IslamicFinance.de

Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt (FIBE) will start appointing women to all of its branches for the first time since the bank was established in 1979. Egyptian member of parliament Inas Abdel Halim had submitted May 31 a briefing paper to then-Prime Minister Sherif Ismail about reports whereby the FIBE does not employ women. Abdel Halim stressed that the bank is violating Article 9 of the Egyptian Constitution, which stipulates that the state shall ensure equal opportunity for all citizens. She called on both the prime minister and the governor of the Central Bank to investigate the incident. According to Sahar el-Damaty, the first female vice president of Banque Misr, FIBE and its relationship with its founders in Saudi Arabia is the main reason behind the strict rules relating to the appointment of women. It seems the FIBE decision falls within a series of societal changes both in Egypt and Saudi Arabia aimed at granting women their full rights.