The Belgian paper Soir reported that the Egyptian feminist author Dr. Nawal Al-Sa'adawi had fled Egypt for Belgium, and would be moving to the U.S., out of fear for her life lest she stand trial for heresy.

In an interview with the London daily Al-Haya  and the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm, Al-Sa'adawi said that the Belgian paper had exaggerated her statements, and that she had left Egypt to participate in a conference in Belgium and to be a guest lecturer at a university in the U.S. She said that she intended to return to Egypt some day to continue her struggle.

Dr. Al-Sa'adawi told the Egyptian daily that she felt persecuted in Egypt after she and her daughter were summoned for investigation because she called for allowing children to take their mother's last name when the father was unknown, and after the Egyptian authorities banned her from presenting five of her books at the recent Cairo international book fair.

Source: Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, London, February 24, 2007; Al-Hayat, London, February 25, 2007; Al-Masri Al-Yawm, Egypt, February 26, 2007