Policy and Law
Law 290, article 291 of the penal code says if a rapist marries the woman he rapes, he
is not subject to any penalty. Osama Abdel Fatah Abdel Latif, who raped and then married
his current wife, later raped another girl at knifepoint, offered to marry her as well.
The girl refused to marry him, and so he will be formerly charged and sentenced. (Soha
Abdel Kader, "Hypocrisy and sex crimes," Middle East Times, 30
March 1997)
Official Response and Action
Although the penalty for kidnapping for the purposes of rape is death, nine men
arrested on charges of kidnapping and gang raping a 14-year-old were punished by sentences
ranging from only a few years to life in prison. (Soha Abdel Kader, "Hypocrisy and
sex crimes," Middle East Times, 30 March 1997)
Two doctors
have been charged with illegally circumcising three young girls, one of whom died during
the operation from an antibiotic allergy. If found guilty, the two doctors, face up to
three years in prison. ("Charges made in circumcision case," Associated
Press, 21 July 1998)
Health Minister Ismail Sallam announced a ban on female
circumcision in July 1996 following a campaign by human rights and women's groups. In
December 1997, a court upheld the ban, ending a long battle by Islamic fundamentalists to
overturn it. ("Charges made in circumcision case," Associated Press, 21
July 1998)
Honor Killings
Marzouk Ahmed Abdel-Rahim killed his daughter, chopped off her head and carried it
through the neighborhood to punish her and regain his family honor after she eloped.
Daughters are seen as money-earners because in traditional Islamic marriages, a groom
gives his in-laws a dowry, the amount depending on their social status. Marriage is viewed
as a business transaction, and the goods are the women - to be bought and sold by the
father. A daughter who eloped deprives her family of dowry income. (Tarkek el Tablawy, Associated
Press, 1998)