# happy days



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

There have been an increase in the number of reports of sexual assaults on women during demonstrations in and around Tahrir Square. Attacks have been experienced by both foreign and Egyptian women. We strongly advise women to avoid Tahrir Square and immediately surrounding areas during demonstrations. 


Happy days


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

> She did not pay attention to people's gazes, she did not seek the help of anyone, and did not wait for words of pity from others, but in a moment, she decided to face the young harasser in the middle of the road, and insisted on his arrest and hand him over to the police, and filed a report on the incident, to give him the title "Officially a harasser", and let him be haunted by the shame for the rest of his life, and to give a lesson for anyone who thinks of harassing any girl in street.


Translated from Al Masry Al Youm's Arabic website: ???? ???? ????? ??? «?????» ?????? | ?????? ?????? ????? ????? ?? ???

Can't translate the video, but basically she finishing some papers for work near City Stars when some jacka$$ on a delivery motorbike slowed down and grabbed her backside, she said she had only 2 choices, to let it go like she always does, or to give him a lesson.

So she grabbed him from his T-shirt and told him she's not letting him go till they're in the police station, she said she saw how scared he got, but he ran and left the motorbike.

Police came and the officer told her to go wait for him in the police station, 30/45 minutes later, the police officer came with the idiot handcuffed to the his hand 

She's talking about how great it was to see him standing there too scared/ashamed to even look her in the eyes and looking down instead, she said that she doesn't think that she'd feel as good even after beating the sh!t outta him for 3 years 

The brave girl's name is Donya Emad by the way :clap2:


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

I am happy that they are now admitting this is a real problem here.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

I even had a Saudi friend put a link to a help line for domestic abuse in Saudi on her facebook... 

fingers crossed the ME is finally beginning to wake up and smell the coffee


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> I am happy that they are now admitting this is a real problem here.


They're not............It's still the girl's fault.........

I remember seeing this for the first time, the first thought crossing my mind then was that she was lucky to be near City Stars, she wouldn't be able to do what she did where I live for example, or in many other "local" areas in Cairo after all!

But whether they admit it or not, I just hope all girls would act the way she did, cause the Egyptian saying (_People only behave when they're scared, not when they're embarrassed_) is so bloody true


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

“Please God. Please make it stop.” | natasha smith


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

aykalam said:


> “Please God. Please make it stop.” | natasha smith




Horrifying isn't it?


Why do they do it?.



Years ago I was outside the American Embassy with a young Egyptian girl who was applying for a visa and I was her sponsors representative.. her father whispered to my driver who then whispered to me, do your strings up on your top the father thinks you are a **** and should be ashamed I had a granddad style teeshirt on...I looked at the driver and the father and told him... No way am I doing it up, you should be ashamed to be sending your daughter out to provide money for you and your four wives and then turned my back on him. 
The daughter laughed and told me good for you.

They have a real mixed up sense of proprietary and morals,


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Horrifying isn't it?
> 
> 
> Why do they do it?.



Lack of discipline from childhood, I hate seeing boys who are barely out of nappies treat any female around them like a piece of :tape2: poor parenting skills or lack thereof is a huge problem in Egypt.

Also, lack of accountability.


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

aykalam said:


> “Please God. Please make it stop.” | natasha smith


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

aykalam said:


> Lack of discipline from childhood, I hate seeing boys who are barely out of nappies treat any female around them like a piece of :tape2: poor parenting skills or lack thereof is a huge problem in Egypt.
> 
> Also, lack of accountability.


True, add deprivation and lack of common sense, they're just stupid


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## Qsw (Feb 1, 2012)

It's a disgusting problem, I think it's right up there with discrimination as one of the main problems in Egyptian society. The lack of accountability is a big problem as aykalam mentioned. This has to be treated as a serious crime and the law has to start making examples of harassers by passing down harsh sentences. If that's combined with an educational system that makes it clear that this sort of behavior is wrong, then we might get somewhere.

It's something that deeply disturbs me, that every time a single girl (or even one that's accompanied) decides to leave her house, she has to deal with this.


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

DeadGuy said:


> True, add deprivation and lack of common sense, they're just stupid


I remember an incident where a 2 year old boy kept harassing a girl roughly same age, obviously there was nothing sexual about it but the girl kept protesting as she was getting really annoyed. All the Egyptian adults with them thought it was the cutest thing...until I actually gave them a piece of my mind. 

If you don't educate children to respect others they never will as they grow up


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

aykalam said:


> I remember an incident where a 2 year old boy kept harassing a girl roughly same age, obviously there was nothing sexual about it but the girl kept protesting as she was getting really annoyed. All the Egyptian adults with them thought it was the cutest thing...until I actually gave them a piece of my mind.
> 
> If you don't educate children to respect others they never will as they grow up




I recall you telling us this before... and then you getting the looks


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

aykalam said:


> I remember an incident where a 2 year old boy kept harassing a girl roughly same age, obviously there was nothing sexual about it but the girl kept protesting as she was getting really annoyed. All the Egyptian adults with them thought it was the cutest thing...until I actually gave them a piece of my mind.
> 
> If you don't educate children to respect others they never will as they grow up


Trouble is, with people having different standards towards _respect _and what's respectful and what's not, it will remain kinda hard to impose _rules_ of any kind............And specially rules that would correct the current situation


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

DeadGuy said:


> Trouble is, with people having different standards towards _respect _and what's respectful and what's not, it will remain kinda hard to impose _rules_ of any kind............And specially rules that would correct the current situation


That's why education alone cannot fix the problem: certain behaviours need to be criminalised AND the law needs to be enforced.


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## Qsw (Feb 1, 2012)

aykalam said:


> That's why education alone cannot fix the problem: certain behaviours need to be criminalised AND the law needs to be enforced.


Exactly, I think the only way to fix this problem will be to attack it from both ends. The bad apples that are out there right now (and there are a lot of them, since there are 80 million people here) need to be punished severely, and when you combine this with a strong fight against this at the educational level, the message should get through to any bad apples of the younger generations.


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> I recall you telling us this before... and then you getting the looks


did I already mention it? I must be getting old


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## Maireadhoey (Jul 25, 2011)

aykalam said:


> That's why education alone cannot fix the problem: certain behaviours need to be criminalised AND the law needs to be enforced.



I agree with you but...
Enforced by whom? The people who normally do the virginity tests?


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Qsw said:


> Exactly, I think the only way to fix this problem will be to attack it from both ends. The bad apples that are out there right now (and there are a lot of them, since there are 80 million people here) need to be punished severely, and when you combine this with a strong fight against this at the educational level, the message should get through to any bad apples of the younger generations.


and when we say education, let's not forget how influential the Friday sermon is on many guys' lives, for those already past school age  

Admittedly I have never been to a mosque during Friday prayers but do they ever even touch upon the subject of being a respectful to others?


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Maireadhoey said:


> I agree with you but...
> Enforced by whom? The people who normally do the virginity tests?


er, of course not. Those were the army.

The MoI needs complete restructuring, which should also mean retraining the guys on the beat. Let's face it, we can't just sack'em all  

but there are enough unemployed people in Egypt to build a complete new dept if need be!


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## DeadGuy (Jan 22, 2010)

Maireadhoey said:


> I agree with you but...
> Enforced by whom? The people who normally do the virginity tests?


Good point.........

Like I said about the Egyptian girl's video, I thought she was lucky she was where she was or else she wouldn't have been able to do what she did, and as the article that aykalam posted, people were reluctant of helping just cause the girl is single and not a virgin 

So where back to scratch, IF there is a decent law that provides good cover for the victim/s and a REAL punishment on the harasser/s, we'd still need people that are willing to enforce it without taking sides........


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## Qsw (Feb 1, 2012)

aykalam said:


> and when we say education, let's not forget how influential the Friday sermon is on many guys' lives, for those already past school age
> 
> Admittedly I have never been to a mosque during Friday prayers but do they ever even touch upon the subject of being a respectful to others?


I have no idea what it's like now, I don't go as often as I should (*cough*), they do mention the importance of being a good Muslim etc., and occasionally venture into politics (using religious labels), but you do raise a good point. I think it would be a massive improvement for leading Muslim figures to constantly bring up this topic and attack it in all its forms. If they are mentioning this in Friday prayers right now, I'm guessing it's in a vague or indirect way.


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## Maireadhoey (Jul 25, 2011)

aykalam said:


> er, of course not. Those were the army.
> 
> The MoI needs complete restructuring, which should also mean retraining the guys on the beat. Let's face it, we can't just sack'em all
> 
> but there are enough unemployed people in Egypt to build a complete new dept if need be!


I know that was the army, different uniform, same mindset.

For sexual assault to be taken seriously in Egypt aside from all the things you've mentioned, we also need a "big bang" moment a Rodney King if you will, to kick start the fight back.


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Maireadhoey said:


> I know that was the army, different uniform, same mindset.
> 
> For sexual assault to be taken seriously in Egypt aside from all the things you've mentioned, we also need a "big bang" moment a Rodney King if you will, to kick start the fight back.


blue bra girl was that Rodney King moment, nothing much happened, some people even said if was her fault

Before that there was Lara Logan...but that's OK she was just a foreign **** 

and on and on...


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## Maireadhoey (Jul 25, 2011)

aykalam said:


> blue bra girl was that Rodney King moment, nothing much happened, some people even said if was her fault
> 
> Before that there was Lara Logan...but that's OK she was just a foreign ****
> 
> and on and on...


You are right, sadly, but on a positive note Mona el Tahawy as just announced on twitter that she is moving back to Cairo to launch a campaign against sexual assaults on women. Momentum seems to be building, let's hope it dosnt take the 80 years it took the brotherhood to change a mindset


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Maireadhoey said:


> You are right, sadly, but on a positive note Mona el Tahawy as just announced on twitter that she is moving back to Cairo to launch a campaign against sexual assaults on women. Momentum seems to be building, let's hope it dosnt take the 80 years it took the brotherhood to change a mindset





Isn't it ridiculous that it takes a reporter to return to Cairo to take this cause up.

Where does the government stand in this matter is the question Egyptian women should be asking,


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

This is a few readers comments from when the article was printed in the DM

Why does the BBC send little girlies to these hideous places?
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This lady reporter (like some others) was treated in exactly the way that that the Mullahs in Egypt teach their ignorant followers to treat ****** women. Well done Hague, Cameron, Clinton and Obama you have just funded the creation of a backward, medieval and violent fundamentalist Muslim state a stones throw from Europe.

After what happened to the other Journalist last year, WTF would any sensible woman wanna go over there.
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M., the North, 27/6/2012 16:10 .......................When you've quite finished slating those people that have made a sensible, rational comment - get your head of the clouds and face reality. Women should be safe but they are not and bleating on about what should be happening instead of facing the facts puts more women at risk.
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I can't believe people have green arrowed you. That's like saying women deserve to get raped when they get drunk, or wear short skirts. I despair of people today.
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Horrific, made worse by ignorance. This setting in no place for a 21 year old who has yet to graduate in her chosen career. If you decide to work in such venues, you go with local minders and fixers.
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Having lived in the Middle East I know how Western women are regarded and yes, you are regarded as trash to mistreat as you want - you DON'T have the respect that is shown in the Western world. Take care Natasha & move on, hard though it may be. All the best for the future. 

Anyone for a holiday in Egypt? . . . Certainly not me anymore

M the North ... Your comments are those of somebody who has never ventured further than their own garden gat


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Natasha Smith interviewed by CNN

Student journalist assaulted in Tahrir Square - CNN.com


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

Sexual assault takes place world wide, however there is no chance of a molester being embarrassed/arrested/stopped here until the middle east and Islam stops treating women as second class citizens.


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

I really don't think Islam has anything to do with it.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

canuck2010 said:


> I really don't think Islam has anything to do with it.


Majority Muslim countries give women varying degrees of rights with regards to marriage, divorce, civil rights, legal status, dress code, and education based on different interpretations of the Koran.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

More demonstrations called for today.


Stay away is my advice


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## GM1 (Sep 30, 2008)

Here is a youtube video of young Egyptian men, adressed to the harassers: 




Here is another blog speaking about the denial: Denying sexual assault on women assaults them once more


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

GM1 said:


> Here is a youtube video of young Egyptian men, adressed to the harassers: What Men Say to Men Who Harass Women on the Streets
> 
> Here is another blog speaking about the denial: Denying sexual assault on women assaults them once more




Good on these young men for trying to get the message across.. but it needs to be on state television, why are the authorities doing nothing about it and why have they always denied it.. simply to make sure tourists don't stop coming.


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## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

MaidenScotland said:


> Good on these young men for trying to get the message across.. but it needs to be on state television, why are the authorities doing nothing about it and why have they always denied it.. simply to make sure tourists don't stop coming.


There is hardly any coverage on mainstream media. I think ONtv had a programme on sexual harassment/violence a couple of days back, but most Egyptians watch only state TV


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