Secular-oriented women, many of whom see themselves as the losers of the "Arab Revolutions," are particularly concerned about a takeover by Islamist parties in Arab states. Annette Jünemann explores the question of what contribution the European Union can make to promote gender democracy in the Arab transition countries. So far, the EU has supported the agenda of secular women's rights groups as part of its external democracy promotion in the southern Mediterranean. This was done in quiet agreement with the authoritarian Arab regimes, which viewed secular state feminism as an effective means in the fight against political Islam. Since the Arab Spring, the EU's previous funding practices have been discredited and require adjustment to the new political realities.