Claiming Equal Citizenship

The Campaign for Arab Women’s Right to Nationality

Documentary Film about the Egyptian Nationality Law

Filed under: Activities, Egypt, Testimonies — layali at 6:42 pm on Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The New Woman Foundation in Egypt produced and posted this four-part documentary film about the current Nationality Law in Egypt. The film, My Nationality is My and My Family’s Right, discusses problems with the current Nationality Law in Egypt, which was partially reformed in 2004, but needs further reform. The problems with the current law include long, complicated procedures required in order for children born before the date of the reform to obtain their mother’s nationality, as well as arbitrary decisions and exclusions, particularly in the case of children of Palestinian men. The film refutes the excuses given for those exclusions.

The film also exposes contradictions between the Nationality Law and the Egyptian Constitution as well as other international agreements to which Egypt is a signatory party. It also questions Egypt’s reservation on article 9 of the CEDAW agreement. The film features real testimonies of Egyptian women who talk about their and their children’s suffering due to the discriminatory law. Among the testimonies is one by a famous male filmmaker who was born and raised in Egypt to an Egyptian mother but was denied the Egyptian nationality even after representing Egypt Internationally with his films.

For more information about problems with the current Nationality Law please read our previous posts:
- Egypt: discrimination continues despite law reform
- ملتقى تنمية المرأة/مصر: رغم تغيير القانون، آلاف المصريات ما زالت تعاني التمييز في الجنسية

Part 1:

My Nationality 1

Part 2:
My Nationality-2

Part 3:
My Nationality-3

Part 4:
My Nationality-4

Entry Filed under: Activities, Egypt, Testimonies

1 Comment »

Comment by Shafika

23 January 2010 @ 3:25 am

Let us get togather Arab Women. This way we can chang things.
Shafika

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