the lion doesn't attack the elephant, it attacks the baby zebra with a limp."

I am dedicating this post on sexual harassment… It’s been on my mind for to long to keep quite anymore. I’d just like to understand and maybe gather some opinions from others about this topic. So here it goes, is there a real problem in this beautiful city that I have fallen in love with regarding the harassment of women? Wait, let me answer that, damn right there is.

I love Cairo, but I am ashamed for Egypt and Egyptians at the treatment, especially verbal, that some women get here. I have not been here for to long, about 3 months, but I have already been a victim of this. I am an Arab American and I am somewhat fluent in Arabic so I can hear all the disgusting vulgarity, all the crudity, and all the ignorance if I am typical Arab looking and continue to get harassed I can only imagine how the tall, white blond girl must feel.

I am typical Arab looking; short, with long black hair, brown eyes and brown skin. I dress conservatively and walk with a determined stride, in fact people often tell me I’m on a mission, I walk with attitude, not to fast and not to slow. Why am I a victim?

I have not researched on women harassment in Egypt so I don’t have prior knowledge on its history and what the government has previously done to address this issue. But I find it ironic, if not entirely surprising, that obviously nothing serious has been done about the sexual harassment of women. Why is it that so little is done to address harassment? Egyptian woman are not speaking up and society at large aren’t acting because the police themselves are imposing these same sickening values.

I know there are many strategies a woman needs to consider doing; she must avoid walking alone, eye contact, walking to quickly, talking on her phone and etc. But even then I feel that it’s not enough. I feel outraged that women have to face treatment that’s so vile. I am disgusted because a female friend of mine has gotten sexually harassed in front of many people and not one single person was willing to help and jump in. What happened to community? What happened to brotherhood/sisterhood? What happened to Islam? These harassers would stake their all for their sisters and their mothers and if someone did that to their sisters/mothers, the guy would be dead. So why in god’s earth are these same harassers harassing other women?

Islam is not just about praying, fasting, and saying you believe in god. Islam is all about the way you treat people. It’s a way of life it teaches you how to deal with people and how to act. It’s part of Islam to not treat people in a way we wish not to be treated. They have abused Islam. I leave you with a couple questions, how did sexual harassment become so popular? What is the solution? And is there a “cure”?