However, Iraqi protesters challenge religious and traditions that condemn the mixing of the sexes. The first women’s demonstration took place in the city of Najaf, in which they launched the slogan “I was born Iraqi to become a revolution”.
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