Abu Shanab: A feminist blog opening the doors for men’s opinion

CAIRO – 6 April 2017: Abu Shanab is feminist blog, based in Cairo, trying to change local norms by inviting men to debate women’s issues to explore the contrasting perceptions of the issues facing Egyptian women,

Youm7 reported

Monday.

Abu Shanab, “Father Moustache” is a subdivision of Ana Hora, “I’m Free,” an online blog listing job vacancies for women.

Abu Shanab opens debate online once every two weeks on its

Tumblr

and

Facebook

pages in two phases. First, a topic related to any current women’s issue in Egypt is initiated on the blog and men are invited to openly discuss it, without constraints. Then, women are asked to comment on the men’s discussion. The idea is that the open comments and dialogue will foster a better idea of men and women’s perspectives on key women’s issues, such as harassment, how women dress and whether men should share household responsibilities while their wives are pregnant.

Journalist Souad Abu Ghazy, founder of Abu Shanab and Ana Hora, was inspired to create the blog to encourage men to share their opinions and understand the issues Egyptian women face on a daily basis, according to Youm7. Ghazy added that the blog will operate for 6 months straight as she has pre-scheduled controversial topics based on men’s interactions on the blog.

The main aim behind Abu Shanab is to promote the importance of gender equality, especially in a domestic atmosphere, by urging both men and women to fully comprehend the issues and different perspectives.