An Egyptian woman’s crusade against divorce

DUBAI - In traditional Egyptian society where women are blamed for divorces, a young divorcee has launched an online radio station to help out fellow women overcome the stigma of divorce and come out stronger.

Inspired by her own experience of divorce, Mahasen Saber, 31, a mother to a five-year-old boy, launched the Motalakat Radio for divorced women this year, according to a report in the Al-Ahram weekly newspaper.

Egypt’s divorce rate is at an all-time high, with couples filing for divorce every six minutes, the National Centre for Social and Criminological Research said. Saber’s webcasts are in colloquial Arabic and are dedicated to helping women whose marriages have failed, and who are facing legal proceedings and who need a forum to express their feelings.

Saber wants to break down prejudices associated with divorce. “I wanted to change the negative stereotype of divorced women in Egypt and create a supportive community,” Saber was quoted as saying by Al-Ahram.

She describes herself as a self-assured woman who wants to be remembered for helping others. She loves the music of Bryan Adams and Sting and is a big fan of Hollywood actors Robert de Niro, Al Pacino and Jack Nicholson.

Saber believes that women have the right to decide how they want to live.

“I’m not promoting divorce. But if a woman feels it’s best for her to end an impossible partnership, then it is her right to choose,” she said.

Saber herself was married for three years, and it took almost four more years to go through Egypt’s court system to get a divorce. During the court proceedings, she met many women who relied on one another for moral support. It was then that she thought of helping others in a situation similar to hers.

Saber opened a blog “Ayeza Atalak wa” (I want a divorce) and went on to record her experiences, including those in court and the ordeals she faced.

Soon after its launch, the blog turned into a forum for divorcees to share their experiences, and its success encouraged Saber to go for a larger audience by

launching an online radio station.

She founded Motalakat Radio and set up a dedicated website at www.motalakatradio.com. The slogan for the radio station is “See Life Differently”.

“I set up a radio station to act as a bridge between women, men and society in Egypt, the Arab countries and abroad,” Saber said.

Saber’s experiences have received wide coverage in the international media, including the BBC and the CNN, and has also been shown on Egyptian television shows.

The radio station features programmes with names like “Abl ma Te’oly Ya Talaa” (Before you say divorce), “Yawmeyat Motalak” (Diaries of a divorced man), “Taliek Ala Mataawedih” (An amicable divorce) and “Yamafhoumin Belghalat” (Oh, how misunderstood we are).

The programmes look at the value of divorced women in society and at how they deal with their daily lives and the criticism they face.

“People tend to look at us suspiciously, thinking that a divorced woman is capable of bad behaviour,” Saber said.

The radio station also puts out programmes in which divorced women can ask psychologists on how to help children come to terms with their parents’ divorce.

Saber’s internet radio has brought about diverse comments from different people. Some have described it as provocative or courageous, while others see it as scandalous. Some men see it as an open call to women to seek divorce and rebel against their husbands.

“Women have more rights than they should. They have really gone too far and have become rebellious,” 45-year-old Medhat Omar said.

Meanwhile, a 33-year-old woman accountant, Maha El-Shennawi, said: “I don’t have a problem saying that I’m divorced, yet people look at me, comment on me and judge me”.

“I’ve been divorced for over three years, and I think I’m past the feeling of being

unhappy,” said Laila Saif El-Din, a housewife. “Nevertheless, I do dream of finding someone to share my life with.”

The station consists of 10 people and all of them are volunteers. It has, however, no permanent studio. Each presenter makes his or her programme at home and then uploads it on to the station’s webpage.

Having received a positive response to her radio station, Saber now plans to launch a television channel.