In the aftermath of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood’s rejection of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), an avalanche of articles depicting the Brotherhood’s statement within the framework of “Islamists vs. Liberals” ensued. When it comes to critiquing Muslim Brotherhood policies on women, many liberals make the mistake of limiting their scope to the discussion of personal and sexual freedoms, without considering the manner in which the economic configuration of the Egyptian system affects the social rights of women.

In this article, I attempt to explain how rejection of CEDAW and the neglect of Egyptian women’s rights can more generally be traced to neoliberal governance.

At the onset, it is important to consider the analysis that traces rejection of CEDAW to the Islamist leniency of Morsi’s regime. Indeed, the Muslim Brotherhood’s statement itself perpetuates and anticipates rhetoric within this framework. Consider this excerpt from the Freedom and Justice Party’s official website:

“We call on women’s organizations to commit to their religion and morals of their communities and the foundations of good social life and not be deceived with misleading calls to decadent modernization and paths of subversive immorality.”