As soon as CBS announced yesterday that correspondent Lara Logan had been sexually assaulted while covering the Egyptian protests, the media sprang alive in search of a scapegoat. Two disturbing lines of commentary have emerged: one that cites irrelevant details about Logan's beauty or her past sexual history, the other blaming Muslims or Egyptian culture for the assault. In the Washington Post, Alexandra Petri noted that this happened to a "known, blonde white woman." And on her blog, Debbie Schlussel wrote that "she should have known what Islam is all about." "This never happened to her or any other mainstream media reporter when Mubarak was allowed to treat his country of savages in the only way they can be controlled," opined Schlussel.
But we would be wrong to assume that in controlling Egyptians, Mubarak somehow also kept women safe. In fact, state-sanctioned violence against women was widespread and well documented. For years Egypt has been cited by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International for using rape, torture, and sexual assault to threaten and intimidate female activists who criticized the regime. These tactics were also used against female family members of dissidents. There is also considerable evidence that members of Mubarak's security forces ordered the assault of female protesters during the recent demonstrations.
In times of conflict, the perpetrators of sexual violence cross religious and ethnic lines. An estimated 20-50,000 Muslim women were raped during the conflict in Bosnia in the 1990s. Closer to home, yesterday a class action lawsuit was announced by 17 American servicewomen who reported being raped by fellow members of the military. And in searching for spurious links between "American culture" and violence against women, we do not have to look toward military settings or exotic, war-torn locales. Take the most recent Super Bowl. Allegations of rape have hovered over both teams, while news agencies reported a disturbing increase in the sex trafficking of girls and women around the time of the Super Bowl. But we would chafe at allowing outsiders to generalize that all Americans exhibit violent tendencies toward women.
To be sure, sexual harassment is endemic in Egypt. And for the most part, we are fortunate to be able to walk down the street in the United States without the verbal and physical harassment that Egyptian women face on a daily basis. A 2005 Egypt Demographic and Health survey revealed that one third of Egyptian women are victims of domestic violence. Yet a 2010 study by the Population Reference bureau also points out that poor women are twice as likely in Egypt to be victimized. Similar studies in U.S. society have shown correlations between poverty and violence against women. And across all social classes, the statistics are grim. A U.S. Justice Department study showed that 1 in 6 of all American women will be raped during their lifetimes. 50% of all murders of women in the U.S. are committed by a romantic partner. Muslim countries hardly have the monopoly on violence against women.
To read this brutal attack as emblematic of Egyptian culture or Islam does a disservice to all those in Egyptian society who are working actively to end violence against women, women like physician Amal Abd El-Hadi, whose New Woman Foundation is dedicated to ending gender-based violence, and Dr. Aida Seif El Dawla, a psychiatrist who has created programs to rehabilitate victims of violence and torture. There is no excuse for what happened to Lara Logan, but explanations for violence should not be found in a religion, or in broad generalizations about Egyptian culture. Rather than blaming religion, we should work to end underdevelopment, poverty, and a lack of education, problems whose eradication is crucial to a prosperous and healthy society anywhere, whether in Egypt or here at home.
Rachel Newcomb is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Rollins College and the author of Women of Fes: Ambiguities of Urban Life in Morocco.
Follow Rachel Newcomb on Twitter: www.twitter.com/rachelnewcomb
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Of course no one case should be tracked as a religious or social consequence of one's country profile.having only one raped woman in US or in my country is shame and seeks to ask all of us,what kind of man did it?Or what our achievements as civilization are?
The source and cure for all future generations,no matter where they live is in education,rising of awareness,from the very beginning of coming into the world-first cradle sitting in a family home,first kindergarten,elementary and high school,and having good organized social institutions to prevent any possible case from happening.One might say that evil was predicted as one of human characteristics,but it in any case should not be excuse for doing so little,isn't it so alarming to leave you in dilemma:is there any salvation or hope for me?
The organization has received the Right Livelihood Award 2008 for their work to support wmoen in war zones and work against violence against women there. They quote Unicef with 20.000 Bosnian women being raped. They work there for quite some time now. I think they wouldn't give wrong numbers. It is not about numbers, though. And hasn't got anything whatsoever to do with religion in these cases, just think of Congo or Darfur.
We had one:"dictator" in the past,but i wouldn't ever say he was wrong figure about granting the rights to all equally.Of course, you know ,who i am talking about-Tito!
Always blame others. Molesting women appears to be common in Egypt. Read this:
"CBS repoprted that on Feb. 11, the day Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak left office,Logan became separated from her "60 Minutes" crew and found herself"surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration . . . a mobof more than 200 people whipped into frenzy." In an attack that lasted more than 20 minutes,she suffered what CBS called "a brutal and sustained sexual assault andbeating." Eventually she was rescued by a group of women and a squad ofEgyptian soldiers. Logan was flown to the United States the nextmorning, and was hospitalized until February 16.
If this is how Egyptian men are capable of treating womenin public, at a moment of national celebration and internationalattention, what are they are apt to do to women in private when theyare angry or frustrated? Data compiled by the Central Agency for PublicMobilization and Statistics indicates that half of all married women experience violence in Egypt, usually at the hands of their husbands. A different study, cited by the 2009 Arab Human Development Report,estimated that 35 percent of married Egyptian women have beenphysically attacked -- but the report cautions that violence againstwomen is severely under-reported in the Arab world, because "thesubject is taboo" and women who file complaints are considered shamed."
http://townhall.com/columnists/jeffjacoby/2011/02/21/lara_logan_and_egyptian_liberation/page/2
'Date rape' drugs 'under-reported'
The government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs said it was concerned that two substances linked with sexual assaults were legal. It said hospitals and police need to do more to detect the drugs.
Last year separate research by police chiefs found evidence of date-rape drugs was over-stated.
But in its report into drug-assisted sexual assault, the council said it had concerns over two types of drugs thought to be used in date-rape attacks."
http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=49046
http://qa.Âsunnipath.Âcom/issue_Âview.asp?HÂD=1&ID=514Â&CATE=2
"... And when you ask of them (the wives of the Prophet) anything, ask it of them from behind a veil. . ." (33:53) Al-Qurtubi said in commentary of this verse: "The consensus of Muslims is that the genitals and backside constitute nakedness for men and women, as well as all of woman except her face and hands, but some disagreed about the latter two." This means the consensus of Muslims included them in the definition of her nakedness based on verse 33:59 and the hadith cited below.
And according to Hadith.
"Ayesha (r) reported that Asma’ the daughter of Abu Bakr (r) came to the Messenger of Allah (s) while wearing thin clothing. He approached her and said: 'O Asma’! When a girl reaches the menstrual age, it is not proper that anything should remain exposed except this and this. He pointed to the face and hands." [Abu Dawud]
That would be nice if the eradication of those thing would solve the problem, but they don't.
Urban, wealthy and highly educated women also suffer from violence of partners in their world.
http://wwwÂ.shariahprÂogram.ca/iÂslam-qa-woÂmen/womensÂ-awra.shtmÂl
e) Awra in front of non-Mahram males
The Awra in front of non-Mahram males (those with whom marriage is unlawful), which includes cousin brother, brother in-law, paternal uncle (one’s father’s sister’s husband), maternal uncle (one’s mother’s sister’s husband), husband’s uncle, husband’s nephew, etc) consists of the whole body except the face, hands and feet. It is similar to that which is considered Awra in prayer (salat).
Imam al-MarghinÂani (Allah have mercy on him) states:
“It is impermissiÂble for a man to look at the whole body of a non-Mahram woman (due to it being part of Awra, m) except for her face and hands, for Allah Most High says: “Women must not display their beauty and ornaments except what appear thereof” (al-Nur, 31). Sayyiduna Ali and Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (Allah be pleased with them) interpreteÂd this verse with the face and hands... This is textual evidence on the impermissiÂbility of looking at her feet (for it is awra, m), but Imam Abu Hanifa said that it is permitted to look at her feet due to need”. (al-HidayaÂ, 4/458).
All male only societies are violent and brutal. This can be good on the football field but becomes very bad when it dominates all aspects of a society. As long as the middle east is completely run by men it will be unbalanced and uncivilized. And as long as it is Muslim it will be run by men. Therefore the problem will not be solved until Islam is no longer strictly enforced and people are free to be "formerly Muslim".
In the west, it is generally accepted that each individual, male or female, can dress as he or she pleases. Sexual assault cannot in the West be justified by the fact that the attacker found the victim sexually attractive.
In Islam, however, the idea that an "immodestly dressed" woman is at least in part responsible for any sexual assault on her is widespread.
Opinions differ in Islam as to how much of a woman's body must be covered, but many Muslims consider typical western dress immodest.
Many Muslims believe that a woman they consider immodestly dressed is actively provoking temptation in men. Therefore, the connection of Islam to an assault on a Western woman is logical, although that in itself does not answer the question of the motive. The widespread idea that a woman immodestly dressed may carry some or even most of the blame for a sexual assault on her would certainly seem to remove a reason for men holding such beliefs to control themselves.
"Thank you for not provoking my uncontrollable lust," as a certain web comic put it.
Your notion of Muslims feeling justified in attacking underdressed women particularly becuase they are Muslims, is your own orientalist sexual fantasy.
—Taj El-Din Hilaly"
This is not the only statement by a Muslim Imam to the effect that women (not wearing Islamic dress, presumably) are responsible if they are sexually assaulted.
Is your argument that Islam is no worse than the United States' unjust past? Then would you agree that, in fact, the view I described above is wrong and should be condemned?
If so, we only need to agree on how many people's views must be condemned. We can start with the views of the Imam I quoted above. We don't have to limit the condemnation to Muslims, of course, although the practice of Islam in many countries will surely offer a great deal to condemn as regards attitudes towards and the treatment of women.