Allegation against Egyptian star brings marital rape, #MeToo back into spotlight

An account of marital rape by the ex-wife of an Egyptian celebrity has once more brought the controversial subject of sexual assault into the spotlight.

In an emotional account posted to Instagram on Friday, the woman said her famous ex-husband had raped her during their marriage. She decried the lack of support for victims of marital rape and called for changes to the law.

Her ex-husband vehemently denied the accusations the next day via his own social media accounts.

Worldwide, marital rape is often treated as an exemption, where rape is illegal but all sex within marriage is considered in law to be a conjugal right.

Only 42 percent of countries have criminalised marital rape, according to the United Nations.

Women's rights defenders say the issue is simply a question of body autonomy, overlapping with acts including female genital mutilation (FGM).

We must connect domestic violence, marital rape and female genital mutilation with street sexual violence and clearly call them all crimes against women. And just as we stood next to men to overthrow Mubarak, we need men to stand alongside us now. #Egypt

— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) September 1, 2020

The subject is a deeply controversial one in Egypt, most recently brought back into question by the Ramadan soap opera Newton’s Cradle, in which a woman is raped by her husband when she tries to divorce him. The show catalysed discussion online from activists, clerics, and psychologists.

Opinions on martial rape differ among Islamic scholars, who carry great unofficial authority in the Muslim world, including in Egypt.

A professor at Al-Azhar, the world's most prestigious university for Islamic studies based in Cairo, said that sex within marriage without consent goes against the Quran. 

Other scholars have rejected the term as an import from the West - a dismissal often made by Egyptian conservatives on issues of women's rights.

Egypt has been through its own #MeToo moment with women sharing their testimonies of sexual assault, harassment, and rape, including marital rape.

The woman who made the accusations on Friday expressed hope that things would change if more women highlight sexual abuse.