The men who assaulted her (regardless of the extent of that assault) are scumbags, and my sympathy goes out to her.
That being said, no western mother, sister, daughter, or female friend of mine would have been in that crowd on that night. Egypt is known for sexual assault. My first visit over there a group of guys managed to cut a female friend of mine out of our group getting off the subway. One of them ended up with a bruise on the base of his skull from my elbow and all three of them ended up on their backs on the platform thanks to another friend present. Some western women who live in Cairo have taken to carrying hatpins, which effectively keep the dogs at bay.
Now, as far as how we can expect this to be viewed by the Egyptian religious leadership, this speech by the Egyptian born Mufti of Australia Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilali says it all.
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Excerpts of al-Hilali's speech
This is the edited transcript of Sheik Taj el-Din al-Hilali's controversial speech. It was translated from Arabic by Dalia Mattar, from Australian broadcaster SBS, and originally printed by The Australian newspaper.
Those atheists, people of the book [Christians and Jews], where will they end up? In Surfers Paradise? On the Gold Coast?
Where will they end up? In hell. And not part-time. For eternity. They are the worst in God's creation.
Who commits the crimes of theft? The man or the woman? The man.
'Women's responsibility'
That's why the man was mentioned before the woman when it comes to theft because his responsibility is providing.
But when it comes to adultery, it's 90% the women's responsibility. Why? Because a woman possesses the weapon of seduction.
It is she who takes off her clothes, shortens them, flirts, puts on make-up and powder and takes to the streets, God protect us, dallying. It's she who shortens, raises and lowers.
Then it's a look, then a smile, then a conversation, a greeting, then a conversation, then a date, then a meeting, then a crime, then Long Bay jail. [laughs].
Then you get a judge, who has no mercy, and he gives you 65 years.
But when it comes to this disaster, who started it?
In his literature, scholar al-Rafihi says: 'If I came across a rape crime - kidnap and violation of honour - I would discipline the man and order that the woman be arrested and jailed for life.'
'Uncovered meat'
Why would you do this, Rafihi? He says because if she had not left the meat uncovered, the cat wouldn't have snatched it.
If you take a kilo of meat, and you don't put it in the fridge or in the pot or in the kitchen but you leave it on a plate in the backyard, and then you have a fight with the neighbour because his cats eat the meat, you're crazy. Isn't this true?
If you take uncovered meat and put it on the street, on the pavement, in a garden, in a park or in the backyard, without a cover and the cats eat it, is it the fault of the cat or the uncovered meat? The uncovered meat is the problem.
If the meat was covered, the cats wouldn't roam around it. If the meat is inside the fridge, they won't get it.
If the meat was in the fridge and it [the cat] smelled it, it can bang its head as much as it wants, but it's no use.
'Satan's weapons'
If the woman is in her boudoir, in her house and if she's wearing the veil and if she shows modesty, disasters don't happen.
That's why he said she owns the weapon of seduction.
Satan sees women as half his soldiers: "You're my messenger to achieve my needs."
Satan tells women: "You're my weapon to bring down any stubborn man. There are men that I fail with. But you're the best of my weapons."
The woman was behind Satan playing a role when she disobeyed God and went out all dolled up and unveiled and made of herself palatable food that rakes and perverts would race for. She was the reason behind this sin taking place.
This transcript is courtesy of The Australian newspaper
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ic/6089008.stm
Published: 2006/10/27 08:15:11 GMT
© BBC 2011
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