WUNRN
EGYPT - WOMEN ATTACKED AT RALLY ON
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
An Egyptian protester argues with a man as hundreds of women marched to
(AP)
A
demonstration urging
“We
fought side by side with men during the revolution, and now we’re not
represented,” said Passat Rabie, a young woman who came with friends, after men
aggressively dispersed the protest. “I thought
Hastily
organized on Facebook to coincide with International Women's Day, the protest
was billed as a "Million Woman" march. But in fact, it attracted only
about 200 demonstrators, mostly women but some men as well. The violent
opposition they faced suggests that Egyptian women must fight their own
revolution to achieve equal rights.
'Go
wash clothes! This is against Islam!'
The
demonstrators, who gathered in
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But
almost immediately, they were outnumbered and beset upon by men who gathered.
Some of the men were from the protesters' encampment in the middle of the
square.
Dozens
of women engaged in arguments with the men, who said that women had enough
rights already; that now was not the time to demand inclusion; or that Islam
does not allow a woman to become president. Some of the men were polite; many
were aggressive. Soon, a large group gathered in front of the protest, shouting
it down with insults. A sheikh from Al Azhar was hoisted on mens’ shoulders,
chanting against the women.
“Go
home, go wash clothes,” yelled some of the men. “You are not married; go find a
husband.” Others said, “This is against Islam.” To the men demonstrating with
the women, they yelled “Shame on you!”
Suddenly,
the men decided the women had been there long enough. Yelling, they rushed
aggressively upon the protest, pushing violently through the rows of women. The
women scattered. Eyewitnesses said they saw three women being chased by the
crowd. A surge of men followed them, and Army officers fired shots into the air
to make the men retreat.
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The
men took over the raised platform where the women had held their demonstration,
as many of the women trembled in rage. During the melee, one of the attacking
men groped Fatima Mansour, a college student who wore purple for International
Women's Day and argued eloquently with a man who said it was unIslamic for a
woman to become president, quoting the Quran back at him. Sexual harassment is
a common indignity for women in
She
whirled and slapped him, before her colleagues held her back to keep her from
getting hurt, she said. Before the attack, she had been optimistic. “We believe
that we have a right to rebuild
Her
friend Shaza Abdel Lateef chimed in. “They can’t just send us home after the
revolution,” she said. One of the criticisms they faced over and over again was
that now was not the time for women to demand their rights. Ms. Lateef rejects
that. “We say no, we are half the population. If we stay silent, we will
continue to experience all the discrimination of the past.”
A
bid to hold their ground
Those
who have fought to increase women’s rights in
They
say women must have a role and a voice in the new parliament, and in the
council that will be elected by parliament to write a new constitution later
this year. They want women's input in order to make sure that the new document
doesn’t include the discrimination in the current constitution, but also
doesn’t erase the gains they’ve made.
In
recent years,
Women’s
advocates fear that the truncated timeline for holding new elections will
benefit already organized groups like Mubarak’s National Democratic Party and
the Muslim Brotherhood, leaving women without strong voices to influence a new
constitution and legislation.
But
women like Ms. Komsan are also fighting for social change. In a society that
tolerates violence against women, often violates their rights out of an effort
to “protect” them, and often blames sexual harassment on the victims,
legislative change isn’t the only obstacle.
Yasmine
Khalifa, who is completing a master’s degree in gender and women’s studies at
the
“We
need to change social and cultural concepts about what women's role is to begin
with. That is one of the biggest battles,” says Khalifa. “This is a long
process that needs to be done, and today's event is not a beginning, it's just
a continuation of the revolution.”