Born and raised in Egypt, I was brought up to be a good middle class Egyptian girl; but somehow being good did not suit my notions. Deep down I have rejected the heavy heritage of traditions and norms that made no sense to my inquisitive mind. I could not understand why girls were killed, committed suicide, or lived in eternal shame when they lost their virginity. I failed to comprehend why such a rule applied only to girls and their male counterparts were spared. After my grand mother passed away we stopped celebrating Christmas, New Year's Eve, Halloween, and Thanks Giving … does being a Muslim deny me all my childhood memories? Why do I have to get married? Why can't I date? Why do men cheat? Why do I have to accept it? Why? Why? Why? And many more unanswered questions.
I have come a long way from the scared little girl that I once was … I found my passion in writing, my voice in teaching & training, and my strength in marketing … I took off my mask … and I decided to speak up and loud .. as loud as loud could ever be.
Latest posts by Marwa Rakha from February, 2009
Criminal Minds: The Egyptian Sexual Offender's Profile
Will Facebook groups, anti-harassment T-shirts, posts, articles, bloggers, and activists put an end to sexual harassment in Egypt? Wandering Scarab does not think so!
Egyptians on the verge of insanity
Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Egyptians are struggling to maintain their sanity, faith, and stability. Marwa Rakha presents the following selection from Egyptian blogs which discuss dreams, suicide, unemployment and the gruesome murder of a woman and her children - at the hands of her husband.
Blog Plagiarism hits Egyptian Bloggers
Is there such a thing as blog plagiarism? Egyptian bloggers argue both sides of the fence on Facebook and on their blogs after a newspaper started quoting bloggers - without their permission, reports Marwa Rakha.
To females traveling to Egypt … or to the US
Crimes against women from Egypt to the US
Egypt: Bloggers Take on the “Sons of Zion”
The bombs on Gaza may have stopped falling, but a fierce cyber battle continues, with bloggers on both sides of the fence mobilising their troops to 'obliterate' the presence of the other - at least online. Marwa Rakha taps into the Egyptian blogosphere to present to us another facet of this war.
Egypt: The Amazing Pepsi Logo
SandMonkey explains why the Pepsi logo looks like a rip off of the Obama campaign logo.
Egypt's Leading Women
Egyptian women, like many other women, have great potential once they unleash their power. Eva habil, Passant Refaat, and Radwa Saad El Din are three women who took the lead in three different fields. Marwa Rakha has more in this round up from Egypt's blogs.
Egypt: Bloggers Rally Against Sexual Predators
Sexual harassment makes the headlines of Egyptian blogs once again after a blogger was harassed on the street by a group of young men, high on hash. Marwa Rakha reviews reactions from the blogs, who are urging the blogger not to drop charges and fight for the rights of women and children attacked by sexual predators.
Egyptian Bloggers and Journalists in the Hot Seat
Egyptian blogger, Zeinobia wrote a series of posts about bloggers and journalists who are either behind bars, sued, or fined. Marwa Rakha takes a closer look at the situation in Egypt concerning bloggers and journalists.
Egypt: Local Reflections on “Going Local”
Nermeen Edrees of Global Voices Online wrote about Egypt's Going Local Campaign. Today Blogger Juka celebrates the launch of the initiative's Facebook group, Ahmed Al Sabbagh reacts to Facebook itself going local while another two bloggers dictate their terms to switch to local Egyptian products.
