Via El-Cinema.com

Since International Women’s Day is right around the corner, we felt the need to discuss something important—the proverbs we have about women in our culture! See, Egyptians have multiple sayings that involve women. Some of them have negative vibes, but others indicate how impressive women actually are. So, how about we honour all the ladies out there by discussing these sayings right here?

Some Popular Sayings

Even though many people use the saying “del ragel wala del heta” (literally: the shadow of a man, or the shadow of a wall), we think that women have moved beyond that outdated notion. In fact, we believe a wall might be of better aid to a strong woman, right?

Another saying is “wara’ kol ragol ‘azeem emra’a” (literally: behind every great man is a woman), which makes us wonder why we’re not acknowledging the real source of greatness and support here? And, just like the term ‘femme fatale’ implies, Egyptians know that women don’t mess around when they’re being undermined by someone. Why? Well, whenever someone here hears that a woman has retaliated in some way, they always say—“ma ygebha ela setatha” or “en kaydahon ‘azeem” (literally: only women bring ‘the win’ back, and women’s wrath is great).

It’s clear, through these sayings, that ladies have the power to take down whoever bothers them in the smartest ways possible. Who can argue against that logic, right?

What about “Set be 100 ragel”?

Acknowledging that a woman can be spiritually and emotionally stronger than a hundred men gives us mixed feelings. We’ll explain why. See, we know that this saying has a positive connotation, but the exaggeration of this proverb feels a bit sarcastic. For one thing, women are strong enough on their own and don’t need comparisons to men. And secondly, shouldn’t men and women be equal?

Via India Times

What do we feel about these proverbs?

Some of these sayings feel outdated to us, as we all know that things have progressed more positively for Egyptian women, and we couldn’t be happier! Women in Egypt have been grappling for equality even before the countless feminist movements that we’ve witnessed.

However, we have to say it’s still a work in progress, although no one can deny that things have enhanced immensely regarding women’s rights. We can do better, we know, but for now, let us give shoutouts to all the ladies out there who made changes like these possible!