What happened to CBS correspondent Lara Logan on February 11 in Egypt's Tahrir Square in the midst of celebrations at the ousting of Hosni Mubarak was inexcusable, wrong, abhorrent. At the same time it was normal. It is what happens in Egypt when crazed mobs come together. There is no reason to think that it wouldn't have happened. It had happened before, during the same revolution. The only difference was Ms. Logan was a foreigner. Now, as what happened to Logan begins to be made public, Egyptians are outraged. I have received emails from a number of Egyptians who have asked that this issue be “put in context” and “this isn't Egypt, it is going to ruin the image of our revolution.” Unfortunately, either these well-meaning individuals have been living in a different country for the past few years, or they have turned their heads away from one of Egypt's most enduring problems: sexual violence against women. Not foreigner women, but all women. The activists have gone on full PR mode. They are apologizing to Logan and CBS. They have referred to her incident as revealing the “sins of the past 30 years … getting exposed.” When it comes to sexual violence, these “sins” have been exposed. Over and over again. This is not a new problem. In fact, the problem has been simmering silently since 2006 fall, when dozens of men and boys attacked and assaulted women outside a downtown Cairo cinema. In a mob style attack, the perpetrators attempted to grope and tear at any passing woman's clothes in the October attack. Eyewitnesses and citizen reporters' pictures were clear proof that the terror against women had taken place. But Egyptian society, despite a few weeks of heated discussion, remained largely silent. One need not look to mob-style attacks, which have occurred at nearly every celebration or holiday in the country for four years and beyond. The facts on the ground, facing everyday women in Egypt are appalling at best. I have women tell stories of taking their attacker to the police station, only to be told by officers there that there really wasn't anything they could do; courts would take too long. “Can you imagine if this had happened to a diplomat's wife, or a foreigner?” one of the officers told a 30-year-old Egyptian woman. Egyptians have attempted to avoid the situation plaguing society for far too long. If it happens to a foreigner, they apologize, but if it happens to their sister, their mother, their girlfriend, their spouse, there has always been a tacit denial of any real problem. Instead of trying to save face now with Logan's case, what should be happening is a real dialogue, a real open discussion about the causes of sexual violence in society. Without one, Logan will not be the last victim of sexual brutality. According to a 2008 study published by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) 60 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women are harassed on a daily basis. The ECWR warned that harassing foreign women would lead to the loss of millions of pounds. A number of foreigners said they would never return to Egypt. 14 percent of all foreign women said they would either never return to Egypt or tell their friends not to visit. While the most recent incident should not damper the will of the Egyptian people to risk life and death to join forces in magnificent street demonstrations that rid the country of a dictator, it can no longer be avoided. Sexual violence is not an aberration to Egypt. It has a deep-rooted history that must not be avoided through apologies. It has to be faced head on. In the end, let us hope that this is the final “wake-up” call for Egyptian society to tackle this problem. Far too many women have been battered, beaten and raped in Egypt to allow it to continue. The very future of Egyptian society and a bright, prosperous future, could very well depend on how women are treated and empowered in the post-Mubarak Egypt. This article was originally published on February 16 BM
