Kyle Kane

Kelly Slivka

English 250

26 April 2017

Textual rhetorical analysis

Egyptian-Belgian journalist Khaled Diabs article for Al-Jazeera, The Egyptian Roots of

Feminism, is a brief persuasive article addressing the Egyptian roots of feminism. It was written

very recently in February of 2017. It looks to of inform and convince the reader by comparing

ancient Greece and Egypt that feminism can be a sustainable movement in todays Middle East

and that Western influence might not be needed for it to succeed.

Diab starts off his article by stating both Greece and Egypt, in his words, Take outsized

pride in their contributions to shaping human civilisation. This is a very snarky, blunt statement

that shows Diabs very propaganda-like style of writing. Propaganda can be defined as,

Information, ideas or rumors deliberately spread to help or hurt a person, group, movement,

nation, etc. This is important to the rhetoric because Feminism is a movement and by definition

rhetoric and propagandas purpose is to get you to think a certain way. Diab starts the article by

trying to get you to side with him that Greece and Egypts role in shaping human civilization is

overblown.

We are taught in school that Greece is the beginning of modern Western civilisation. This

begs the question why would Diab want to change that school of thought. Diab uses Greece and

Egypt as a metaphor for the West today (USA, Canada, etc.) and todays Middle East (Iraq,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc.) In the section of the article titled Cradle of gender equality Diab

writes, In ancient Greece, womens status bore little resemblance to the contemporary West and

was more akin to that in the most conservative Muslim countries today - and, in some ways, was

far worse. This is a direct comparison of the past to the present. This also explains the authors

context why Greece was a nation known for innovation and the birthplace of Western philosophy

but is outspoken in its impact on modern Western civilisation.

In the section of the article, Spartan exception, Diab does use a historical example of

gender equality in the Greek city-state of Sparta. Sparta granted many rights to their women such

as property ownership, education and could dress as they pleased. This prompted Aristotle to

partly blame the downfall of Sparta on the freedom women enjoyed. While Diab doesnt

directly compare Aristotles theory of why Sparta fell to the modern day, it is a reference to

internal disputes and challenges that feminism faces in the Middle East today. Diab mentions

Isis, the Egyptian goddess worshipped as the ideal mother and wife. Isis grants protection to

women and is one of the chief gods in the Egyptian polytheistic pantheon. This is a very subtle

comparison to todays Western government's protection of womens rights. It also is aimed at

getting the reader to understand how Greece (the Middle East) can easily write off feminism in

Egypt (The West).

CONCLUSION

In the last section titled Reversing the common practice of mankind, Diab summarizes

his argument. Diab says, Given the huge disparity between Egyptian women and their ancient

sisters, it is little wonder that Greek travellers expressed dismay when visiting ancient Egypt.

He also states, In most of their manners and customs. Egyptians exactly reverse the common
practice of mankind, observed the Greek historian Herodotus. Diab means to point out that

how foreign ideas, even if they are morally right, can easily be viewed as heresy. Middle Eastern

women today face resistance to their feminist movement. Diab writes, Firstly, it can teach the

West some humility, by showing that it is not the first region in the world to empower women.

Secondly, it can shatter the myth that I hear so often from conservatives in Muslim societies and

the global south, that gender equality is some alien western import. Diab directly states that He

thinks feminism is being hindered by Western influence and that the West is mistaken in its

claim to be the first region to adopt feminism. The author wants the reader to realize that

Western influence on the Middle Eastern feminist movement it not needed, and may actually be

hurting women in the Middle East. That is why Diab uses Herodotus doubts on gender equality

to show it is easy for people in a position of respect and/or power in a patriarchal society to write

off ideals such as feminism.

Works Cited

Diab, Khaled. The Egyptian roots of feminism. Al Jazeera, 3 Feb. 2017,

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/01/egyptian-roots-feminism-1701281329

54736.html.