A decade of surprises
Illustration: Gamil Shafiq
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HOW WOULD we mark the tenth year of Al-Ahram Weekly's life? The niggling question presented itself when we realised the fateful date was drawing nigh. The possibilities seemed endless: far too much has happened, in the brief space of a decade, to make an exhaustive recapitulation possible, let alone desirable.
Would we devote our anniversary issue to the Arab-Israeli conflict? The Weekly has followed it every step of the way for the past 10 years, delving back in time (as in our 50 Years of Dispossession series) to trace its roots, then returning to the present to cover current events. But we have also been involved in other campaigns, like the drive to save and rehabilitate Islamic and 19th-century Cairo.
In other words, it was a classic case of embarras du choix. Then it hit us: the theme could be a struggle for liberation -- one that, like the Palestinian fight for independence, affects the Arab world as a whole. Gender relations have always been on the agenda of public discussion, but the recent past has ushered in changes with profound implications. As an advocate of women's rights, the Weekly has covered these changes closely since its inception. Closer to home, the vast majority of our staff are women; our male colleagues, given the circumstances, have no option besides enlightenment.
The passing of the new Personal Status Procedural Law early last year seemed a perfect opportunity to talk about... well, love and money, or, more seriously put, marriage and divorce, alimony and child support: in other words, issues that matter to everyone. We had heard about the decision-makers' discussions, so we thought: Why not find out what the people think?
Armed with enthusiasm (and following up on the success of a previous poll designed to gather opinions regarding political participation), the Weekly and
Almishkat Centre for Research went out to look for the mysterious forces of public opinion that so often remain elusive and unpredictable. The answers we received turned preconceived notions on their collective head. In the pages that follow, we offer results and reflections.
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