BBC News printed this article which I find pretty interesting and shocking. Particularly the last two sentences of the article:
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7514567.stm
| By Magdi Abdelhadi BBC News, Cairo |
Sexual harassment of women in Egypt is on the increase and observing Islamic dress code is no deterrent, according to a survey published this week.
The Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights (ECWR) describes the problem as a social cancer and calls on the government to introduce legislation to curb it.
The findings contradict the widely held belief in Egypt that unveiled women are more likely to suffer harassment than veiled ones.
|
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN EGYPT
Experienced by 98% of foreign women visitors
Experienced by 83% of Egyptian women
62% of Egyptian men admitted harassing women
53% of Egyptian men blame women for ‘bringing it on’
Source: Egyptian Centre for Women’s Rights |
ECWR head Nihad Abu El-Qoumsan said that even veiled women who were victims of harassment blamed themselves.
Western women who took part in the study demonstrated a strong belief in their entitlement to personal safety and freedom of movement, she says, but this was totally absent among Egyptian respondents.
No-one spoke about freedom of choice, freedom of movement or the right to legal protection. No-one showed any awareness that the harasser was a criminal, regardless of what clothes the victim was wearing.
Shocking attitude
The centre is campaigning for a new law that clearly defines sexual harassment as a crime and makes it easier for women to report it in Egypt - women like Noha Ostath.
The young film-maker told the BBC she was repeatedly groped in broad daylight by a van driver in a Cairo traffic jam as she walked on the pavement.
His behaviour made her so angry she ran after the van and held on to the side mirror to force the driver to stop so she could take him to a police station.
She was equally shocked by the attitude of other passers-by. Some tried to dissuade her from going to the police - others blamed her for what she was wearing (a baggy sports outfit).
In the end, after a tussle with the man that lasted for more than one hour, the strong-willed Ms Ostath dragged the man to the police station.
But even there, police officers refused to open an investigation and insisted on the presence of her father despite the fact that she is not a minor - she is 26.
Impudent allegation
After Noha’s story was published in the Badeel daily, editor-in-chief Muhammad El Sayyed Said wrote that the behaviour of the crowd was characteristic of oppressed societies, where the majority identified with the oppressor.
He blamed the increase in sexual harassment on what he said were “three decades of incitement against women” from the pulpits of some of Egypt’s mosques.
“This verbal incitement is based on the extremely sordid and impudent allegation that our women are not modestly dressed. This was, and still is, a flagrant lie, used to justify violence against women in the name of religion.”
The British foreign office says Egypt is one of the countries with the highest number of cases reported to embassy staff regarding sexual offences against visiting women.
It warns them to be extra cautious in public places especially when alone because of the risks.
Ms Abou El-Qoumsan says Egyptians need to re-evaluate their value system and school curricula and to ensure that the rule of law prevails and prevents offenders and criminals walking free because of a breakdown of basic notions of right and wrong.
Thanks to surveys like this, one encounters an endless number of newspaper articles reflecting the feeling that Egypt is in the grip of a moral crisis.
Perhaps nothing illustrates Egypt’s loss of a moral compass than the responses of some men in the ECWR study.
Some said they harassed a woman simply because they were bored. One who abused a woman wearing the niqab said she must be beautiful, or hiding something.
—————————————————————————
The study fails to mention the fact that most women in Egypt don’t wear proper hijab. They wear tight clothes, do their make-up and have half of their arms (and sometimes hair) also showing.
Hijab is an accessory for most girls in Egypt.
Egyptian authorities are useless. They don’t do anything. They give you a ticket when you stop your car somewhere for five minutes to wait for someone, and then they don’t give tickets to people who speed or those who don’t wear seat belts. The funny (not-so-funny) thing about the authorities in Egypt is that THEY are the ones that harass girls in the streets the most!
Anyway, just thought I’d add this to previous discussions. Wallahul musta’an.
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July 24th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
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July 24th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
53% blame women for “bringing it on”
that’s annoying. sure most girls dress incorrectly but that’s like taking all the blame off the sleazy guys!
July 24th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
men have no self-control, end of story.
July 24th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
HK some men have no-control, some. They are annoying but not all men are like this
I just don’t get why some men do this, it’s like they fail to see a women for who she is, as someone who has feelings and honour that can’t be messed around with!
Girls < Take some martial arts class, trust me they will not come near you once they see you you got strength. haha, you’d frighten them to death.
July 25th, 2008 at 3:47 am
salam alikom i just wanted everyone to know that in egypt there is a big war on the islamic awakening and a big war and hijab and beards and niqaab by showing negative imagines of it fabricating reports coming out with stupid movies kids starting to became practising then the next day they kill their familes and stupid crap like that so just keep that in mind before reading articles or reports things of that sort , and about harrasment honestly men get harrast in egypt alot too from women second some women really really ask for it and seek it and that is not just in egypt but even in our islamic communities in foriegn nations so lets not make guys look like over hormonic pigs here because of course here are guys liekthat but honestly some girls really ask for it and guys get approached alot by girls in egypt even get hit on because more girls are not geting married a in egypt and the rest of the world the number of women compared to men is growing which is makig men a minority and that is one of the signs of day of judgement
and allah knows best
July 26th, 2008 at 3:28 am
Hmmmm…so maybe sisters are a bigger fitnah for men WITH the hijab…
DE-HIJABIFY!
…is what a progressive would say!
(Remember hijab is ONLY for the sake of Allah–don’t let a man’s lack of self-control dictate a decision such as hijab)
August 6th, 2008 at 12:42 am
“(Remember hijab is ONLY for the sake of Allah–don’t let a man’s lack of self-control dictate a decision such as hijab)”
Well stated. I’ve read a number of comments and the sheer amount I’ve read from women basically stating that other women should put on a hijab, niqaab, or abaya to ward off such attention completely disgusts me.
Case in point being Shirien’s comment (no offense btw)… “if you want to protect yourself wear abayah/niqaab.”
Another example, this prohijab advert which basically blames the victim
http://arabist.net/archives/2008/06/25/veil-your-lollipop/
A man has no right to touch/harrass a woman even if she is walking down the street completely naked (And I have seen this although she was actually mentally ill and had most likely stopped taking her meds) Men are supposed to lower their gaze. If they cannot do so they should not leave their house. Or better yet get themselves chemically castrated until they get married.
On a sidenote, what I do find interesting is how when all these pervs travel to the US or Europe they are suddenly able to control themselves and can actually manage to go for an entire day without groping some poor woman’s breasts. Maybe it’s because these places have actively worked to propogate the idea that it is never the victim’s fault. Obviously there is still much work that needs to be done even in the US/Europe but it’s considerably better than the middle east which seems to be actively working to further the idea that it is always the victim’s fault
August 6th, 2008 at 5:31 am
“Well stated. I’ve read a number of comments and the sheer amount I’ve read from women basically stating that other women should put on a hijab, niqaab, or abaya to ward off such attention completely disgusts me.
Case in point being Shirien’s comment (no offense btw)… “if you want to protect yourself wear abayah/niqaab”
Allah ‘az wa jal didnt dictate a ruling to make life hard on us or dictate a ruling for no reason at all. Allah ‘az wa jal ordered women to wear hijab for reasons, perhaps some of which we may not know but one of those reasons is to protect them from the looks/lust of men which may in turn lead the men to harass or do something haraam.
A girl IS blameworthy if she doesnt wear hijab because she is disobeying Allah ‘az wa jal. And if she does want to protect herself she’d wear hijab/niqaab/abayah. But are men blameless? no absolutely not. they still have to lower their gazes, and behave islamically.
We need to get rid of these whole feminist ideas that the west has so strongly pounded on us. Allah ‘az wa jal give us our rights but we have to be smart and realize why Allah ‘az wa jal rules what he rules and just hear and obey.
wallahu alem.
August 6th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
“A girl IS blameworthy if she doesnt wear hijab because she is disobeying Allah ‘az wa jal.”
When you state this are you saying that if a woman does not wear hijab she is blameworthy for rape and other acts of sexual violence propogated gainst her? If that is indeed the case it is really a disgusting opinion to hold. Or are you speaking purely about the fact that she should/shouldnot be wearing hijab and she is blameworthy for only that transgression.
August 6th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Just another tidbit, but I suggest you (and by you I mean a general you) go study the psychology/background of sexual assaults. If you did so you would come to understand that sexual aggression is not about lust or desire of the female form or a child’s form for that matter. It is driven by anger, rage, and frustration. Which is why women covering from head to toe does not dissuade would be rapists, nor does the age of an 80 year old woman dissuade them. Actually, even castration (whether it be chemical or physical) does not prevent sexual assaults. It is also why saying “these men just need to get married” accomplishes nothing either. Because marriage does not stop a man from committing acts of sexual violence, just like marriage does not make a man stop watching porn.
So to state that a woman’s clothing dictates whether she will be violated or not and makes her in part to blame really displays a rather large ignorance about this topic in general. So too, does saying that if it were easier for men to marry there would be less harrassment. 62% of men admit to harrassing women. Are people really trying to say that all these egyptian men in this demographic are unmarried?! I have no doubt that at least half of these 62% are most likely already married.
Anyways, sorry for my long winded posts. I feel very strongly about this topic, due in large part to the fact that in 4 generations of women in my family I am the only one to never have been sexually assaulted
August 6th, 2008 at 8:36 pm
ok i think we should all just calm down.
“When you state this are you saying that if a woman does not wear hijab she is blameworthy for rape and other acts of sexual violence propogated gainst her? If that is indeed the case it is really a disgusting opinion to hold.”
That makes no sense at all. Why would I even suggest that? In my statement I said she is blameworthy because she is not following the orders of Allah… i.e. a sin.
No where did I say she was asking to get raped. Statements shouldnt be over-analyzed and misconstrued. If I’m here talking about a sister getting sins by not wearing proper attire.. then why in the world would i suggest that it’s ok for a man to RAPE or harrass a woman not properly dressed? would that make sense islamically?
Studying psychology is one thing… but Wallahu alem. Allah knows the nature of both men and women best. When I say that men need to get married to fulfill their desires and to prevent fitnah… that’s not something new that I made up.. read the various hadith that even recommend people to get married early..
There are no excuses for inappropriate behavior but there are definitely precautions and steps to take in order to ensure that the sickos out there Dont harm or harass our sisters.
wallahu alem.
September 16th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
You guys are sick.
First off if a woman dresses indecently then she is haraam for a man, Islam stresses the Pure for the Pure. Any man who harasses a woman needs to be shot dead where he stands.
Secondly women are harassed for simply not wearing the Hijab, or even women who wear the Hijab, and this is unacceptable.
If a woman dresses scantily she should be punished by the proper authorities and marginalized by greater society.
To the 38% of men who do not claim to harass women, stand up against oppression and form gangs to beat the hell out of, and even kill, men who harass women on the streets. Violence is the only answer.
September 19th, 2008 at 1:53 am
(If men are “the flies” then maybe we should treat them like we treat flies!!!!) But please we should try to be more understanding of this argument. It is not just bad and good. As Egyptians we have to look hard at the real issues. If you want a good understanding of this topic, see two articles from Arabs in Europe (both men!). Khalid Diab, Egyptian writer in Brussels and Faisal Al Yafai, Lebanese writer in London.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/03/egypt.gender
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/16/religion.gender