Eve Started It

Ok so I have done some cool stuff since my last post such as travel to Dahab, snorkle the Red Sea, climb Mount Sinai. and talk for an interview on Egyptian news. If you wish to hear about those I would be happy to fill you in, just shoot me an e-mail. I decided I want to start mixing it up a little and writing about some issues in Egypt or other things that I observe rather than just rambling about what I have been doing. These things are more important than me so, topic numero uno: Sexual Harassment.

Sexual harassment has been a monumental problem in Egypt for ages. I guarantee that any woman residing/traveling in Egypt has experienced some form of harassment. Just google sexual harassment in Egypt and you get story after story of assult and other forms of harassment. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7593765.stm The problem does not discriminate. It doesn’t matter what race, religion, or class you are. As long as you are a woman, you are a target. Whether it be catcalls or lewd comments in Arabic/English or a man leaning into you quite unnecessarily on the metro or a cabbie grabbing your leg or going to work only to be molested. In Egypt men are taught, by way of social acceptance, that these behaviors are ok. An incident is almost always blamed on the victim. She was either too exposed or too covered. She was walking seductively or trying to hide something. She is American so it is ok. She is Muslim so it is ok. She is poor so it is ok. There is always an excuse. Here, if a woman causes a scene as a result of harassment she is normally scorned and looked down upon because, as I mentioned earlier, it is her fault. Men normally side with the man and women look the other way as an act of self-preservation or blame the woman for being too seductive.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7514567.stm

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2006/818/eg10.htm

Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that all Egyptian men are perpetrators of these act s. I actually feel that the majority of the younger generation of educated men seem to be against the behavior. Still in a poll of thousands of Egyptians 62% of men polled admitted to committing some form of sexual harassment. 62% admitted to it!

A poster warning women to cover up in order to protect themselves.

The text reads: "You won't be able to stop them (i.e. men), but you can protect yourself. He who created you knows what's best for you!"

It is only recently that the country has even begun to recognize that there is a problem at all. In August, Egypt had its first forum on sexual harassment at a place called the Culture Wheel in Cairo and in October Egypt made it’s first sentence for a sexual assault conviction. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,442481,00.html I couldn’t believe this. Every job I have started and every year in school we watch videos, read texts, sign contracts in an attempt to combat harassment. Sure harassment in America happens too but on a smaller scale and the issue is addressed and is certainly less accepted.

My personal belief is that the root of the problem stems from sexual frustration and the suppression of sexual expression. It seems ridiculous to me that PDA of any kind is frowned upon while sexual harassment is socially accepted. When there is no outlet for physical desires it seems to me that these feelings are transformed into this non-consensual, negative form of sexual expression. I agree with the statement that one girl made in an Arabic Q & A forum. “Sexual stimulation is all relative. If you are in Iran a woman without a hijab will be a cause for outrage and shock. In the West being topless does the same. And in a nudist camp people aren't bothered or aroused by any of it seemingly. By turning so much into a taboo, you appear to be making it so much easier to be 'provoked'.”

And yet, despite the embarrassment and continuous battle, these women are not voiceless. They are speaking up, fighting back, and trying to encourage change. There is a group at my school (The American University in Cairo) called the Bussy Project who’s aim is to tell the stories of victims. Think The Vagina Monologues but geared toward Egyptian issues. http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0602/p04s01-wome.html I heard a girl practicing during my drawing class the other day and I am looking forward to watching their first performance. They are bringing these issues into the spotlight (literally) and forcing people to take notice. There are activists trying to bring about change as well. One of these is Dalia Ziada. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUoJa8QlRFw She is a 26 year old young women working on eliminating female circumcision in Egypt. Her efforts have begun to pay off as the practice was banned in Egypt in 2007. Despite this, illegal practices are still prevalent so her work is not finished. Between 95% and 98% of women in Egypt have been circumcised. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_genital_cutting Other women are simply trying to share their stories or the stories of those who cannot speak for themselves. One of the ways they are doing this is through blogs. I have a couple links to some examples of these. One of them actually includes a script for a Bussy project monologue. I highly suggest checking them out.
http://smsevcik.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-visited-egypt-again-in-january.html
http://musingsofamademoiselle.blogspot.com/2006/06/bussy-bussy-look-look.html http://globalvoicesonline.org/2006/11/23/egypt-cairos-women-speak-out-against-violence/

It will be a long, slow process if change starts to happen at all but there is hope for the future. During a discussion with another American student I was called naïve for thinking that eventually things could change, with education, especially of the younger generation. I understand that the change will not be quick or complete but inshallah there could be small steps taken in the right direction. Women should not continue to be blamed for their abuse.

Assimilation

I believe that I have begun to assimilate. It seems as though Egyptian culture is slowly weaving its way into my thoughts and actions. I will present you with a few examples:

1. Dahab is an “Egyptian” beach town on the southern tip of the Sinai mostly inhabited by Western tourists. A group of 9 other students and I recently took a week long vacation to Dahab for Eid ul Fitr. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eid_ul-Fitr) Upon arrival I was reluctant to strip myself of the cardigan and jeans I had been wearing in order to make way for my oh-so-riskay one-piece speedo accompanied by gym shorts and a tank top. Western tourists were walking around in almost nothing, sporting bikinis or less and here I was feeling dirty in my one-piece suit. For a month and a half any sign of shoulders or knees and I would have attracted more attention than a polar bear in the Caribbean and all of a sudden I see a topless woman and a man in a speedo sitting casually on the beach. Wait, what? People show their bodies. Haraam.

2. I find myself being surprised when people tell me the temperature. I am now perfectly comfortable in pants and a long sleeve shirt even though it is still at least 85 degrees outside. I also notice that I mention that it “feels nice” or is “cooler” anytime the temperature drops below 95. I don’t sweat as much. Walking to the grocery store and back does not require a change of clothes. (This is partly due to the natural drop in temperature as “winter” approaches but I would also like to think it has something to do with my adaptation) And the bad part…I had to wear a sweater and wrap myself in a blanket at the top of Mount Sinai where it was maybe 50 degrees. I am going to freeze when I get back to Wisconsin.

3. I say shukran (thank you) and iwa (the colloquial version of yes) to white people.

4. My bus was 25 minutes late today and I just stood there. No one cares about lateness. Nothing actually starts when it is supposed to so why make it a big deal. Everything will be there when I get there; probably won’t have started yet anyway.

5. I can get a cabbie back to Zamalek without them having to ask for directions once. And even better, I pay an Egyptian cab fare rather than a tourist cab fare. The trick? Don’t ask the cabbie how much, just hand him what you know is right at the end of your journey.

6. I have had no digestive issues in the recent past. I can eat street food, vegetables, etc. and have a regular bowel movement the next day. I cannot tell you how exciting this bit of assimilation is.

7. A very useful skill I have learned is the ability to ignore absolutely anything. So there are 20 cats whining at your feet while you eat, sleep, walk, I don’t hear anything. So there is a man making comments as you walk past in English/Arabic, trying to sell you things, I don’t know what you are talking about. So there is a street-full of men smoking she-sha staring you down as you pass, stare back. I have become a master ignorer. Could be interesting when I get back…sorry guys.

So as you can see, there are many aspects of Egyptian culture I have begun to adapt. It is interesting that in a month and a half some parts of you can so easily convert while others cling to the small hope that someday you will return to normalcy. I am not sure I will ever break myself of the habit of forming a line rather than a giant mass. I mean, the act was drilled into me since preschool. “Line up…come on single file or we are not going to leave this spot…get in a line or you are not going to be served,” etc. whereas here it is every man for himself. “Push your way to the front kid or you will never get to eat.” Even though sometimes I am reluctant to let go of what I know, I learn more each day and am grateful for the people who teach me. Mahmoud, the 60 some year old man, high on hashish, taught me dominoes, the teachers/ex pats who I go hashing/play softball with teach me how to be a white person here and not get ripped off and show me where to find the comforts of America if needed, my classmates offer to help me with Arabic more than I could ever actually accept and so much more. Even though next to nothing goes as planned and the kinks of my actual education are still being worked out, I am truly appreciative of my experience so far and look forward to the next 7 ½ months of continued learning.