CAIRO: Virginity tests recently confirmed by the army on female protesters who had been arrested on March 9 have spurred controversy, yet have been faced by an extreme antagonism by many Egyptians. In investigating the motives of such unprecedented action it came to our surprise in a period where we supposedly enjoy a great deal of freedom, a military official announced that it was a “procedural way” to investigate whether arrested female protesters in Tahrir square are virgins or not so that it puts an end to any potential claims that could arise from female protesters' of being raped by the Army in Tahrir square.The controversy it has made will never end. It was first unconfirmed incidents until one anonymous general spoke to CNN saying “Those girls are not like your daughters or mine.” The Army‘s follies didn't stop at conducting such tests on female protesters, but it extended to the announcements made by the army affirming the incident and justifying the reasons behind such procedures. Their justification is unacceptable. Not only that they exposed the results in public, saying that all of the women checked were not virgins, in a extreme violation of privacy of those girls after conducting such “illegitimate” procedure, but also they are making it part of the army's business. It was an overt assault made by the military body when saying they had no choice but to do such tests in order to defend their status if any allegations by any female of being raped by the army. We are talking here about a possibility that some girls would accuse army men, which made all arrested females subject to that virginity test due to the army worries. The statement of the military official didn't care about anything but it exercised the authority given to them in order not to leave any possibility – even though small – of potential threats that may have arisen that could distort the army's image. The way it dealt with this was a proactive unjustified violation of citizens' privacy. The statement that should have come from the army was an apology to the accused the girls that they are not having good behavior and their sexual life is the proof and punished them for spreading their stories by exposing their results in public. What should we expect more from our honorable army? Should I, when attempting to reach Tahrir square expect to being subjected to a compulsory virginity test so that the army will make sure I'm a good citizen and my sexual history affirms that? What a disgrace when the army comes to point fingers against anyone who dares to speak against it in public. The sequence of oppressive incidents to ordinary citizens, who have simply antagonized the army practicing the minimum freedom that should be given to any citizen as what should be a natural product of the Egyptian revolution, comes very rapidly to add to our anger day by day. The increasing number of persons being investigated over their statements concerning the military council comes to assert that the council is aiming at abandoning itself from any potential critics. It sadly implies also the council's reluctance to improve the way its ruling the country because what should be an interactive process, taking into consideration people complaints, has turned to be an oppressive one with a single player taking care of everything even if it has something to do with being virgin or not. BM
