Egypt's First Woman Ship Captain Falsely Blamed For Suez Canal Block, Trolled

Egypt’s first female ship captain Marwa Elselehdar being trolled for the Suez Canal block: Egypt’s first female ship captain Marwa Elselehdar was dragged into a fake news fiasco that led to her being trolled on social media. The fake news in question alleged that Elselehdar was responsible for the mishap at the Suez Canal blockade, that cost the loss of millions of dollars worth daily trade.

Last month a huge container ship, the Ever Given vessel, had blocked the Suez Canal, bringing one of the world's major shipping routes to a halt. Elselehdar was targetted by online trolls with rumours claiming that she was the one to blame for the blockage, even though she was posted hundreds of miles away in Alexandria.

"I was shocked," 29-year-old Elselehdar said adding that during the mishap she was working as a first mate, in command of the Aida IV, in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria in Egypt.

"I felt that I might be targeted maybe because I'm a successful female in this field or because I'm Egyptian, but I'm not sure," she was quoted in the BBC report. Elselehdar's alleged role on the Ever Given news was spread by Arab News, which said she was involved in the Suez incident. In addition, screenshots of the fake news headline and a doctored image of the captain were also circulated on social media on March 22.

Elselehdar further added that this was not the first time she had faced such challenges in the industry which has been critically dominated by men. She claimed women take up only two percent of the population as seafarers in the world. "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," she said.

This fake article was in English so it spread in other countries. I tried so hard to negate what was in the article because it was affecting my reputation and all the efforts I exerted to be where I am now: Marwa Elselehdar

Elselehdar alleged that she faced sexism during her studies says as well. "Onboard, they were all older men with different mentalities, so it was difficult not to be able to find like-minded people to communicate with," she explained adding, "It was challenging to go through this alone and be able to overcome it without affecting my mental health."

Feature Image Credit: BBC