In the last two weeks, Egyptian media have been in a state of turmoil and controversy after Ahmed Bassam Zaki, an accused serial rapist and sexual predator, was exposed by multiple victims on social media. He has been accused of over 100 incidents of rape and sexual harassment.
Source: Police arrest Ahmed Bassam Zaki over 100 rape, harrasment accusations
He has since been detained by Egyptian authorities and confessed to blackmail and intimidation. His victims reportedly also included at least one minor.
Despite the flagrancy of Bassam Zaki's case, many people, including prominent imam and preacher Abdullah Rushdy, still insist that women's clothing is "one of the reasons" for rape and sexual harassment. While Rushdy has come under fire for his statements, he still has tens of thousands of supporters who echo his views.
This is by far the most controversial and largest-scale rape and sexual harassment case in Egypt in recent years. It is clearly the Me Too moment of Egyptian society, but this wave for women's rights is also expectedly facing a lot of pushback both from many proponents of traditional thought and staunch supporters of patriarchal, male-oriented religious tradition.
It is worth noting that Al-Azhar has issued its magazine for this month with a cover encouraging women to speak out against sexual harassment and rape and asserting that clothing is "never a justification for the crime." Furthermore, Egypt's primary authority on fatwas, Dar al-Ifta', has issued similar statements in a move that signifies a strong change of direction from traditional sexist thinking on this issue.
There is a bona fide war both for and against women's rights in Egypt, but some of the changes that have occurred so far have been hopeful signs of progress. The pushback is not going away anytime soon, but in a country whose capital was named "the world's most dangerous megacity for women" less than three years ago, the current fight for women's rights is as essential as it is both difficult and a sign of changing times.
Source: Police arrest Ahmed Bassam Zaki over 100 rape, harrasment accusations
He has since been detained by Egyptian authorities and confessed to blackmail and intimidation. His victims reportedly also included at least one minor.
Despite the flagrancy of Bassam Zaki's case, many people, including prominent imam and preacher Abdullah Rushdy, still insist that women's clothing is "one of the reasons" for rape and sexual harassment. While Rushdy has come under fire for his statements, he still has tens of thousands of supporters who echo his views.
This is by far the most controversial and largest-scale rape and sexual harassment case in Egypt in recent years. It is clearly the Me Too moment of Egyptian society, but this wave for women's rights is also expectedly facing a lot of pushback both from many proponents of traditional thought and staunch supporters of patriarchal, male-oriented religious tradition.
It is worth noting that Al-Azhar has issued its magazine for this month with a cover encouraging women to speak out against sexual harassment and rape and asserting that clothing is "never a justification for the crime." Furthermore, Egypt's primary authority on fatwas, Dar al-Ifta', has issued similar statements in a move that signifies a strong change of direction from traditional sexist thinking on this issue.
There is a bona fide war both for and against women's rights in Egypt, but some of the changes that have occurred so far have been hopeful signs of progress. The pushback is not going away anytime soon, but in a country whose capital was named "the world's most dangerous megacity for women" less than three years ago, the current fight for women's rights is as essential as it is both difficult and a sign of changing times.
