Aya Hijazi (also: ''Hegazy'', ''Higazi''; ar, آية حجازي) is an
Egyptian-American
Egyptian Americans are Americans of partial or full Egyptian ancestry. The 2016 US Census estimated the number of people with Egyptian ancestry at 256,000. Most of whom are from Egypt's Christian Coptic minority.Estimates for the number of Copti ...
charity worker and social activist. Together with her husband she founded an
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
"Belady Foundation" to support child political prisoners in Egypt. Hijazi, her husband and five other Belady members were imprisoned in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
from 2014 until 2017, when the
Cairo Criminal Court
The judicial system (or judicial branch) of Egypt is an independent branch of the Egyptian government which includes both secular and religious courts.
The Egyptian judicial system is based on European and primarily French legal concepts and ...
found them innocent.
Childhood and education
Hijazi became interested in social activism during her childhood in the United States (US). She studied
conflict analysis and
conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of conflict and retribution. Committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information abou ...
at
George Mason University
George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...
in the US and law at
Cairo University
Cairo University ( ar, جامعة القاهرة, Jāmi‘a al-Qāhira), also known as the Egyptian University from 1908 to 1940, and King Fuad I University and Fu'ād al-Awwal University from 1940 to 1952, is Egypt's premier public university ...
in Egypt.
2011 Egyptian revolution and Belady
During the
2011 Egyptian revolution
The 2011 Egyptian revolution, also known as the 25 January revolution ( ar, ثورة ٢٥ يناير; ), began on 25 January 2011 and spread across Egypt. The date was set by various youth groups to coincide with the annual Egyptian "Police ho ...
, Hijazi returned to her homeland, Egypt, along with her husband, Mohamed Hassanein, to establish a
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
(NGO), "Belady" (meaning "My Home"). Hijazi and Hassanein's intention was that Belady was to become "a symbolic island that unified people from all walks of life, allowing them to work towards the betterment of society". Belady focused on children and youth – one of Belady's main projects was helping street children who would otherwise be unsupported by state or non-state social support institutions. Working on such projects was seen by Belady to foster a sense of community while developing life skills within the children and the volunteers.
Arrest and Imprisonment
On May 1, 2014, police forces raided Belady and arrested Aya, her husband, Mohamed, Sherif Talaat and Amira Farag, also Belady members. They were charged with child abuse. Three months later, the police arrested Ibrahim Abd Rabbo, Karim Magdy and Mohamed al-Sayed, who had been trying to film video testimony with several children who had earlier been interviewed by the prosecution. For nearly three years, the seven individuals were imprisoned under charges that included human trafficking, kidnapping, and rape.
NGOs and public figures from Egypt and around the world pressed for the release of Aya, her husband, and the Belady members. The case took a turning point when Aya's college friend, Chelsea Cowan, successfully lobbied congressmen and senators, bringing attention to her case. As a result,
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
made it a highlight in her presidential election campaign and President Trump pressed for the release of Aya and the other defendants.
On April 16, 2017, the
Cairo Criminal Court
The judicial system (or judicial branch) of Egypt is an independent branch of the Egyptian government which includes both secular and religious courts.
The Egyptian judicial system is based on European and primarily French legal concepts and ...
found Aya and all Belady members innocent of all charges.
Two days after their release,
Dina Powell
Dina Powell, also known as Dina Powell McCormick (née Habib , ar, دينا حبيب; June 12, 1973) is an American financial executive, philanthropist, and political advisor, best known for having been the United States Deputy National Securit ...
(U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy to President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
) flew with Aya and her husband in a private plane to the United States; President Trump, along with his daughter, Ivanka, and her husband,
Jared Kushner
Jared Corey Kushner (born January 10, 1981) is an American businessman and investor. He served as a senior advisor to 45th U.S. president Donald Trump, his father-in-law. Since leaving the White House, Kushner founded Affinity Partners, a pri ...
, welcomed her to the White House and celebrated her release. According to Hijazi, Trump told her at that meeting "You know it's I who released you, don't you? I succeeded and Obama failed," a sentiment that she felt exposed egotistical motives, and contributed to her endorsing Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
Aya's case took place in the context of
Egypt's crackdown on civil society, police corruption, the fabrication of criminal cases, and the abuse of pretrial detention and its use as a political tool to suppress any opposition.
Post Release
, Aya resides in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
, where she works on expanding Belady and "saving the dreams of the most vulnerable children", by working towards the release of child political prisoners in Egypt. She plans to establish "islands of humanity" throughout the Middle East and other conflict zones. Hijazi initially supported Bernie Sanders for president in the 2020 election. In early November 2020, Hijazi tweeted her support for Joe Biden.
Personal life
Hijazi was born to an Egyptian mother and Lebanese father. She married another Egyptian–American social activist, Mohamed Hassanien.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hijazi, Aya
American people imprisoned abroad
Women humanitarians
Living people
1987 births
Egyptian activists
Lebanese people of Egyptian descent
George Mason University alumni
American people of Egyptian descent
American people of Lebanese descent
Egyptian people of Lebanese descent
Egyptian women activists
American Muslims
Harvard Kennedy School alumni