While Egypt has not been at its most glorious period over the past few years, there is still a lot to be proud of — especially when it comes to the women in Egypt.
Egyptian-American Alexandra Kinias founded an incredible Facebook page, Women of Egypt, which highlights the glorious achievements of Egyptian women in all fields. Being a writer and women’s activist herself, Kinias’s main objective is to empower Egyptian women.
“I want them to understand how great they are, how nothing is beyond their reach and that they have to fight for their rights,” Kinias explained to us.
To help highlight the extraordinary things these women are doing, we’ve put together some of the most successful women in what we know to be difficult fields in Egypt.
Marwa El-Slehdar — Ship Master
Marwa El-Slehdar is Egypt’s first and youngest Egyptian and Arab female ship master, making it easier for women to follow in her footsteps.
Sahar El Hawari — Founder of Egyptian Women Football Team
Sahar El Hawari not only founded the first female football team, but was also the first member of the Egyptian Football Federation, president of the first Arab league for women’s football and the First women’s referee in North Africa and member of FIFA.
With the objective of encouraging women in sports, El Hawari’s effort were rewarded when the Egypt women’s national team qualified for the Women’s African Cup of Nations in the late 1990s.
Captain Dr. Nesrine Fawzy — Police Force
With power dominated mainly by males in Egypt, that didn’t stop Captain Dr. Nesrine Fawzy from accomplishing her dream and escalating in the police force.
Hend Razek — Boxing Champion
30-year-old Hend Rezk held the title of Egyptian boxing champion from 2000 to 2010 and the first in Africa and the Arab world. Not only that, but Rezk also teaches many women how to protect themselves through her self-defense classes.
Captain Hasnaa Mansour — Pilot
Before you say women can’t drive, here is Captain Hasnaa Taymour proving that women can do more than drive cars, they can pilot aircrafts!
Ferial Khalil – Truck Driver
30 years ago, Ferial Khalil AKA Um Khaled stood up for her rights and divorced her abusive husband. Believing in herself and that women were entitled to work as anything they wanted to, Um Khaled attended literacy classes to be able to receive a truck driving licence.
Proving herself in a male-dominant field, Um Khaled drives a 30-ton truck and works long hours, sometimes traveling from one side of the country to the other. When a woman puts her mind to something, it can be done and Um Khaled is solid proof.
Dr. Rashika El Ridi — Scientist
Proving that women have brains, too, Dr. Rashika El Ridi is a pioneer in immunology. She is a Professor of Immunology in the Zoology Department at the Faculty of Science, Cairo University. She has helped paved the way towards the development of a vaccine against the tropical parasitic disease Bilharizia and received a UNESCO-L’oreal Foundation award for Women in Science.
Shymaa Abu El Yazeed — Karate Champion
At the age of 28, Shymaa Abouel Yazed not only became a karate champion, but also captained the Egyptian karate team. With over 1,250 karate clubs in Egypt and 350,000 players, Egyptians and specifically Egyptian females are consistently bringing home gold medals and winning championships.
Sabrine El Hossamy — Darbuka Player
After working in marketing and PR, Sabrine El Hossamy learned to play the Darbuka and became one of the few females in Egypt and worldwide to play the darbuka professionally. She composed and released her first album Darbuka Heat in 2005-2009 and after that became a full-time female percussionist.
Zeinab Abdel Rahim — Shoe Polisher
60-year-old Zeinab Abdel Rehim has been polishing shoes on the streets for over 30 years. Illiterate and with no work certificate, Abdel Rahim found difficulty finding a job, until she found a man polishing shoes on the streets and asked him to teach her.
Abdel Rehim has managed to take care of her three kids, putting them through school, two of whom are now engineers, while her daughter is a nurse.
Liqa’ El Khouly — Mechanic
Liqa’ el Khouly is the first female mechanic in Luxor and hopes to open a school to teach women to become mechanics. Taking after her father, El Khouly started off by helping him in his workshop. Loving the work, El Khouly strives to make it more accessible for women to become a mechanic in Luxor.
WE SAID THIS: Don’t miss 8 Egyptian Women Who Are Kicking But Abroad.