Close X
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
ADVT 
International

Egyptian Lawmaker Says Women Should Prove They Are Virgins To Go To College

Darpan News Desk IANS, 01 Oct, 2016 02:14 PM
    Last month, Egyptian lawmaker Elhamy Agina declared that women should undergo female genital mutilation in order to "reduce their sexual desires" because Egyptian men are "sexually weak."
     
    Now, he wants all Egyptian women to undergo compulsory "virginity tests" prior to being admitted into the country's universities.
     
    "Any girl who enters university, we have to check her medical examination to prove that she is a Miss," Agina told Egypt's Youm 7 newspapers, according to a translation in the Egyptian Streets news website. "Therefore, each girl must present an official document upon being admitted to university stating she's a Miss."
     
    "No one should be upset by this decision," he added.
     
    Agina's use of "Miss" was widely interpreted by Egyptians on social media as referring to a woman who is a virgin. And they took to Twitter and Facebook to ridicule Agina and call for punitive measures against him.
     
    One person tweeted, "How about we have mandatory IQ tests for politicians who aim to mandate nonsense like this?" https://t.co/2PuZrrvDmg #Egypt #Masr
     
    Agina, who is a member of the Egyptian parliament's human rights committee, told Youm 7 that the virginity tests would help reduce the number of "Urfi marriages" in the country.
     
    Also known as "customary marriages," the unions are officiated by a cleric but are not officially registered and require only two witnesses - unlike traditional Egyptian marriages that require the blessings of both families. Often held in secret, the Urfi unions have become increasingly popular among young Egyptians who want to avoid high wedding costs, family and cultural pressures.
     
     
     
    In conservative Egyptian society, sex is forbidden before marriage, so Urfi marriages are seen as a way to try to avoid stigma. But increasingly the practice has been criticized by conservative clerics and officials as a cover for pre-marital sex.
     
    He added that if a woman "fails" the virginity test, her parents would be notified immediately. He hopes that will deter couples from entering into a clandestine union.
     
    In his interview with Youm 7, Agina urged lawmakers, media and university officials to support his call for virginity tests. He also demanded that Egypt's Higher Education Ministry put him, or officials sympathizing with him, in charge of reviewing all virginity tests before issuing female students with university identification cards.
     
    It wasn't Agina's only controversial statement this past week.
     
    He publicly declared that the victims of a boat carrying migrants to Italy that capsized off Egypt's coast last week "deserve no sympathy" because they were illegally migrating to pursue "an unguaranteed fantasy," according to Egyptian Streets. More than 200 people, including many children, youths and women, were killed on the boat.
     
    After his remarks on female genital mutilation, Agina was referred to a parliament's ethics committee, but has not been disciplined further.

    MORE International ARTICLES

    Indian-American Dharun Ravi's Convictions Thrown Out In Rutgers Webcam Case

    Indian-American Dharun Ravi's Convictions Thrown Out In Rutgers Webcam Case
    In a 61-page ruling issued yesterday, the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey in Newark said the jury had found Ravi guilty of bias intimidation under a law that was later deemed "constitutionally defunct."

    Indian-American Dharun Ravi's Convictions Thrown Out In Rutgers Webcam Case

    How 2 Indian-American Children Impressed Michelle Obama

    How 2 Indian-American Children Impressed Michelle Obama
    Among the audience were the First Lady, Michelle Obama, who felicitated Maya Eashwaran and four others including another Indian-American Gopal Raman with the prestigious National Students Poet in recognition of their poetry skills.

    How 2 Indian-American Children Impressed Michelle Obama

    100 American Congressmen To Visit India In Next Two Years: Policy Group

    100 American Congressmen To Visit India In Next Two Years: Policy Group
    About 100 American Congressmen and Senators will visit India over the next two years to boost India-US ties according to a top advocacy group.

    100 American Congressmen To Visit India In Next Two Years: Policy Group

    Pak Was Almost Placed On Formal List Of State Sponsored Terror: Ex-CIA Official

    A former CIA official has said that Pakistan was "nearly placed" on the list of state sponsored terrorism during 1993 to 1994.

    Pak Was Almost Placed On Formal List Of State Sponsored Terror: Ex-CIA Official

    As Hajj Nears, Questions About Deadly 2015 Stampede Remain

    As Hajj Nears, Questions About Deadly 2015 Stampede Remain
    Marching with thousands of other pilgrims at last year's hajj in Saudi Arabia, 23-year-old Sobia Noor of Pakistan felt the crowd get tighter and the air grow thicker in the scorching heat. 

    As Hajj Nears, Questions About Deadly 2015 Stampede Remain

    Pakistan PM to raise Kashmir issue at UNGA

    Pakistan PM to raise Kashmir issue at UNGA
    Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will raise the issue of Indias "excessive use of force" against civilians in Jammu and Kashmir during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session, a statement from the PM House said on Friday.

    Pakistan PM to raise Kashmir issue at UNGA