Pro-choice in Egypt

There's been much discussion since January 25th about the role of women in a democratically engaged Egypt. During the peaceful, millions-strong demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square and across the country, women participated next to their confrères.

Unfortunately last week, the ugly despotic face of institutionalized gynophobia appeared in the form of thugs sent to harass women demonstrating in Tahrir.

The fight to achieve human rights for all - women and men - is ongoing in Egypt, just as women as experiencing push-back in many countries around the world, including Canada.

And now that Stockwell Day is abandoning the Harper Regime, who will Faytene "Serena Joy" Kryskow use as her wing man when she flashes her *all-access-pass* on Parliament Hill to lobby politicians and advance her evangelical cause?

On a deeper optimistic note, here's a blogpost that has waited for a good time to be shared with our readers. From monasah: I was created with love.

The story of how I was conceived:

I was created with love. I was born while my dad was in prison. He was sentenced to spend 5 years in prison because he was part of a communist group opposing Mobarak and his regime.

When the verdict came, my mother was not in Egypt. Their friends managed to hide him away and bring them together before he goes to prison. Mama knew Baba will be away for years. They both wanted a baby girl and she thought that having a baby would soften the coming years with out him. So they hid away, took their time in creating me and in bidding each other farewell.

When they were certain my mother was pregnant in me, my dad went and turned himself in. [...]

Do something every day which honours women and brings each one closer to the respect of her human rights.

#laralogan & forcible penetration.

Was the brutal physical assault inflicted upon CBS reporter Lara Logan actual, *real* rape-rape? Were any of her body orifices penetrated with a weapon?

A penis can be a weapon when deliberately used with force and hatred, though many rapists are impotent and have tortured women with a variety of implements. Prurient minds need to know.

Even in the absence of the crudest of details, the shrieeeking hordes of gynophes (aka women-haters), islamophes (aka moslem-haters) and racists are yapping non-stop, spewing their ignorance over Twitter and the blogosphere.

Never mind it was a group of Egyptian women and men (soldiers) that rescued Logan from what some people consider a 'fate worse than death', right?

Of course, those same people seemingly have no time to consider the fate of women in the Congo. By the way, KAIROS and Rights & Democray, the organizations maligned and de-funded by HarperCons supported programs that provide assistance to women and girls who have survived vicious, vile sexual violence.

It's also important to remember the thousands of women in the US armed forces who were sexually assaulted by their male colleagues - not by the enemy - because, like Lara Logan, they were doing a *man's job*.

Egypt, as seen by Free Dominion

In another episode of 'DJ! Visits the Freaks So You Don't Have to Get Out Your Wellies', here's how they monitored events in Egypt.

The thread was initially titled 'Egyptian Riots', later changed to 'Egypt - A Web 2.0 Revolution'. It was started by a poster named 'fourhorses' on January 28 and it's still going strong, up to 174 pages (a FD page holds only 15 posts, but still, that's a lotta posts).

'fourhorses' offered mostly straight reporting, links and complete stories (they have no use for copyright over there) from legit (as opposed to their more usual wingnut) sources, including Al Jazeera English.

Some Freaks weighed in with comments like this one from Red Dog:

muslims rioting against other muslims and burning up a muslim country is a problem because.....?

Others voiced fears for Israel and of Islamic radicals, while displaying MASSIVE ignorance of any actual facts.

Another, named Kate Shaw who has an Israeli flag in her sig, actually said this:

Its the End Times -- and more and more of this is going to be happening everywhere; and especially here in Canada where we have allowed Enclaves to balkanize our country to the point that we have plenty of dry tinder awaiting a match.

Say your prayers and watch for the USA to close the major bridges when the fire starts.

A few very -- two, maybe -- demonstrated optimism, and, funnily, they seemed to be in command of a few of the issues.

My Facebook friend Connie snarked about what happens when you shut off the Internet.

But mostly it was 'fourhorses'. He or she was obsessed. (Ahem.) When things really heated up, she/he started posting tweets from knowledgeable people in the streets there, many of them the same people I was following. (Hmm.)

The others mostly left off with the stupid remarks and let him or her go to it.

It is a rare and commendable example of the Freaks being interested in foreign events. I hope a lot of them followed along and learned something.

'I am not a hero'

It's day 12 of the Egyptian Revolution and for many it seemed like the momentum was waning. Mubarak's waiting game appeared to be working. 'Stalement' was the word in many pundits' mouths. Pundits were decrying the lack of a leader or a 'face'.

Then, Wael Ghonim got released from 12 days of military police custody.

Ghonim is 30 years old, father of two, and head of Google's Middle East operations.

And now we know what Egyptian intelligence knew. He is the admin of the Facebook page that is credited with helping to organize the uprising, 'We are all Khaled Said', referring to the young man tortured to death in Alexandria.

Inscrutably -- in light of developments -- he was allowed to be interviewed on a private TV station, DreamTV. Here are some clips and transcripts in English.

At the time though, I was following Sultan Al Qassemi who was live-tweeting the interview and translating. He kept saying 'this is so emotional'.

And indeed it was. Ghonim was very upset by the regime's contentions that he was a traitor and that the revolt was lead by outsiders.

I am not a hero. I only used the keyboard, the real heroes are the ones on the ground. Those I can't name. This is the season where people use the word traitor against each other. I wasn't abused, I was jailed, kidnapped. I met some really intellectual people in jail, they actually thought that we were traitors, working for others.

If I was a traitor I would have stayed by the swimming pool in my house in the UAE.

He was blindfolded for 12 days and knew nothing of what was going on in the streets of Egypt.

When the heartless/sensationalist interviewer showed him pictures of people who had been killed, he broke down and cried.

So did I and gordknowshowmany others watching or reading.

The reaction was swift. People began posting on Twitter: 'My name is XXXX and Wael Ghonim represents me'.

A Facebook page (all in Arabic, I'm taking this on faith) to that effect went from 14,000 'likes' a few hours ago to 67,000 last I looked.

The Revolution has been re-energized.

And here is how newcomers -- many many many more now -- are welcomed to Tahrir Square. The chant is 'the Egyptians are here, here, here'.



ADDED: The interview with English subtitles.

Tough Love

Kate Heartfield, a member of the editorial board of the Ottawa Citizen, shares with her readers the text of a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of Information about the treatment of foreign journalists. She is correct; it makes sense, in the use of a particular form of logic and obfuscation well exploited by tyrants to justify any rampant abuse of human rights.

When you read the document, if you pause and close your eyes for a moment, you can almost hear a chortle of amusement and bonhommie emanating from the despots who directed their subalterns to craft and distribute it.

Statements issued by a number of international sources alleging an official policy against internatinal [sic] media are false. Acts of violence against journalists, or any person are unacceptable. In instances were international media have been detained for questioning by the authorities, the Ministry of Information, represented by the State Information Service, has worked closely and successfully with authorities to expedite the process of their release. [...]

Regrettably, international journalists have been endangered by the same conditions that have threatened all Egyptians in areas of the country where there have been major disturbances and a breakdown of security. All these matters are the subject of comprehensive and in depth investigation as ordered by the President, and monitored by the Vice-President and the Prime Minister.

By all means, do read the editorial written in response to the forcible detention of, and violent attacks upon, journalists in Egypt as well as to to the paternalistic verbiage produced by Egyptian officials toiling for the Ministry of DisInformation.

Egypt will rise

@Zeinobia, an Egyptian blogger that I follow on Twitter put this up at her site. It is a classic and powerful graphic - inspiring and resonating.

Egypt, We Support You

Moving video by Tamer Shaaban.

Meet Some Brave Egyptian Protesters

I was supposed to get a new project today, but I'm glad I didn't. I'm again rivetted by events in Egypt.

I thought I'd pop in to share a few links about the amazing courage, resilience, and resourcefulness of the people at Tahrir Square.

First, What happens if you take a bunch of engineers to a protest?

Next, I double-dog-dare you to get past three of the ten portraits in What I'm fighting for without choking up.

Finally, meet a couple of very brave women in this piece by Nick Kristof, Watching Thugs With Razors and Clubs at Tahrir Sq.

EXTRA BONUS: Fabulous new search tool, heapr. You're welcome.