The Battle Over Family Law in Egypt Shows Only the Personal Can Be Political, And Then Only So Far

In Egypt over the past few years, the space for public discussion—much less contestation—about political issues has become as narrow as at any time over the past half century. Much discussion in Egypt (and among Egypt watchers) has been focused on this month’s presidential initiative for some kind of national dialogue—a vaguely defined process that is expected to produce little concrete change but might be seen as a slight loosening of the strictures on political discussion for a small number of (generally fairly tame) actors. But in one area far from the unexciting news about an unpromising dialogue, Egypt has seen politics aplenty: family law reform.

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