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.