The meaning of emancipation
Al-Ahram Weekly has chosen to mark the occasion of its tenth anniversary by addressing one of the most important issues of the past decade: the reform of the Personal Status Law, writes Fayza Hassan

Train of thought
Never talk to strangers is not necessarily the wisest advice as our pollsters found out at the Cairo and Giza railway stations

Speaking for the other half
On 19 February 1951, 1,500 women stormed the Egyptian parliament. Before taking this daring action, their leader wrote: "I decided to fight to the last drop of my blood to break the chains shackling the women of my country in the invisible prison in which they continue to live." Five years later, under a different regime, her action was instrumental in earning women the right to vote. What is left of the legacy of Doria Shafik, half a century after this momentous event? Fayza Hassan finds out

One law for all
Fathi Naguib, first deputy president of the Court of Cassation, played a key role in formulating the Personal Status Procedural Law in January 2000, when he was assistant to the minister of justice. A year after its implementation, Hala Sakr and Mohamed Hakim spoke with Naguib on the law's impact

'A moment of anger'
Wafaa was the first woman in Egypt to file for Khul'. Today, a year later, she has a different message to convey. Gihan Shahine reads between the lines

Critical tools, wise investments
The National Council for Women has established a five-year national plan to improve women's status. Reem Leila gets an exclusive first look

No masters, no slaves
El-Ghazali Harb, Women's Independence in Islam, Dar Al-Mustaqbal Al-Arabi, Cairo. 267pp

Bound by the blank
Are written conditions in the new marriage contract necessary to protect a woman's rights, or is trust enough? Dena Rashed assesses reactions

Huda Sha'rawi is generally recognised as the first champion of Egyptian women's rights in the modern era. Her successors, however, have been no less formidable, whether endeavouring, like Sha'rawi, to carve out a space for women in the public arena, or turning their efforts to the material improvement of their less privileged sisters' lot.

Working in education or healthcare, spreading awareness through the media or simply offering their own pioneering achievements as examples of what women can do, they have all contributed to promoting equality.

In the 10 years of its existence, the Weekly has presented many of these extraordinary women to its readers through the Profile section. Here are a few of the most memorable faces