Today was a day of action against sexual terrorism in Egypt.
One Islamic cleric gave a fatwa justifying the sexual assaults saying women were going to the protests to get raped.
Nonetheless he and his Muslim Brothers have received their response by women on the streets of Egypt.
See the magnificent protest below:
Here are what some of them have said:
HAFIZ: Rights groups and activists are convinced the systematic attacks are products of state-sponsored repression.
LODNA DARWISH, ORGANIZER, OPANTISH: This is not the first time that the government uses sexual violence to intimidate men and women, especially women. We’ve been seeing, since Mubarak years until now, the government paying thugs—and it’s proven—to come and sexually harass women. They would come to the protest and not beat up women, just sexually harass them, undress them, drag them undressed—and everybody probably saw the video of the blue-bra girl who was stripped of her clothes and dragged on the streets. This was the army. And then there was the virginity test, the so-called virginity test, which was like a rape incident of the army again, forcing 18 women to go through virginity tests. So it’s a continuous pattern of sexual humiliation…
JIHAN FADEL, EGYPTIAN ACTRESS (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): There was harassment before the revolution, but what we have now is gangs. I’m talking about 30, 40, 50 men attacking with knives. That’s not harassment. They’re attacking women with pocket knives. Is that harassment? These are crimes.
HAFIZ: Increased attacks singling out female protesters exploded over the past two years, culminating in scenes like this on January 25 last month. Volunteers and activists with anti-harassment campaigns filmed these mob attacks against women this past January 25.
REPORTER (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): Why are you holding this knife in the march?
DEMONSTRATOR (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): Because no one is going to force us into our homes, no one is going to scare us into hiding in our homes. and we are going to arm ourselves to defend ourselves. And any dog who dares to come near us, I will slice him! These crimes are orchestrated. It’s a social disease and it’s present in this society. But what is happening now is organized crime.
DEMONSTRATOR (SUBTITLED TRANSL.): He said women are raped and harassed depending on how they dress. So I shamed him! In Arabic and English! I said, does anyone leave their home naked? Even if she dressed indecent, would she leave her home naked? Dog! That’s the Brotherhood’s mentality! They do this so we go back to our homes. But we will never!
One slogan at the protest was: “We the women will free Egypt.”
Yes indeed.
This is the female revolution we have been talking about against Islamism.
Long live the revolution!
Is this what Islamists do? Shame on all men who would treat women in this way. Shame on Islam.
Women rights is what it takes revolutions to victory! That is why all such
matters are of great importance locally in any country and worldwide! Please never take it so sontimental but very politically important of the whole politically siene!
These women put us to shame. While they’re risking their lives in defiance of islamism, we’re so feeble and conciliatory in western Europe. The woman-haters have no conscience, but we should be shouting our support for the women who stand up to them.