You are angry with your parents for not talking to you about any of this! You are angry at those who blame you for being unhappy or ungrateful! You are angry at social norms, traditions, Egypt, and Egyptian women! You... (Continue reading)
I was reading an article about the nature of the Master/Slave relationship and I found out that most male/female relationships in Egypt – and probably in the Arab world – are a replica of Master/Slave relationships. The “female slavery contract” is... (Continue reading)
Pressure my dear can change people's nature .... someone who is sweet, romantic, passionate, dreamy, etc (the way he was before) can turn into a piece of cynical shit under the pressure of living in Egypt ... ... (Continue reading)
Before I point out your mistakes, let me tell you that I agree with you ... your husband is a piece of shit ... a mediocre irresponsible juvenile piece of shit!... (Continue reading)
"One day you are your father's property. One day you are your husband's property. It must be difficult."... (Continue reading)
Dear Married Man What is the purpose of your email? Why did you write to me?... (Continue reading)
I just read on your website about a women who was married to a egyptian man and treated bad, I wanted to know how i can help other women from falling in the same trap that other women have done... (Continue reading)
Do Egyptians have a natural aversion towards women? Zeinobia is very unhappy with this emerging social trend, Mohaly is wondering where we are going with segregation, Diptychal wonders why they want to shut them up, and Eman Hashim is begging... (Continue reading)
MARWA RAKHA IS HIRING POSITION: BOYFRIEND... (Continue reading)
He said: Egyptian men are religious and have ethics - compared to a European or an American man. I replied: Bull! They are double faced double edged hypocrites! Their sense of religion does not go beyond discussing the issue of the... (Continue reading)
People who meet me for the first time, people who read my book, people who read my articles, people who listen to or watch my shows, people who interview me, and people who talk about me - why do they... (Continue reading)
I have been married since 2000 and I have a 7 year old daughter and a newly born baby boy. I am a university graduate but I have never worked before. My husband is in the media industry and he... (Continue reading)
Marwa Rakha's first book - The Poison Tree - planted & grown in Egypt - has become Egypt's first literary audio book in English. Narration: Marwa Rakha. ... (Continue reading)
HEY YOU! AN EASY GUIDE TO LOSING YOUR WIFE TO ANOTHER MAN ... (Continue reading)
AN EASY GUIDE TO LOSING YOUR HUSBAND TO ANOTHER WOMAN... (Continue reading)
Let me rephrase that - How many times did you sin against yourself? ... (Continue reading)
كم مرة أذنبت ؟ لأ خلينى أقولها بشكل تانى .. كم مرة أذنبت فى حق نفسك ؟... (Continue reading)
Now you know why your father smothered your freedom ... if you get too comfortable at his home you will never want to get married and he will be stuck with your responsibility forever.... (Continue reading)
This book is worth reading if you are interested in human behavior or are visiting Egypt and would like to know a little more about people you will encounter. But, I would highly recommend the book to any non-Egyptian girl/woman/lady planning... (Continue reading)
As Eid Al Fitr approaches, women in Egypt are bracing themselves for even more sexual harassment than what has already become a disturbing norm. Bloggers and online activists are also joining forces to fight the phenomenon, calling for a fun-filled... (Continue reading)
This is a book about love, marriage, divorce, sex, dating, virginity, adult dating, religion, shame, taboos, gender wars and fear that grew and blossomed on my poison tree. Dedicated to every female trying to break free and to every male who... (Continue reading)
50. You wish you could push a delete button and that person, your memories, and your pain would just vanish (there is no delete button ... we all know that! But there is a delete and block button that helps... (Continue reading)
As if finding a husband for me was not a difficult enough task, and as if great guys grew on trees, I decided to make my life a bit more complicated by throwing the "father ingredient" into the "husband mix".... (Continue reading)
On my desktop, I have two sidebar icons: A calendar and a clock. In my head, somewhere in the depths of my twisted brain, I have the same two icons: A biological calendar and a biological clock that count the... (Continue reading)
In her semi-autobiographical novel, Rakha spoke about personal and intimate experiences which above all reflected some of the rights violations and emotional distress that women in a patriarchal society endure. Despite focusing on women's issues, she refused to be labelled... (Continue reading)
My sister used to live with me in the Stated, last year she decided to move back to Egypt. She is 27 years old. She is been home now for about 9 month and she is faceing a huge problem.... (Continue reading)
Disclaimer: This article is not targeted at those who get married because they want to share a life with a person they love, trust, and respect. I am not talking about the few who have shared goals and want to... (Continue reading)
im 32 yrs old i feel that in all my relationships im the wrong person im very honest and direct and a bit openminded but i realized that for a relationship to work i have to lie and be dishonest... (Continue reading)
why should i lie to the person i love? at the same time i am afraid that deep inside him he would have a narrow mind that would tell him that i was easy to get or anything like that... (Continue reading)
A Facebook campaign calling for a silent demonstration on April 18 against the harassment of women and girls in Egypt is slowly gathering momentum. The call for allowing Egyptian women to move around in safety in their country, was sparked... (Continue reading)
Me : A lot of people may think that you're so westernized. For instance, if she decides to dress in a certain way that does not line up with her father's principles, do you think she would ever go out... (Continue reading)
A.A: What was the most difficult problem you faced with your readers? and have you ever regretted giving a specific solution for a problem? Marwa: The most difficult problems are the ones that the person does not want to overcome.... (Continue reading)
What Women Want on a Freaky Friday and Vice Versa. This is the answer to all those couples who drift apart forgetting what brought them together in the first place. In those three movies a man got to be a... (Continue reading)
Egyptian women are trapped between who they are and who they are expected to be; they are required to live up to the expectations of their parents, families, colleagues, and later on, their husbands and children. In their attempt to... (Continue reading)
My first escape was mango - yes! As in fruit! I would escape a boring class or a paternal lecture by imagining a mango in my hand; the feel of its skin, its scent, and its color. Then I would... (Continue reading)
I first met Marwa in the mid nineties when she was my student at the American University in the School of Continuing Education, previously known as the Center of Adult and Continuing Education, she later became a colleague instructor, trying... (Continue reading)
I used to believe that people should get married because they are in love and because they want to share a life together. I also thought that those who got married for any other reason were on the wrong track... (Continue reading)
Boldness? I tried so hard for 21 years of my life to mold myself into the "good girl image". I failed. From 21 to 28 I had continuous inner conflicts and dilemmas of figuring out who I am and what... (Continue reading)
Bravely baring her soul and laying her innermost fears on the altar of Truth as she sees it, the author gives us a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Love and Romance, Egyptian Style.... (Continue reading)
I am sick and tired of people telling us what to do. I am trying hard to avoid turning into one of those people who dictate what is right and what is wrong - and people follow. My mission in... (Continue reading)
I caught myself guilty of a series of rebound relationships and the worst part was that I had no idea that I was rebounding. Here I am emotionally drained and mentally consumed sharing with you my two cents on rebounds.... (Continue reading)
Women: Should they stay at home and raise kids or should they work and have a contribution? A controversial question that Fantasia's World tried to answer in her post: Are you making your country poorer?... (Continue reading)
Egypt has launched a fierce campaign against sexual harassment in the aftermath of the recent events written about here on Global Voices. But people working in the media industry do not seem to get the idea as evidenced by a... (Continue reading)
It got worse after women learnt how to read and write, got to work, and began mingling with men. In the old days women knew nothing but what their husbands taught them. Nowadays women know very well how to use... (Continue reading)
The Poison Tree is not a traditional novel; it combines the techniques of blogging, journal-keeping, and formal writing while retaining one binding thought that keeps the story together; poison is the fertile ground that I, and many others, was born... (Continue reading)
3) We live in a society that loves lies and is in love with liars ... you are better than them ... way better. ... (Continue reading)
Statistics show that 75,000 Egyptian couples got divorced in 2006/2007. Marwa Rakha brings up oline reactions to the phenomena in this post. ... (Continue reading)
While some women are still struggling to prove themselves in the workplace, the young generation of Egyptian men and women seems to be taking different route. Marwa Rakha brings us the story of how young Egyptians told a television show... (Continue reading)
My dear reader ... Please do not get offended ... Please forgive me for what I am about to say ... I am writing this article because of you ... I am mad at you ...... (Continue reading)
In a series of posts tackling sexual harassment in Egypt, Marwa Rakha sheds light on a male Egyptian blogger's interpretation of what is really happening on the ground. "The Sex Files," by blogger Wael Nawara presents a rather interesting perspective... (Continue reading)
Reuters published survey on sexual harassment in Egypt is still stirring angry responses from Egyptian bloggers. Marwa Rakha sheds light on more reactions in this post. ... (Continue reading)
think the 17% of women who have reported not being harassed on the streets either live under a rock & never come out, or are too ashamed to admit to it, or maybe think that saying it never happened... (Continue reading)
I was a 17 year old girl at the time of this tale and my mother and father were still married. It was school time; Thursday evenings were dedicated to my taekwondo sessions and Friday mornings were when I got... (Continue reading)
1) Sharee3a and Islam gave the man the right to get married to more than one woman .. 2, 3, 4 and the concubines - This is not a man this is an animal ... a horny bloodthirsty animal. A... (Continue reading)
Because of the nature of my work in the tourism sector, I am used to hearing that this or that country has issued a travel warning to its citizens who plan on traveling to Egypt, especially in the aftermath of... (Continue reading)
Why are Egyptian men so special? Why is marrying a foreigner shunned by society? And how difficult it is for an Egyptian woman married to a foreigner to obtain an ID card in Egypt? Marwa Rakha looks at the experiences... (Continue reading)
Today a fellow writer, in a casual chat, asked me why girls refuse and adamantly resist getting intimate with their beau. He complained of the fact that girls feel that the s-word impacts the interest, or the lack of interest,... (Continue reading)
Take a snap shot of a Friday prayer or a Sunday sermon and you would be proud of the masses attending to God, but do they really know God? Do they truly believe? Do they live up to the essence... (Continue reading)
I wouldn't really classify it as a great read, nonetheless it's a new writing attempt that worth a stopover.... (Continue reading)
On this page, now and today, I shamelessly take off my seven hats of experience and step out of my grand cloak of wisdom. I stand naked and shivering before you – my readers – seeking advice. This time my... (Continue reading)
After a year of suffering and utter misery, Sandy got a divorce ... and a son! A single foreign mother in Egypt could be quiet traumatizing. I asked her why she did not go back to her country; she told... (Continue reading)
Year after year I wrote letters to Santa and year after year I failed to understand why his gifts always got stuck in the chimney or got lost in the mail. I assure you that all my letters were clearly... (Continue reading)
Now I own a home and one day I will have a boyfriend who will make it past the first month. What if he makes it past the first six months? It is one thing to come and visit and... (Continue reading)
Like my multiple careers, I began juggling multiple partners. I have always complained of the scarcity of good men, yet I found myself attracted to four men at the same time. They have nothing in common but me. I have... (Continue reading)
“I am in an open relationship!” He said like a proud Egyptian declaring his American passport. “How do you mean?” I asked like a poor Egyptian who has never seen a map! I was not playing dumb; I seriously did... (Continue reading)
A few years back Shania Twain inspired me to sketch an analogy between men and shoes. At the time, I had settled for a very wrong pair of shoes; uncomfortable from the start, though highly maintained, they lost their allure... (Continue reading)
"A man should be responsible and a responsible man takes total and utter care of the needs of his woman."... (Continue reading)
It took a lot of strength and courage for a single girl like me to move out at the age of 28. Society, family, friends, men, and people who did not even know me frowned upon my decision. In the... (Continue reading)
Being the daughter of an insectologist, I grew up playing with butterflies, examining mosquitoes, and studying the morphology of unheard of flies under the microscope. One day my father got me a silk worm – as a pet. With lots... (Continue reading)
The Color of Resentment... (Continue reading)
So let's assume that we have a girl who is poor beyond poverty, more ambitious than Lady Macbeth, is paying her tuition fees, and is saving for her dowry. This girl chose the least trodden path as a means to... (Continue reading)
I wanted to put on a gown of rose petals and share with you pink dreams on scented paper; but instead of the sweet Valentine’s Day feature I had in mind, I was driven by painful anger to defend women... (Continue reading)
I guess not! Today, women who have brains, character, and experience are treated the same way witches were treated in the dark ages. Girls, like me, who ask questions and who insist on being honest and straightforward are castaways in... (Continue reading)
It was St. Valentine's Day in 2000 when I first heard "Losing my Religion". I was happily dancing to the beat until the lyrics hit me. My feet lost the rhythm and I came to a complete stop. How could... (Continue reading)
Please do not take this letter personally; I neither mean insult nor injury. I am writing to you on behalf of all the females that I know, and those that I do not know. Who? You know who; the doormats.... (Continue reading)
What is it this time that offset my safety valve? Was it a guy who started the lame nauseating right and wrong argument with me? Was it a girl who hid her actions in a cloak of virtue and self-righteousness?... (Continue reading)
I also visited this site's affiliate sites specialized in alternative lifestyles, Asians, Russians, Literotica, and BDSM (Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, Sadism and Masochism.) I was amazed - Egypt had a very strong presence. After a week, when the... (Continue reading)
100 Tips for being a "GOOD GIRL" in Egypt... (Continue reading)
The world seemed to conspire against me when I got a call from my mom a few minutes later. After the usual hellos, in her adorable enthusiastic tone, my mom shared with me a brilliant idea; I am to find... (Continue reading)
Suddenly, all the women ran to the shore and screamed "Alien"! A boat docked on our beach and out came a hairy deformed creature that had ape-like features; his hair was tousled, his breath stunk, he had fungus under his... (Continue reading)
The memory of that day is so vivid in my head; he was wearing a black shirt and black pants, he had a lovely wide white smile on his face, he smelled of perfume and fresh laundry, and I had... (Continue reading)
Like peacocks, the infected men, acted as though they were pecking at food, with their heads to the ground and their tails above to draw attention to themselves. They were waiting for potential females to scurry over in hopes of... (Continue reading)
It is easy for anyone on the outside to tell Heba to just leave. But she knows how hard it is to break free from his chains. She worries about his reaction, she is not sure if she can face... (Continue reading)
He walks in a room with his head stuck up; his big smile covers layers of confidence alternating with other layers of high self-esteem. He is known for daring eye contact and can mesmerize you with a naughty gaze before... (Continue reading)
How to lose a Guy in 10 Days .. Egyptian Edition... (Continue reading)
I have been sitting on that sofa for more than an hour with the ever-so-familiar tear of uncertainty lingering between my eyelids, holding on to my damp eyelashes, and struggling to stay in place. A sense of heaviness grabbed my... (Continue reading)
Here goes my girlish dream of happily ever after ... to cherish and to hold vanished into thin air ... to love and to honor evanesced into dark vapors ... until death do us part is just an anagram of... (Continue reading)
Sparky did not take much time thinking, "She is a slut; she is loose; she is easy; she cannot be trusted; she is not fit to be neither a wife nor a mother; she did it before marriage and she... (Continue reading)
Men are caught between what they like and what they want; they like the girls that their minds do not want and they want the girls that their hearts do not like. A typical example of this schizophrenic condition is... (Continue reading)