As the Suez Canal blockage issue got resolved, the aftermath has affected be Egypt’s first female ship captain who has been blamed for the incident.
Marwa Elselehdar was working onboard a ship miles away from the Suez Canal when the incident took place, however many are those that blame her.. The 29-year-old was working as a first mate in command of the Aida IV which is now in Alexandria.
Commenting on these rumours, Ms. Elselehdar told BBC that she feels that she might be targeted maybe because she is “a successful female in this field or because I’m Egyptian.”
More specifically, fake social media profiles spread this rumour, pushing the propaganda further, even making it to the newspapers.
As she explained, she was worried that this would harm her reputation, and tried to “negate what was in the article.”
People in our society still don’t accept the idea of girls working in the sea away from their families for a long time. But when you do what you love, it is not necessary for you to seek the approval of everyone
However, Ms. Elselehdar encountered the fake news through an Instagram video where she said that she felt encouraged by the response.
As she said, her message to females who want to be in the maritime field is:
Fight for what you love and not let any negativity affect you
