Yasmin El-Rifae

Yasmin El-Rifae works for the Palestine Festival of Literature and is a freelance writer. She lives in Cairo and blogs at cairoagain.wordpress.com.

This individual is a guest contributor for mei.edu, and is not affiliated with The Middle East Institute.

Publications

Egypt in Focus

Mar 4, 2015

Yasmin El-Rifae

Egypt’s Economy: Hanging in the Balance

Mar 4, 2015

Yasmin El-Rifae

As 2014 drew to a close, the Egyptian economy was making international headlines. The Financial Times called Egypt the world’s best destination for stock market investment. Meanwhile, the Egyptian press documented a flurry of visits by delegations of businessmen from various economic superpowers. Nonetheless, levels of poverty and unemployment remained high, and it remains to be seen whether these positive trends, and the upcoming economic development conference in Sharm el-Sheikh, will translate into a better quality of life for the majority of Egypt’s 90 million citizens.
Jul 17, 2014

Yasmin El-Rifae

Egypt’s Sexual Harassment Law: An Insufficient Measure to End Sexual Violence

Jul 17, 2014

Yasmin El-Rifae

Although sexual harassment has been an endemic problem in Egypt for years, there has been very little public discussion on the topic, and the state has typically denied the breadth and severity of the problem. Yasmin El-Rifae explains why women's and human rights groups believe the recent law criminalizing sexual harassment is insufficient to address the problem.
Analysis

Jan 6, 2014

Yasmin El-Rifae

Benefits and Limitations of Egypt’s Informal Economy

Jan 6, 2014

Yasmin El-Rifae

There is a general perception that Egypt’s informal economy has been booming since the January 2011 revolution. As the country’s economy continues to falter, the informal sector features ways to supply and procure necessities for less: in addition to currency exchange, one can buy food, clothes, and housing appliances from informal sellers or hire independent carpenters, electricians, plumbers, drivers, and cooks.
Oct 24, 2013

Yasmin El-Rifae

Women & the Fight for Bodily Integrity in Egypt

Oct 24, 2013

Yasmin El-Rifae

It is the conflict over women’s bodies that most often exposes social attitudes toward individual rights and freedoms and through which we can examine recent changes in body politics in Egyptian society. Women’s bodily integrity is often forsaken in favor of promises of security by powerful and paternal but abusive state institutions. Individual women and activists who called for bodily integrity after 2011 demonstrated the strength of the street in transforming public attitudes over time, with the ultimate goal of altering state institutions into forces of protection rather than abuse. However, this goal has been sidelined since the massive protests that led to the ouster of Mohamed Morsi on July 3.

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Publication Types

Yasmin El-Rifae

Egypt’s Economy: Hanging in the Balance

Egypt’s Sexual Harassment Law: An Insufficient Measure to End Sexual Violence

Benefits and Limitations of Egypt’s Informal Economy

Women & the Fight for Bodily Integrity in Egypt