Source: TrustLaw
Egypt’s leading Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) supports women’s rights but has reservations on some articles contained in a recently signed U.N. declaration on violence against women, Mohamed Saad Katatni, chairman of the party, said. 

The FJP “appreciates and stands by women” and is not against declarations aimed at protecting their rights, but that the U.N. declaration “fails to take our country’s law into consideration”, Katatni added in a statement on the Muslim Brotherhood’s website. The FJP is the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm.

His comments follow a statement issued by the Brotherhood which condemned many points in the draft U.N. declaration, saying that it was against the principles of Islamic law.  

Egypt's al-Gam'aa al-Islamiyya group also slammed the “End Violence Against Women” declaration on Wednesday, Ahram Online reported. 

The extremist group, whose co-founder was convicted of involvement in the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981, said in a statement the document "promotes divisions within the family and opens the door to prohibited relationships".  

"While Islam promotes early marriage to prevent young people from succumbing to vices, this document forbids early marriage and replaces it with alternatives, including Zina (unlawful sexual intercourse) and early homosexuality," the group added. 

A recent report by Egyptian rights group Fouada Watch has criticised a new election law drafted by the country’s upper house of parliament which effectively excludes female candidates from elections, the news site Daily News Egypt writes. 

Fouada Watch condemned the removal of an article from the law which required parties to include at least one female candidate in the first half of their electoral lists.

 

• Egypt