Individuals familiar with issues in Egyptian society are cognizant of the problem of harassment, but others less informed on the country likely received a shocking dose of awareness through hearing of the Lara Logan incident. This two-part series will begin with a brief discussion of some media responses to her harassment, followed by a second article which places what happened in a broader context and contends we should focus on the best possible result that can come from this tragic incident- a true mitigation of sexual harassment in Egypt- and how exactly it may be fulfilled.
For the rare few who may not already know, Lara Logan is a prominent journalist who encountered serious obstacles while reporting on the Egyptian revolution (including detention and intimidation by Egyptian forces). Her travail culminated with a brutal physical beating and sexual harassment, stopped only by Egyptian women and army officers who came to her rescue. While the exact details of what happened remain uncertain, there is no doubt of the severity and horrific nature of what she experienced.
Immediately after the revelation of her attack, some commentators pointed to Logan’s identity as a visibly white female which distinguished her from the crowds. Such exaggerated focus on her appearance or dress can not only implicitly reduce her role in attending the protests from one of a respected journalist to one of an objectified female; this argument also can dangerously lead to the perception that what happened to her was, in any possible way, justified. This toxic way of thinking ultimately only leads to lessening the gravity of such horrific acts, and seems all the more ludicrous when one considers that the vast majority of veiled Egyptian women, including some who wear niqab, often encounter the same basic problem to various degrees.
My profound disgust at what happened to Lara Logan was only compounded by those individuals who touted this incident to be entirely representative of the depravity of “Muslim culture” as manifested in Egypt and elsewhere. Such accusations so strikingly oppose my innate understanding of Islam and its vast capacity to demand justice of all kinds, including justice for women. Fortunately, contrary to sweeping cultural judgments, other commentators rightfully highlighted the prominent way in which the frustration that comes from widespread unemployment and political repression is by far the most likely culprit of the spread of harassment in Egypt over the last few decades (as discussed in articles like this).
There has also rightfully been much discussion of the increase role of Egyptian women in the protests (like here, here, and here). But even high estimates of the percentage of female participants may admittedly seem a bit low from a Western perspective. Based on my experience living in Egypt, I can’t help but suspect that a justified fear of harassment was precisely the reason that even more women didn’t visibly participate. Mass gatherings at night can be an utterly dangerous places for outnumbered females, so the fact that significant numbers of women participated in the first place (before word was spread that such gatherings were generally harassment-free) is, I feel, a testament to their courage and unwavering commitment to their cause. In this and in other ways, it is impossible to comprehensively understand the role women played in the Egyptian revolution without consideration of the primary struggles they face, perhaps the most prominent of which is harassment.
Pursuing a Harassment-Free Future for Egypt
Perhaps the best possible result that could come from the appalling Lara Logan incident would be an energized effort to combat harassment throughout Egypt, starting with the sober recognition that it is a problem that has truly begun to plague Egyptian society.
In order for such an effort to succeed in preventing similar atrocities from happening in the future, real awareness needs to be raised by people who are seen as legitimate, using compelling reasoning to convince and demonstrate to the masses the vital importance of combating harassment. This leads to two observations.
First, effectively fighting harassment in Egypt cannot occur simply with raising awareness of this problem with a Western audience, especially considering that this awareness is likely superficial (which I think, is fair to say, occurred in the wake of some shoddy reports about what happened to Lara Logan). Instead, Egyptian activists themselves must drive this effort in order for it to be viewed by the people as truly legitimate (as opposed to being perceived as akin to Western cultural imposition), and therefore sustainably succeed.
That’s not, however, to say that those in the West can play no role whatsoever. For committed Western allies, I think the best way to support the struggle is to first educate oneself on the many anti-harassment efforts that already exist in Egypt, and then to consult those Egyptians leading the fight against harassment in order to understand if and in what capacity non-Egyptians might best support their cause.
With regards to the former, one example issue is a powerful film recently released in Egypt in December entitled 678, which compelling treats the subject through animating an inspiring true story. And with regards to the latter, I think the essential importance of this step should not be obscured by its simplicity: after all, Muslim women around the world, including those of us in the West, perhaps know better than anyone how frustrating it can be when allies assume to know your best interest instead of simply allowing you to speak on your own behalf.
In addition, I also think it behooves all of us to simultaneously work towards a curtailment of harassment in our own backyards, recognizing that despite some variations in magnitude and manifestation, women in every corner of the world are too often victims of such ill treatment.
The second element I see as vital for the success of combating harassment in Egypt is couching this struggle in the name of Islam. While recently living in Alexandria, I interned with an NGO known as the Association for Women and Development (جمعية المرأة و التنمية) working on a USAID-funded project to raise awareness on discrimination and violence against women. This experience illustrated to me that without doubt, combating issues like harassment and domestic violence in Egypt simply cannot succeed without the singular legitimacy of Islamic justifications.
Considering this realization, I would like to make a request specific to all Muslims in the West who believe that Islam compels them to stand up against harassment and other forms of mistreatment of women: persevere in this struggle, because these efforts can not only help Muslim women in the West who are victims of misinterpretations of Islam that seek to justify their subjugation, but can truly bolster the similar struggles of Egyptian women and Muslim women around the world. After all, there is truly nothing like the power of sound Islamic reasoning to combat abhorrent practices like violence against women that have wrongly come to be understood as justifiable by Islam by misguided Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Lastly, it is vital to acknowledge that a willingness to more seriously address widespread sexual harassment seems to have been recently ushered in by the revolution. Such willingness can be seen, for example, in the words of Wael Ghonim (the young Google executive who has come to be seen as a symbol of the young people who instigated the revolution) who was interviewed soon after he was released from detention. He was brought to tears upon articulating how much pride Egyptians should have in finally taking the improvement of society into their own hands: how proud they should be to have reached the day where citizens of all backgrounds were volunteering their time to clean up the streets, patrol for the safety of neighborhoods, and when not one woman would leave her house with the fear of experiencing harassment in the (male-dominated) streets.
Critics, of course, may retort that the Lara Logan incident swiftly dismisses this claim and proves that a better Egypt for women did not emerge overnight thanks to the revolution. But I think a much wiser interpretation of this inspiring vision is the fact that Egyptian society, led by its young people, may truly be beginning to come to terms with the rampancy of sexual harassment. This recognition of how greatly harassment harms the lives of countless Egyptian women and cuts into the fabric of the nation as a whole, coupled with compelling efforts to illustrate the deeply un-Islamic nature of such misogynistic behavior, can lead to a comprehensively brighter future for Egypt: to a day of genuine political freedom and a restoration of the dignity women in the public space.
Nada Zohdy is a Boren scholar who was studying Arabic in Alexandria, Egypt over the past several months. Since the revolution she has been relocated to Morocco.
