During the erupting celebration in Tahrir Square after the announcement of Mohammed Morsy winning the Presidential election, British journalism student Natasha Smith was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a mob of men. Separated from her companions, her clothes were even more quickly separated from her as she cried out "Lord, please make it stop." She reports that Muslim women were standing nearby crying out, "This is not Egypt."
The report of Smith's attack can be read here at CNN; here is a brief video interview with her, as well...
Smith, with amazing selflessness, speaks not about her own victimization but about the countless number of women whose attacks do not make headlines, because contrary to the cries of the Muslim women around her, this may be Egypt after all.
This morning, Yahoo reposted "Sexual Violence rises in Egypt's Tahrir" a news story originally posted by Al Jazeera reporter Sally El-Sabbahy. The report lists several other attacks in what had been the landmark of change -- something that is lamented by women interviewed in this video that appears on the Al Jazeera's story page:
This older CNN video report also documents the history of assaults and abuses against women that predate the revolution:
Newly elected President Morsy has separated ties with the Muslim Brotherhood that dominated the previous Parliament. He has stated that he wants to be a President for all Egyptians, not just Islamists, and has made overtures to reach out to Coptic Christians, Youth, and Women groups. Women's rights groups have also been reaching out to Morsy, writing and expressing their hopes for changes in a new Egypt. Leading women's activists have a lot of skepticism despite their hopes for change, as exemplified by this report: Egypt's Islamists: Much to prove on women's rights. The Al Jazeera report (mentioned above) references the growth of protests and demands for change to this tragic normal--not just on the streets, but also along social media as #EndSH (Twitter hash tag for "End Sexual Harassment") has seen growing traffic.
We regularly travel on the Metro trains, and though there have been teenage boys that have leered at our daughter, even attempting to move closer for a chance to make eye contact, there have never been any threatening moments on the Metro. We have heard comments made by men as the females pass by; and my wife and daughter did have an unfortunate, brief encounter with a man while walking to a store before my wife chased him off. My daughter is hypersensitive to the looks and comments, and though this type of vigilance is good, we do not want her to be "subject to fear" that paralyzes and prevents her peace.
I'm sure that parents throughout Egypt have the same concerns for their daughters. As we pray for Egypt, pray for justice to be sought by the new President and his leadership on behalf of these assaulted victims; pray for truth and light to overcome deception and darkness; pray for a culture of respect rather than harassment.
The report of Smith's attack can be read here at CNN; here is a brief video interview with her, as well...
Smith, with amazing selflessness, speaks not about her own victimization but about the countless number of women whose attacks do not make headlines, because contrary to the cries of the Muslim women around her, this may be Egypt after all.
This morning, Yahoo reposted "Sexual Violence rises in Egypt's Tahrir" a news story originally posted by Al Jazeera reporter Sally El-Sabbahy. The report lists several other attacks in what had been the landmark of change -- something that is lamented by women interviewed in this video that appears on the Al Jazeera's story page:
This older CNN video report also documents the history of assaults and abuses against women that predate the revolution:
Newly elected President Morsy has separated ties with the Muslim Brotherhood that dominated the previous Parliament. He has stated that he wants to be a President for all Egyptians, not just Islamists, and has made overtures to reach out to Coptic Christians, Youth, and Women groups. Women's rights groups have also been reaching out to Morsy, writing and expressing their hopes for changes in a new Egypt. Leading women's activists have a lot of skepticism despite their hopes for change, as exemplified by this report: Egypt's Islamists: Much to prove on women's rights. The Al Jazeera report (mentioned above) references the growth of protests and demands for change to this tragic normal--not just on the streets, but also along social media as #EndSH (Twitter hash tag for "End Sexual Harassment") has seen growing traffic.
We regularly travel on the Metro trains, and though there have been teenage boys that have leered at our daughter, even attempting to move closer for a chance to make eye contact, there have never been any threatening moments on the Metro. We have heard comments made by men as the females pass by; and my wife and daughter did have an unfortunate, brief encounter with a man while walking to a store before my wife chased him off. My daughter is hypersensitive to the looks and comments, and though this type of vigilance is good, we do not want her to be "subject to fear" that paralyzes and prevents her peace.
I'm sure that parents throughout Egypt have the same concerns for their daughters. As we pray for Egypt, pray for justice to be sought by the new President and his leadership on behalf of these assaulted victims; pray for truth and light to overcome deception and darkness; pray for a culture of respect rather than harassment.
No comments:
Post a Comment