Arab women refuse to be silenced after 'animals are kind, except women' sexist hashtag

Many supported the Arabic 'all animals are kind except women' hashtag, with some even claiming that animals are easier to control - but Arab women were having none of it.

Narrated

2 min read

Diana Alghoul

31 Mar, 2018

Arab women demonstrating against sexual exploitation in Lebanon in April [AFP]

A new Arabic hashtag has created a new wave of outrage at the crisis of misogyny in the region.

The hashtag, which translates to “all animals are kind except women” has been the subject of anger among females, but also saw men a large agreeing with it, and even blaming women for the hashtag.

While it is not uncommon for such misogynistic hashtags to appear in the Arab Twittersphere, they are taken seriously by women, who are quick to hit back at them because rather than it being a joke, or an attention seeking mechanism, these hashtags reflect a reality that Arab women are forced to live under.

A recent report showed that unemployment among women in the Middle East is twice that of men, pointing to a belief among some that a woman’s place is in the home.

About 16 percent of women in Arab states are unemployed, compared to a global average of six percent, the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) said.

"The incentive for women to work in the Middle East is not there," said Emanuela Pozzan, a gender specialist with the ILO, pointing to poor maternity provisions and costly childcare.

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Some Arab men were more than happy to jump on the bandwagon and express their animosity towards their female counterparts:

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Translation: nice one

One man thought this may be an unfair comparison, because women are "hard to train", thus succumbing to a man's fragility and insecurities to make him feel better about himself at the expense of women's mental health and personal growth.

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Translation: all animals can be trained to become pets, except for women

While another blamed women for the hashtag because they had the nerve to speak up for their rights and demand respect, justice and equality that patriarchy has robbed them of:

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Women were disgusted, but many were not surprised:

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But some were unable to believe that this is even happening in this day and age:

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Muslim Arab women were quick to speak up about such abuse being a product of men straying far from Islamic values that teach respect to women:

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Arab women were reminding each other that they are indeed amazing and unstoppable:

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Women were clear that the battle continues, despite how much harder the fight gets, or more dehumanising the hashtags become:

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