Islamic Spring.
The Egyptian Shura Council says women are responsible if they are abused. (Hiwar)
Egypt’s Shura Council, the upper house of Parliament, today condemned female protesters for being sexually assaulted at protests. Politicians went as far to describe the female protesters as “prostitutes.”
The Egypt Independent reported:
Shura Council’s human rights committee members said on Monday that women taking part in protests bear the responsibility of being sexually harassed, describing what happens in some demonstrators’ tents as “prostitution.”
Major General Adel Afify, member of the committee representing the Salafi Asala Party, criticized female protesters, saying that they “know they are among thugs. They should protect themselves before requesting that the Interior Ministry does so. By getting herself involved in such circumstances, the woman has 100 percent responsibility.”
During the committee meeting on Monday, Afify called for penalizing children, even if it does not conform to international charters to which Egypt is signatory, and criticized foreign-funded organizations, which adopt western thought, he said.
Salah Abdel Salam, a member representing the Salafi Nour Party, said that as long as women protest in places full of thugs, they should take responsibility for the harassment they face.
A recent study revealed that 83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women in Cairo said they had been harassed. The Shura Council believes it’s their fault.