Held annually at the end of January, the Cairo International Book Fair remains an important intellectual and cultural moment for the country and our work. While our staff and interns bring a diversity of interests to the book fair, we found ourselves focused this year on some of the ways that gender and women’s issues were engaged. We were led in this effort by three of our talented Egyptian interns, Menna al-Maʿāz, Sārā al-Sherbīnī, and Ḥabība al-Ganāynī. 

Ḥabība, a third-year business student at Ḥelwān University, has written a useful review of a new book from Professor Zaynab Abū al-Faḍl (Ṭanṭā University, Egypt) which proposes significant reforms in relation to the practice of divorce in contemporary Muslim-majority societies. As Ḥabība explains, the author argues that many in modern society have deviated from the spirit of the Qurʾān and Islamic law on divorce in ways that harm women, families, and the broader society. An introduction to her review of Divorce before the Judge (al-Ṭalāq āmām al-Qāḍī) is available here.

Al-Azhar, the governing Islamic institution in Egypt, operates a “fatwā center” at the book fair where people can simply walk up and ask for expert guidance on religious questions. Menna al-Maʿāz, a recent graduate in mass communications and public relations from Menūfīa University, and Ḥabība decided to take advantage of the opportunity: “As two Muslim girls from Egypt who are also interns at the Center for Arab-West Understanding, we certainly had a few questions for an Islamic scholar. We were hesitant at first, but then we gathered our courage, and we are honestly glad that we did. Initially, our preference was to sit with a woman as we were concerned that a man might judge us or our ideas. But it turned out to be the complete opposite. The muftī was Shaykh Aḥmad al-Faramāwī who holds a doctorate in Qurʾānic interpretation. He was very kind and answered all our questions in the best possible way. This was indeed a new experience for us that gave us new perspectives.” You can read more about their experience and the questions they asked here.

(Some of the CAWU team at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair.)

Last but not least, we were able to pick up a recent publication from H.E. Dr. Naẓīr ʿAyyād, the Grand Mufti of Egypt. The almost 700-page book is a collection of legal and religious opinions that relate to issues faced by women in the modern world. 

 (Fatāwā wa-aḥkām al-marʾa fī al-islām, Cairo: Dār al-Iftāʾ al-Miṣriyya, 2025)
 

Sārā al-Sherbīnī, a fourth-year student in the Faculty of Languages at the Egyptian-Russian University studying English-Arabic-Russian translation, has offered a summary and translation of several responses to common questions about whether Muslim women can exercise certain religious and political leadership roles. You can find further information and read Sārā’s helpful summaries here.

Matthew Anderson

Director - Center for Arab-West Understanding

Executive Editor - Dialogue Across Borders (De Gruyter Brill)

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February 16, 2026