Egyptian Women Protesters Ignored By American Media Distorting Their Role

Al Jazeera-“March of Millions” | Chris Matthews AOC Front Page

Anne of Carversville would have supported the women of Egypt under any circumstances. But a problem has emerged in the protests that is unexpected but perhaps should not come as a surprise.

The American media, dominated by white males, has virtually ignored the reality that women in Egypt are not only actively involved in the protests but feature in many images as leaders. Egyptian women are at the front of the line, and men are behind them.

America is a truly patriarchal country itself, much more than the Scandinavian countries or Germany today. Personally, I believe French women are more liberated than Americans, but some people don’t agree.

As the Egyptian protests increased, it became obvious that the American press was ignoring the role of women, making them veiled and silent as history was being created. Most of women’s history is not written, because men have controlled the media.

On Sunday an ordinary woman like myself Leil-Zahra Mortada, with the support of photographers, started “Women of Egypt” on Facebook. I supported her by writing the article below. Last night American media pundit Chris Matthews, known for his sexism towards women, called today’s protests in Egypt the “Million Man March”. I was furious!

He was not alone. Anderson Cooper, on the ground in Egypt, also called it the “Million Man March” at a time when Al Jazeera translated the name of the event to “March of Millions”. Almost 50 years after the second wave of feminism began in America, we can’t get our own media to tell women’s stories with accuracy.

When Anne of Carversville writes that we support all the world’s women, it’s not only because we care deeply but because we understand that the same yoke rests on our necks as American women, just not as tightly.

I am committed to tell the story of Egypt’s women with clarity and accuracy, but I will tell it. History is being written at this moment, and I am clear that the American press, due to our own patriarchal prejudices, will not tell the women’s story with any accuracy.

The involvement of Egyptian women in the demands for reform in their country is not a footnote to history, a sidebar for an hour-long documentary on the BBC.

The treatment of Egyptian women by the American press is dreadful, and it begins with the decision of so many American reporters and editors to call today’s march the “Million Man March”.

Follow our coverage of the women of Egypt from our front page blog Beyond the Veil, for all the stories.

American Media Ignores Egyptian Women Protestors | They’re Not All Home Under Male Protection AOC Front Page