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While I’ve little time to blog today, this particular story seemed especially worthy of promotion. Amnesty International has sent the following mailing to its supporters (emphasis in original):
The Egyptian military may have just hit a disturbing, new low: at least 18 women who were arrested during a peaceful protest in Tahrir Square on March 9 said they were forced to take “virginity tests”.
Those women were threatened with charges of prostitution if they “failed” the tests. One woman, who said she was a virgin but whose test supposedly proved otherwise, was beaten and given electric shocks.
Journalist William Fisher at The Public Record rightly notes, “I know this sounds like something out of Torquemada in the 15th Century or Mengele in the 20th. But it’s neither. It’s post-Mubarak Egypt in the second decade of the 21st Century.”
Twenty-year-old Salwa Hosseini told Amnesty International that after she was arrested and taken to a military prison in Heikstep, she was made, with the other women, to take off all her clothes to be searched by a female prison guard, in a room with two open doors and a window. During the strip search, Hosseini said male soldiers were looking into the room and taking pictures of the naked women.
The women were then subjected to ‘virginity tests’ in a different room by a man in a white coat….
According to information received by Amnesty International, one woman who said she was a virgin but whose test supposedly proved otherwise was beaten and given electric shocks.
‘Virginity tests’ are a form of torture when they are forced or coerced.
Amnesty International is asking people to write to Hillary Clinton to get her “to use her influence to demand immediate action.” I am less sanguine that she will either a) do that, or b) really give a damn.
Those who thought the “revolution” was over don’t understand that it’s hardly begun, and can easily be derailed onto the same old paths. The military in Egypt is not to be trusted, and those who think it will reform that country are terribly mistaken. What will it take to end illusions in such ideas?
74 Comments
Just outraged!
@ Jeff Kaye March 25th, 2011 at 10:00 am
This development isn’t surprising. The “revolution” was and remains a military coup. From time to time the mask slips, or their self-control slips and they revert to their old ways.
markfromireland
sexual abuse
Mark, you were always concerned about this going that way, weren’t you?
I had (and still have) my concerns too. It is why revolution is so chancy, you can’t be sure you’re going to throw all the bums out. Especially when you have to appeal to a dictators military to make it happen.
That said, do you think this is systematic or just some elements of the army doing this on their own hook. The first is more dangerous to my mind than the second, even though it is horrible for those poor women in any case.
And lies yesterday from the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates:
It this is how one stands on the sidelines, I shudder to think what would happen if they actually went into action.
The lies that emanate from Washington and are mindlessly repeated by the U.S. media would put the old Kremlin to shame.
I agree, it was a military coup. Thus far, no regime has truly been ousted in the Middle East, in the sense of a military supporting a corrupt government, and their ties to imperialism as a whole. There really has been no revolution, but there has been a series of uprisings, whose outcome remains in doubt, and in Egypt certainly are being hemmed in by the military. Just as, IMHO, there has been no “uprising” in Wisconsin, but some large demonstrations, not really at the level of an “uprising,” and certainly no revolution.
The job of Obama, Hillary Clinton, Egyptian generals, the UN, etc. is to limit change to the smallest amount possible when the “natives” get restless.
Jeff, do you have an Amnesty International link?
Actually, the different layers of Egyptian bureaucracy reacted in different ways. Some police and military beat the protesters; others joined them. (And some, no doubt, pulled a Stasi and infiltrated them.)
But no, the uprisings aren’t even close to being finished. And anyone who was expecting Egypt to turn into Sweden or New York overnight was always bound to be sadly disappointed. The work goes on.
“What will it take to end illusions in such ideas?”
I’m thinking a lot of formerly rich and powerful army officers and intelligence agents wearing orange jumpsuits in a courtroom would do the trick… but who am I kidding, even we don’t follow the rule of law anymore.
“There really has been no revolution, but there has been a series of uprisings, whose outcome remains in doubt, and in Egypt certainly are being hemmed in by the military. Just as, IMHO, there has been no “uprising” in Wisconsin, but some large demonstrations, not really at the level of an “uprising,” and certainly no revolution.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself…let’s hope the recall movement in WI gets results.
Just found this link:
http://www.amnestyusa.org/emails/E1103A03.html
And a link, too, to Amnesty’s call upon Egyptian officials to investigate this, and Hillary Clinton to throw her support upon same. While I don’t think this will work, it couldn’t hurt, and for those who would like it, here it is.
Bill Egnor March 25th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
Bill, everything I’m hearing from team members and contacts in Egypt leads me to believe that leaopards don’t change their spots.
That being said I think it a mistake to think that the Army (actually the officer corps) is monolithic. There’s a struggle going on between what for lack of a better term I’ll call the “old guard” and the younger elements of the officer corps.
The deal that’s being worked out is that the army will stay in the background and allow a democratic veneer on condition that nobody messes with their control of vast swathes of the economy. The old guard will stand aside and allow younger officers at the feeding trough. In return for which the officer corps will unite and tell civilians where to get to off if they start pushing for either military reform or prosecutions.
Sounds about right to me.
markfromireland
Thanks, Jeff.
Well, strip searches, invasive and embarrasing forced proceedures,and so on, but what is that in the balance of all that turmoil, and shouldn’t they get some time to catch up with the modern developed world, of the TSA? /s
Must be a whole lot of things that wouldn’t play in Peoria, but is it progress, or, more likely theatre in the round Kabuki. The whole thing, controlled chaos, same as the old.
Wouldn’t be surprised if some officials took it all in stride either, seeing the video of HC in the blue dress not missing a beat, nor registering any stress in her voice of concern, some weeks ago when the activist McGovern was roughly taken down for his innocuous inattention at her press conference. There is a steely side there that ain’t too cute.
Jeff Kaye March 25th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Yup.
That being said while things are fluid they’re embarrassable. Make it embarrassing enough and a culture of “this isn’t acceptable” starts to take hold.
@ Elliott March 25th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
It’s a slightly milder form of rape. I can’t remember who it was who coined the expression “subjugation sex” but she was right on. That’s what this is. It’s an attempt to humiliate and subjugate these women.
markfromireland.
Jeff, [are you there?]
Glenn Greenwald just posted this:
Top Bush-era GITMO and Abu Gharib psychologist is WH’s newest appointment; Glenn Greenwald; 3/25/11
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2011/03/25/james/index.html
Larry James
Are you SURE this wasn’t a U.S. military special ops operation?
Also oriented to much larger chilling effect.
Rehabilitation, baby.
Isn’t James a leader in the current shift to SELLING the “positive psychology” movement to the masses. Emphasis on shameless selling.
It appears his efforts on his own behalf to re-invent himself are bearing fruit.
Greenwald has a dreadful quote from James’ own memoir of his time at Gitmo. I think Mr. James may not have the best mental health or ego state we might wish to expect of a practicing psychologist.
Horribles.
No sh#t. Get a good look at what’s planned for the women of the US folks. The klept_bankst_ocrats of Brit_Chin_Saud_ian want you to know who your rulers are.
I say we embarrass the hell out of the WH (and the First Lady, who is leading the initiative).
Who cares if protesters are virgins? That’s rhetorical. This particular form of torture is at least partially aimed at shaping the opinion about the women who protest. They’re all prostitutes!
Oh, I didn’t see your comment before I typed below. That was my initial thought as well. Something stinks in this story beyond the torture of the women involved. I smell propaganda. Can’t quite put my finger on what bothers me about this beyond the actual torture…
Over 820,000 out of 1 million people around the world have signed Avaaz.Org’s petition to stop “corrective rape” in S. Africa. For more on the AIDS pandemic and its disproportionate impact on females, see here.
I left a comment to the story.
Disgusting. More to come on this later…
Typed a ‘chilling effect’ comment earlier but lost in the hellish embedded comment format.
If you look at the history of the counter movement to human rights for women in the US– or anywhere else for that matter– it’s essentially the same logic. Where in this world have women actually risen above the status of chattel?
USASwedenNorwayDenmark?It doesn’t matter whether it is Pravdaganda or not.
The point is that ALL these operations are alike in both their process & their goals.
Where are the male relatives of these women when this is going on? Why aren’t they stopping it?
Nice one, mzchief.
Several of us have made the jump from chattel to whatever you want to call the next stage.
(Not without backlash, mind you.)
Thanks for the link to Greenwald’s piece. This is appalling. Such a slap at military families!
Male relatives reaction ranges from digging stoning pits so their shame from their female relatives’ treatment can be deflected, to hiding out in their homes with hands over eyes in loud voices saying LALALALALA, I don’t want to hear it.
Sorry to latch onto stereotypes without any evidence one way or the other. Just seen its U.S. analogue (not quite stoning pits yet) too often.
What folks think happens to women “not here” happens *right* here and I’ll have none of it in my back yard, on my watch.
I thought that women in the ME were protected with little or no physical contact with men outside the family. Perhaps Egypt isn’t like that?
Shorter: They are the big time enablers.
Think about what you typed.
Unless a woman is sequestered in the harem (and there are special things that happened there in the day), how do you suppose a woman could go to university, have a job, engage in social protest, etc.
Do you think a male relative accompanies every female at every moment when she does any of those things?
eCAHN, I said physical. It’s my impression that Muslims don’t go around touching women. I could be wrong.
Citizen markfromireland:
Is there no indication that this “split” between old and young might be wider than just a fight over a piece of the pie. In fact, didn’t the US put it’s boot on the neck of the old guard especially the air corps to allow the young officers to not fire on the demostrators…in return for which the US promised “business as usual” after the smoke cleared. Maybe there is a wider fault line between the generations than we might be ready to admit here, no?
In many of these revolts, including Syria and Egypt, we are seein broad based and secular coalitions or factions united by common economic and social conditions. Also, many of these cultures including Tunisia, Syria, Egypt and Jordan are secular and the “radical” religious stimulus does not seem to be necessary to bring folks together or to cover for the broader population.
I noticed during the Egypt uprising more than one reporter mentioned how surprising it was that so few women were being groped in the crowds. So I gather they are a little bit more misogynistic then we are?(note: I said “little”)
My impression is exactly the opposite. Muslim men are so tempted to ravage women that it becomes the woman’s burden to prevent this by covering herself in a shroud. Men just can’t help themselves. It’s all the females’ fault for being provocative.
Before I get all attacked, I know that is a stereotype. But as a female, I have spent enough time in fully male milieus in U.S. society to recognize how often the victim ends up as the scapegoat.
It’s not unique to Islam.
harpie are you there?
Did you see any sourcing for Glenn’s story? I went and read it and was about to sent a note to my congressman and noticed it wasn’t sourced, or at least I couldn’t find either a source or a link. I left a note there (for which I will probably pay a high price).
Unfortunately, there really are folks who are Muslim-in-name only as I have observed such behavior multiple times over the decades and in one instance it was quite appalling as the individual acted with impunity in the assumption I didn’t know any better because I was a lesser status individual first because I was female and second because I was considered an ignorant American (um, nope). I do not take such folks as ambassadors of their country, culture, city, neighborhood or even their family. It’s no different for all other religious categories and I have observed it as such. My US ministers acquaintances had an amusing pet term for the Christian variety they tagged “C & Es” to mean “folks who only show up and act like it on Christmas & Easter.” By now everyone has heard of the Parable of the Good Samaritan I take it? It’s a famous story through out any group of people admitting they have an association with each other and that have neighbors that don’t live with them but with which they have to have dealings.
So did you like miss the whole Lara Logan thing or something?
I am very aware of the messages that I have been give -subtle, yes and about the truly silliest of things- in American family life that certain aspects of my feminity were better ‘restrained’ in polite society. It’s happening everywhere. True we don’t have honour killings here, but how many women are treated with crazymaking behavior and driven to self-destruction of one form or another …
Good Question, ondelette…really good question….still looking…
Hillary Clinton has already been expressing concern that women aren’t part of the revolution taking place in Egypt, that they aren’t being included in any new government, when they were clearly part of the protests that forced change.
She’s also been very concerned and very active about the use of rape as a tool of war in the Congo. That was a large part of her focus in her visit to the Congo last year.
In an administration and of course a State Department too that is committed to preserving empire, the one bright spot, faint though you might see it to be, has been this State Department’s focus on the lives of girls and women, along with the insistence that the best way to achieve peace and stability is to improve the lives of girls and women (in contrast, of course, to the DoD’s decision that the concerns of women in Afghanistan, for instance, are like a pet rock weighing down the mission’s backpack.)
So yes I think she’ll give a damn. The second question will be around what she can do about it.
I was very afraid of stuff like this happening and am sorry to learnn about it… but unsurprised.
The other day we had I believe some “well-meaning” people posting here waxing very very lyrical about the so-called “popular uprisings” in the ME and how Barry OILbummer was so very very correct in dropping bombs all over Libya because our very very good pals “the rebels” were going to bring peace and sunshine and unicorns and freedom to Libya.
It was remarkably naive both in terms of that the society and customs of that part of our planet. I am only *somewhat* knowledgeable, myself, but I have lived in one Muslim-dominated area for quite a few months with a muslim family. It’s not just the plight of women over which I have concern, but that probably is the biggest one. Usually once a woman is “shamed,” it becomes all her fault and then it turns into “the honor of our family is ruined.” And the outcome for the woman in question is usually not good and can often lead to an early grave.
The uprisings across the ME appear to have begun as populist uprisings, but it’s always a huge risk in terms of what happens and who eventually ends up in control.
Good luck to the “small people” everywhere, but special good luck to the women of Egypt at this time. They’re going to need it.
I might just add a tangential note that when Pinochet cracked down – with the aid of the CIA, etc – on Salvadore Allende and those supporting Allende, one of the first things that happened was a lot of oppression of Chilean women. This was back in the early 1970s, and besides being raped, there were laws put in place that, for ex, women could not appear in public in trousers. If caught outside in pants, the women were either hassled on the streets by the military or they were taken away to…
There’s nothing new here, and women usually cop the biggest sh*t, but that’s not to take away from the beatings and worse that men get.
Also, a college course I listened to on Islam argued that Islam’s requirement for modest dress (from the Koran) applies equally to men. I’ve also read that elsewhere. I think I’ve checked out the Koran passages & found that to be true.
http://www.teach12.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=6102
But reality departs from what The Book says, almost always, as we have observed. And not in favor of women.
Hillary has no creds on this issue, being such a warmonger. And war as we know victimizes women much more than men. ALWAYS.
So any communications with that bitch should be in full contempt mode.
One wonders if the “man in a white coat” felt that he had to find that at least one of the women was not a virgin, i.e. that the woman whose test supposedly proved she was not a virgin was the victim not only of a horrible outrage, but of simple stupidity as well.
While your larger point is well taken, I think you’re overstating the case against Hillary re this issue.
The interesting thing about Chile (and regard what I type as casual observation, not real knowledge) was that it was the women who finally brought truth & accountability. It was the Chilean mothers & grandmothers who would NEVER give up, blessings be upon them.
Your on-the-ground observations on the position of women in Islamic countries comports with what I have read from the outside.
In the FDL diary series on Islam, I’ve asked about the completely unequal treatment of women in the Koran, basically = 1/2 or 2/3 of a man in court or inheritance (Koran) and can be beaten by her husband. I was told I had to “wait” until that topic was covered. I’ve kinda sorta checked once/week, but stunningly (!) haven’t seen that topic covered yet.
To be fair, I haven’t been entirely diligent about it, so I coulda missed it.
I also asked (on air) a female Muslim book author on wnyc years ago about those passages from the Koran. Her response was that I needed to read her book.
With all the effort I’ve put into getting to the bottom of this, may I be excused for being skeptical about any respect for females in Islam?
My personal opinion: Islam was much more progressive wrt women when the Koran was written than any other contemporaneous society. But Islam on that subject remains stuck in its history, being required to treat the Koran literally.
YMMV
Just you wait, Henry Higgins, just you wait. *g*
You are aware that her mentor, Madeline Albright said that 500,000 dead Iraqi children was worth the sanctions, which, BTW, did NOTHING to weaken SH until the U.S. invaded for a second time bc we had turned him into a tin-pot dictator.
Nobodies are more cold-blooded empirists than Madeline & Hillary.
The man in the white coat was a victim?
Now I’ve heard it all.
Never expected that on FDL.
A “pattern and a practice” …
No.
When I wrote that the woman whose test supposedly proved she was not a virgin was the victim not only of A) a horrible outrage, but of B) simple stupidity, here’s what I meant:
The man in the white coat was not only doing something horrible and outrageous, but he was simply stupid as well.
I suppose I should thank you for giving me the opportunity to clarify my apparently unclear remark.
Don’t forget Kissinger who endorsed Hillary for Sec. of State, who’s still doing his “back channel” thing (Mar. 11, 2011) and who Hillary invited to speak at the Dept. of State (Oct. 15, 2010).
Thanks for clarifying. Your original remarks read the opposite.
Here’s a link (H/T to GG commenter, libertaria):
http://harvardhumanrights.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/former-guantanamo-psychologist-named-to-white-house-task-force-on-enhancing-the-psychological-well-being-of-the-military-family/
What do you think, Jeff?
Nope, doesn’t work, it’s circular (cites Glenn again). Hours have passed and still nothing. I wrote to the White House asking for confirmation.
Try asking on Teeth Maestro. I’m sure somebody will answer, along with maybe a page and a half of politics thrown in.
The final protest days in Egypt cumulated, with men chanting celebratory slogans like “Now we can live robust and free with dignity.” This is contradictory to how females routinely survive in Egypt.
This so-called Egyptian Revolution is just one group of men maybe switching power with another group of men. Women are under the feet of both groups.
Did the “left” report that no women were allowed on the new “constitutional committee” just formed? Dozens of professional educated women’s organizations led a polite petition (accessible online in which they also reassured the men that they respected the military!
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported in 2000, ninety-seven percent of Egyptian females, who have ever been married between the ages of 15 and 45, of all social classes, commonly Christian as Moslem, have had the part of their body (whose sole purpose is sexual pleasure) excised as children.
DID YOU KNOW THAT?
Last month, The London Observer reported that the “successful campaign against FGM” (Female Genital Mutilation) has resulted in the statistics in Egypt changing 97% down to 91%. (!!) This is stupefying.
FGM is outlawed in Egypt, but entrenched patriarchal rules to control women demand it for societal acceptance. It is practiced every day, on ten year olds or increasingly infants. It breaks a taboo to speak of it.
I wonder, since Mrs. Mubarak was a fierce opponent of FGM, did threatened individuals, of either gender, throw that in the mix of why Mubarak must go?
Egyptian revolution must also encompass the liberation of female children.
There’s no stoning pits in Egypt that I’ve heard of. If you have please share a link.
Glenn just wrote to me:
http://letters.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2011/03/25/james/permalink/0b4319075fccc8947e17f91754095fd4.html
It happens here as well. The bibble being so insistent that it the woman who is “filled with LUST!” and all sorts of 180 degree lies. no wonder we’re so confused and alienated as a species!
I feel and have felt in my bones from my earliest childhood, the disrespect shown to women and the disregard of the pain passed on from mother to daughter.
We were making some headway, but when eh ERA fell apart, so did the women’s movement. And, I think, the women’s movement was the galvanizing force behind the rise of the Christain Wrong.
Believe me, the fascism sweeping this country is growing the misogyny by leaps and bounds. I see it increasing everyday.
The problem is, the men LIKE it. And they are in control.
If there really IS a progressive movement, it will have to incorporate the rights of women or it will change things not a whit. Just like Egypt.
I know I won’t put my shoulder into a movement which throws me under the bus again. Waste of time
We can no longer live without the balancing energy of the mystery of the feminine, nor can we afford to leave out half the population’s intelligence.
I’ll point out Fukushima here.
Never would women either have had the hubris or the insanity to split the basic building block of matter for energy and war with all it’s attendant perils to their genetic lines. Nor would we have ignored the black clouds arising from the factories for the last 150 years.
I just wonder if we have time. I think it’s going to take a miracle to save this planet from the yang energy which has permeated it for 2500 years…since women created civilization and men thought it was a good idea to start lying about it and took the credit.
PS: I posted about this a while ago and was wondering if FDL would note it.
Better late than never, I guess
And he published the letter. A better written paragraph in the original might have been in order, but thankfully nothing was amiss.
In a similar vein, a remarkable event in Libya- a woman managed to get through to the hotel where journos are being kept and testify to her rape at the hands of Gaddafi soldiers. There’s a slide show as well, showing how “hotel workers” turned out to be security people, and tried to prevenet her speaking with the reporters. She managed to show her bruises and rope marks before being dragged away.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/27/world/middleeast/27tripoli.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1301155389-HFNie7rSjNGBMLKtAR6YcQ
Here’s the translated text on the Egyptian Women’s Petition:
SIXTY-FOUR Egyptian/Arab “women’s” groups signed it.
A petition
The constitutional committee starts working while neglecting and excluding female legal experts.
The institutions and organizations below have signed this statement in disapproval of the criteria and formation of the Constitutional Committee, whereby the committee does not include a single female expert.
Advancing with a committee like this, triggers fears and suspicions with regards to the future of Egypt and the transitional phase which Egypt is currently witnessing after the 25th of January Revolution. This issue poses a critical question with regards to democracy and the main aims of the revolution which were initially spelled out as equality, freedom, democracy and participation of all citizens.
We are hereby questioning the criteria according to which the members of the constitutional committee are chosen; are they based on political criteria or on values of equality and justice as spelled out by the revolution? If the criteria are based on efficiency and integrity, then why are female legal experts
excluded despite the fact that Egypt is rich with lots of female experts in constitutions whether in the Supreme Constitutional Court or the Faculties of Law.
We believe that as Egyptian women largely and equally participated in the revolution with Egyptian men
and some of them have been jailed and still lost while others have even martyred, they have the right to participate in building the New Egyptian State on the simple basis of citizenship.
Nevertheless, we strongly have confidence in the discretion of the Military Council in guiding Egypt towards democracy. Hence, we are making the statement today to stress on the values of citizenship and participation of women, specifically in the Constitutional Committee at the moment.
(WISHFUL THINKING)
Well, calling a woman a bitch is always a great way to establish how much the lives of girls and women matter to you.
Katha Pollitt is right: misogyny is the last acceptable prejudice on the left.
Glenn’s got an “Update below with White House response.”