Egyptian women protesters sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square

[alp227]

Source: The Guardian

A mob of hundreds of men assaulted women holding a march demanding an end to sexual harassment in Cairo, as attackers overwhelmed male supporters and molested several of the marchers in Tahrir Square.

Some victims said it appeared to have been an organised attempt to drive women out of demonstrations and trample the pro-democracy protest movement.

The attack on Friday follows a spate of smaller-scale assaults on women in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the uprising that forced former president Hosni Mubarak to step down last year.

Earlier in the week, an Associated Press reporter witnessed around 200 men assault a woman who eventually fainted before others came to her aid.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/09/egyptian-women-protesters-sexually-assaulted

[rayofreason]

1. Egyptian attitudes on display.

Let there be no mistake - this action to assault the women is in line with the common Egyptian attitude toward women. This is a country where 90% of females suffer FGM.

It will get worse as the Islamists tighten their control over the government and give broader license, even sanction, to the misogynistic impulses in Egyptian culture.

[shireen]

4. How do you know this?

This was a large group of thugs that went after women who were surrounded by male supporters. You can't generalize this as "Egyptian attitudes on display."

[Doremus]

8. Apparently you didn't read the rest of the post:

"This is a country where 90% of females suffer FGM."

Sounds like a highly misogynistic society to me.

If you have facts to refute this statement I'm all ears.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. in actuality it is 74% and expected to drop more over the years

it also depends on SES and mother's education. additionally FGM predates islam.

[4th law of robotics]

13. 74% is a pretty solid majority, and would be indicative of the general attitude

of that nation towards women.

If it were 5% that would be too high but not representative.

But 3 out of 4?

/and whether it predates Islam or not doesn't change the fact that this is part of Egyptian culture. Religion modifies the culture it finds, it doesn't replace it.

[rayofreason]

14. Rate depends on cohort age..

...as can be seen in this report

http://egypt.unfpa.org/english/fgmStaticpages/0c3b708e-9c55-4b05-994f a437f89a81d9/Egypt_Prevalence_rate_and_Prospects.aspx

Among women from ages 15-49 the incidence of FGM is 91.1%, but among girls age 15-17 it is 74%.

So that fathers of the first group, representing the elders in society, approved of FGM at the 91% rate. Men in their 40s (who control the police, military, business, village councils, mosques, etc.) approve at a 74% rate.

Absolutely awful. It will take generations and massive social dislocation to root out these misogynistic values.

[riderinthestorm]

2. Really sad K&R. A portent of Egypt's future for women?

I'm really uncomfortable with this. Mubarak was a monster but public beatings of disobedient women is grotesque and entirely the WRONG direction.

[SunSeeker]

3. This makes me sick.

Sounds like what happened to Lara Logan.

Of course, we have governors here who have ordered that probes be shoved up women's vaginas against their will if they happen to seek a perfectly legal medical procedure--for no other reason than to prove a political point. Same thing as in Egypt, just not as obvious and brutal.

[may3rd]

11. Caroline Sinz, a journalist for French TV suffered the same fate as Lara Logan

Egypt: French Journalist Sexually Assaulted In Capital

Caroline Sinz, a journalist for French TV channel France 3, was sexually assaulted on Thursday in central Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Egyptian media reported


....Earlier on Thursday, Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy said she was sexually assaulted by police in Cairo



....“Journalists are now the unwanted witnesses of the army’s desperate attempts to hold on to power and Reporters Without Borders fears that the abuses against media personnel could worsen,” the organization said in a statement on its website.


...

http://www.eurasiareview.com/25112011-egypt-french-journalist-sexually-assaulted-in-capital/


Female journalist ,Lynsey Addario , covering Libyan atrocities was also assaulted last year .




http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1368660/Libya-war-Lynsey-Addarios-sexual-assault-horror-hands-Gaddafis-men.html

The way I figure it, things will improve in the latter half of 2012
when female journalists gain access to Syria.

Syrians men can break the stereotype of all these isolated incidents imo

[4th law of robotics]

5. Sadly this is not in the least surprising

I'm not sure Egypt's future will be so bright.

[tawadi]

6. Things don't seem to be changing for the better in Egypt. eom

[BlueIris]

7. Disturbing. Caught my eye in a pile of awful headlines today.

Terrible.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. sickening. brave women though

[may3rd]

12. ..men assaulted women holding a march demanding an end to sexual harassment...

Ironic
US women's groups should get vocal and speak out on these matters

[athenasatanjesus]

15. When Egypt was the cradle of civilization women had close to equal rights..

..and now Egypt is nowhere near being the cradle of civilization,you might want to think about that Egypt.