Captain Marwa Elselehdar was working on board the Aida IV off the Alexandria coast, 230 miles away from the Suez Canal when the ill-fated Ever Given became wedged, blocking the shipping thouroughfare. But that didn’t stop trolls from blaming Egypt’s first ever female captain for the gaff which held up an estimated $9.6 billion of trade each day.
Screenshots of a fake news headlines, blaming the $6.7 million per minute stop in trade on 29 year-old Captain Elselehdar were spread by online trolls after allegedly being published by Arab News.
The fake headline was doctored above a real image used by Arab News when reporting Captain Elselehdar’s success at becoming Egypt’s first female ship captain.
Female Captain Blamed for Blocking the Suez Canal – Despite Being Over 200 Miles Away
Just like unsubstantiated claims that the Ever Given’s grounding was a planned event, the doctored article has been shared countless times on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Fake Twitter accounts under Captain Elselehdar’s name have also cropped up on the platform and spread the false claims she was in charge of the Ever Given when it became wedged.
Captain Elselehdar speculated as to why she was pursued by the trolls saying, “I felt that I might be targeted, maybe because I’m a successful female in this field or because I’m Egyptian. I’m not sure.”
Being that the article was printed in English, it spread to other countries quickly. However, the ship captain hasn’t gotten to where she is without developing a thick skin.
“The comments on the article were very negative and harsh,” she admitted, “but there were so many other supportive comments from ordinary people and people I work with. I decided to focus on all the support and love I’m getting, and my anger turned to gratefulness.”
She added with a grin, “Also, it is worth mentioning that I became even more famous than before!”
Elselehdar equates her love of the sea to what inspired to join the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT). Though the academy only accepted men at the time, she applied and was granted permission to join after a legal review that went all the way to Egypt’s president.
Unsurprisingly, Captain Elselehdar says she has faced sexism at every turn, a trend that, seemingly, has not gone away.
Again her positivity prevails as she explains, “People in our society still don’t accept the idea of girls working in the sea, but when you do what you love, it is not necessary for you to seek the approval of everyone.”
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