At a Cairo University symposium on Wednesday, participants debated issues surrounding the controversy of whether females should be appointed to the State Council. "The presence of women in the legislative, judicial and executive branches is a matter of life and death," said Tahani el-Gebaly, vice president of the Constitutional Court." She added, "Denying such a right is a conspiracy against women." During the symposium, el-Gebaly explained that there are three different religious schools of jurisprudence relevant to this issue. "The first prohibits it, the second allows it under certain conditions, and the third allows it categorically," she said, adding that society should be free to choose between the options. "Work is a necessity, not a luxury. If women stayed at home, the burden on men would be even greater," she said criticizing those who believe a woman should stay at home. "The Egyptian woman has been a working woman for more than a century," she added, pointing out that 50 percent of the workforce of the Forensics Department and the Administrative office of the Public Prosecutor are women. Speaking directly to female students at the symposium, el-Gebaly said, "You have a great challenge ahead of you in an ailing country amidst a growing process of globalization." Translated from the Arabic Edition.
