fil7aqiqa:

hizbullahtwerkteam:

One of the most ridiculous pronouncements by the reactionary and racist Western media is that Egypt, for example, is a misogynist and sexist nation because 80% of women have experienced sexual harassment at some point in their lives.

Did they forget to report that 83% of American women have also been sexual harassed at some point in their lives?

Of course, they conveniently forgot that there is a longstanding and influential indigenous feminist movement in Egypt, which not only draws from Arab post-colonial feminism, but from Islam itself, which strongly condemns any disenfranchisement of women, as well as sexual harassment in the streets.

that’s true, but when I was there it happened in front of everyone and no one did anything to help. people literally stood and watched. that’s not a common occurrence here. usually alcohol or drugs are involved and it is in a secluded place in the majority of cases (and in my own experience).

when I was in Egypt I was near tahrir square waiting near the museum for a friend. in about 15 min my butt was grabbed twice and my chest fondled in front of a cop and he didn’t do a thing. the guys tried to follow me even after my friend got there. it was terrifying but no one cared or did anything even though it was happening right in front of them. women are attacked in the middle of the day and raped on the street and only now are men confronting their brothers and telling them that they cannot do that. it’s a similar yet very different problem in Egypt. especially when the rape victims are in hijab and niqab and in a lot of cases they are cousins or even siblings.

these issues are a result of economic and political unrest and a lack of direction and discipline by their families and the government. religious ideology also plays a huge part in it, women are not seen as equals in Egypt and the internalized misogyny is parallel to what we see here in the US.

I agree that it’s a similar statistic but I disagree that it’s a similar situation and circumstances.

(via keshmeshak)