Lara Reffat | Contributing Writer

Seun Shokunbi | Editor

Samar Saadallah explains the needle that threads the eleven short stories in her book In a Parallel Universe. She wrote the book in the wake of Egypt’s online feminist movements, using creative writing to bring attention to the struggles of Egyptian women that go underreported. Saadallah shared more on this mission and her book below.

The title in a parallel universe, that's something that grabs you right away, how did you come up with the name?

The initial title was ‘Through Her Eyes’, as in, see the world through her eyes...Then I found out that it’s been used before. The title In a Parallel Universe came to me because when I see something sad or tragic happening, I wonder in another universe if it wouldn't be the case because this is extremely upsetting.

Can you further take us into this parallel universe? What is the linchpin to bringing women into their ideal universe? How does your book direct women and men to catalyze this linchpin for change?

The parallel universe [is] where being born female does not automatically mean facing sexism or experiencing some form of sexual harassment…It is incredibly tragic that when women are born, this fate is born with them. 

Creating this ideal universe will require extensive effort…The approach will differ from country to country. However, two areas stand out to me: education and law. I believe sexism is learned, so combating it requires educating people from a young age and integrating the value of equality into their understanding of life. 

My book aims to contribute to the solution by raising awareness about the profound effects of sexism on women’s lives and its pervasive presence…

Did you have men in mind when writing this book? Why or why not?

Yes, I did…but with different goals in mind. For women, it was to make them feel heard and amplify their voices. For men, it was to raise awareness about what women go through every day in hopes of inspiring them to join the movement and create change. 

In the last few years, the new wave of Egyptian activists and feminist writers have been building communities of practice. What’s the value of this for new writers?

Part of my inspiration, or what I'm proud of are pages like Speak Up. Pages like these give me peace of mind because I feel like I'm not alone. It's one of my main news sources when I'm in my day-to-day life to follow the crimes against women that are not given enough attention…

How does this book help women outside of Egypt understand where their and Egyptian women's desires intersect?

While this book is set in Egypt and focuses on the struggles of Egyptian women, its themes are universal…We are all united in struggle so we should support each other on the path to a better world, and I hope we create this world together someday.