NGO Support

Support Letter from France

Paris, the 15th of June 2001

Attention:
General Prosecutor Maher Abdel Wahab, Minister of Justice,
Counselor Farouk Seif El Nasr, Ministry of Justice,
Lazoughly Square, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt

Object: Support to Nawal Elsaadawi

Your Excellencies,

We, the undersigned are writing to protest the attempt to annul the marriage of Nawal Elsaadawi and Sherif Hetata on the grounds that the views expressed by Dr. Nawal Elsaadawi, medical doctor, writer and active defender of the rights of women place her outside the boundaries of Islam.

We are deeply concerned that such a measure can only produce an extremely negative image of Egypt and the Arab and Islamic world. This intended legal action against Dr. Elsaadawi and her husband, Sherif Hetata will be considered to be a basic infringement of human rights, and political and religious freedoms.

We ask you to do all that is within your power to be certain that justice and intellectual freedom prevail in Egypt.

Sincerely,

Leïla Vignal (PhD student), Jean Pinquié (Director of the french-japanese Institute of the Kyushu area), Karam Karam (PhD student), Raphaëlle Branche (PhD in History), Monique Tuffelli (NATO), Dyala Hamza (publisher), Vanina Vignal (actress), Daphné Baudon (Hostess), Rime Vanoosthuysse, François Vanoosthuysse (teacher), Hélène Djoufelkit-Cottenet (PhD student in economy), Noha Sadek (researcher), Frank Mermier (Researcher in ethnology), Siham Djafer (Translator), Vanessa Springora (scenarist), Pierre Derioz (University teacher), Elisabeth Laque (University teacher), Alexis Tadié (University teacher), Nicolas Puig (Researcher)