Lara Logan sexually assaulted...

[silentreader]

Originally Posted by stuW

and the result should not surprise any resident of Cairo, although I'm sure it dissapoints many.

Stu

I wager you're right about this. Egypt is well known for its harassment of women, and from what I had read it was a particular point of pride amongst the people that this had not occurred during the protests. Found an article that talks about it, seems like its well done...

For a moment, it seemed Egypt wasn't just throwing off its political shackles. Women long suffering from the scourge of sexual harassment reported Cairo's Tahrir Square, command central of the uprising, had become a safe zone free of the groping and leering common in their country.

Now the attack on a senior U.S. television correspondent during the final night of the 18-day revolt has shown that the threat of violence against women in Egypt remains very real.

CBS has said its chief foreign correspondent, Lara Logan, went through a "brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating" by a frenzied mob in the square during Friday's celebrations of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ouster. The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual assault unless the victim agrees to be identified.

Logan was released from a U.S. hospital and was recovering Wednesday in her Washington-area home, as her story raised issues often left unaddressed in the Middle East.

An Egyptian security official said he was unaware of any investigation into the attack on Logan. He noted that police were pulled off the streets on Jan. 28, three days after the outbreak of the protests, and haven't returned, with the exception of traffic police.

The American network has said Logan, her team and their security "were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration." During the uprising, anti-government protesters in Tahrir Square had been largely peaceful, except when coming under attack by police or pro-Mubarak gangs trying to break up the large crowds. The pro-government forces also beat and harassed dozens of foreigners, including reporters and photographers.

Logan was ultimately saved by a group of Egyptian women and around 20 soldiers. After reconnecting with her crew, she returned to the United States on Saturday.

The night that Logan was assaulted, the nature of the crowd in Tahrir changed.

While only the most dedicated had turned up in the preceding 18 days _ overcoming fear of arrest and bound by the shared goal of bringing down Mubarak _ hundreds of thousands from all parts of Cairo flooded the downtown area to celebrate the president's downfall.

In some areas, men formed human chains, cordoning off groups of women and children from pushing hordes. But it wasn't enough protection, and women reported later that they were sexually harassed _ stared at, shouted at, and groped _ that night.

"All the men were very respectful during the revolution," said Nawla Darwiche, an Egyptian feminist. "Sexual harassment didn't occur during the revolt. It occurred during that night. I was personally harassed that night."

During the uprising, women say they briefly experienced a "new Egypt," with strict social customs casually cast aside _ at least among the protesters.

Young women in jeans and tight shirts smoked in public, standing next to bearded Islamists who didn't bat an eye.

Women who said they had never slept away from home before were spending nights in tents pitched in the center of the square, as protesters tried to maintain control of the strategic location. The women said at the time they felt perfectly safe, even bringing their children.

Egyptian women's rights campaigners now worry that the reprieve they experienced during the uprising was a fluke, and that their society will quickly revert to oppressive social mores that leave women vulnerable to sexual violence, with little recourse.

Women in Egypt _ and in many areas of the Arab world _ are still afraid to report sexual assault or harassment, fearing they and their families will be stigmatized, said Medine Ebeid of Egypt's New Woman Foundation.

Only rarely do women come forward. In a widely publicized 2008 case, a woman dragged her assailant to a police station, and succeeded in sending him to jail for three years.

The killing of women by male relatives for perceived violations of a strict moral code are often either covered up by the families or the assailants, if prosecuted, face light sentences.

Sexual harassment remains widespread in Egypt, and even women covered up by veils and long robes in strict Islamic dress say they are not immune.

A 2008 survey by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights found that 83 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women in Cairo said they had been harassed _ while 62 percent of men admitted to harassing.

Harassment is often the flip side of conservative mores. Men who believe women should stay out of the public sphere tend to assume that those seen in the streets are fair game. Widespread unemployment leaves young men bored, frustrated and unable to marry.

Police witnessing harassment have a history of not interfering or even joining in, going after female political activists in particular, Darwiche said. In 2005, plainclothes agents trying to break up a rally by female anti-government protests tore at their clothes and pulled their hair.

A proposed law banning sexual harassment and outlining criminal punishment was never put to a vote to parliament. It's unlikely to see any action during Egypt's ongoing political turmoil, with parliament dissolved and elections not expected for several more months.

Activist Rasha Hassan said she and others hope to harness the spirit that made Tahrir safe for a while.

"We believe that when people think about a big thing, all of us collect (gather) for a main goal, our good morals return," said Hassan, who helps run Harrasmap, a website that allows women to quickly report instances of harassment via text message or Twitter. Uploaded onto a digital map of Cairo, it shows hotspots and areas that might be dangerous for women to walk alone.

Asma Barlas, an expert on women in Islamic societies at Ithaca College, said change will likely be slow because traditional attitudes run deep.

"When societal images of women begin to change," she said, "maybe things will get better."

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by DJ Urbanovsky

I don't think I appreciate your superior tone.

Last I heard, there were two genders. Guys and girls. Dudes and chicks. There's no need to get all hypersensitive.

What I said about me going for a walk in Compton is figurative, not literal. I said that to illustrate a point. "One of these things is not like the other..." I believe I suggested as much above when I said that the nail that sticks out gets hammered. The irony that, in this very thread, I might be the nail, is not lost on me.

I have read many of your posts. It seems to me that you are a reasonable and intelligent person. So why the acrimony and hair splitting?

DJ--

BLUF, I take umbrage with the "she asked for it"/"savages will be savages" theme of your posts in this thread.

As for the hair splitting and 'superior tone', I say turn things around. Let's say there was a news story about a highly skilled artisan suffering some misfortune while plying his craft. Would you be pleased if people jumped to conclusions without checking their facts and said "Look at that [so and so]--he was stupid." Or would it be better if people understood that professionals take risks to make a living?

Originally Posted by Dusty

If Danica Patrick crashes, it's not the car's fault.

That's not what she says <<LINK>>

Originally Posted by dr. mabuse

It's SOP and sport for some people don't ya know.

Although I'd wager it would never happen in person.

You would lose that bet.

Moreover, your remark clearly indicates that you think members of this BB do not have the maturity to discuss opposing points of view without losing their tempers and turning to violence.

[afchic]

Wow, just wow.

To say that I am saddened by some of the posts I have read here, is truly an understatement. As an officer and a woman.

Ms. Logan is a professional in a dangerous line of work. She CHOSE that profession, just as those of us in the military CHOSE a dangerous profession. My bet is for many of the same reasons, mainly that chosen profession being a calling.

When one of us is hurt or killed in the line of duty, it is very rare to see any comments on this site about how that person should have never been there in the first place. We honor their service because they are fighting for something we all believe in. Why should that be any different for Ms. Logan?

Being the professional she is, she went were she was sent by her bosses. Most of you don't agree with that choice. But where would we be without people like Ms. Logan?

Granted the MSM is not the pillar of society some of us would like. But one of the great things about this country is our press. We may not always liike the things some of them say, but we PROTECT their right to say whatever they want. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they get it wrong. But where would we be as a country without them? The press is ingrained in what we are as a country, and what we stand for.

Would we rather have had the reports coming out of the Middle East come solely from Middle Eastern media outlets because it was too dangerous for any western journalists to be there? Or maybe it should just be male reporters because we know none of them were hurt reporting on Egypt (Anderson Cooper anyone?) Someone has to take the risk to go into dangerous places, and report what is going on. You may not like that it was a woman who was sent, but it was.

Who of us matures in this world, by only staying where we are safe, or only doing things that are safe? If that were the case we would all be locked in a bedroom in our parents house, never to venture out into the world to find our calling. If we avoid risk, what can we ever hope to gain?

I guess we could get into further discussions about what are appropriate professions for women, and what are not, but I guess we can save that for another day. Ms. Logan did her job, and for that I am greatful. I am sorry this happened to her, but as I am sure she will learn, as I did, a sexual assault even as brutal as this one was, does not define who you are, unless you let it!

I will lay money down that she comes out a stronger woman, and a better reporter because of it.

Originally Posted by T-Rock

Religiously motivated? Why would anyone want to lunge at anything labeled Jew



Source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/interna...IDdCrbD95ybD5N

What if she was perceived to have been Muslim?

And what if her attackers were all Christian? Egypt doesnt just have one religion within the country. Muslims and Christians were protesting as one within the square so using those facts we can only assume that it was both groups who committed this atrocity.

In Lara Logan's defense can we remember that Katie Couric was also on the ground and while she was swarmed and pushed many times, she was able to complete her assignment without a problem. She as well is a white blonde haired woman.

Video of Couric...
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7310052n

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Sigaba

DJ--

That's not what she says <<LINK>>

You're right!

[Five-O]

IMO folks that are taking the attitude that she is "stupid" and put herself in that position are showing poor taste at best. This is a woman who had a dangerous job and is a victim of a crime. I blame none but the men who committed this act and those who watched it happen. Cowards all.

[mojaveman]

Egypt has not been kind to the members of 60 minutes. First Anderson Cooper and now Lara Logan.

She could probably have had a better security detail.

Glad that she's recovering well.

[Richard]

What happened to her security detail or did she even have one?

Kinda makes me wonder why people provide links to articles/docs or post them in these threads if nobody is going to review them before offering up an opinion.

And so it goes...

Richard

[AngelsSix]

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/interna...vKzu3a1xlv6ECP

I don't know how many of you know or remember this. I have absolutely no respect for her, nor will she get my sympathy. She is neither intelligent nor professional in my book.

[ZonieDiver]

I will never ever be bitten by a shark, because I will never go into the ocean deeper than my knees.

Stay on the beach! A significant portion of the shark population is located in water of "knee depth" or less! Many have been bitten in these depths.

I once witnessed some people barely miss being bitten by a shark in the parking lot of a Burger King.

Risk is where you find it. Her decision is not one I'd make, but she is not the first journalist to take a risk to "get the story." I neither applaud nor condemn her. It is what it is.

[afchic]

Originally Posted by AngelsSix

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/interna...vKzu3a1xlv6ECP

I don't know how many of you know or remember this. I have absolutely no respect for her, nor will she get my sympathy. She is neither intelligent nor professional in my book.

One never knows what goes on in another's marriage. It's very easy to judge when you are on the outside looking in.

How the article you posted has any bearing on what transpired to Ms. Logan in Egypt is lost on me.

[Sigaba]

Originally Posted by afchic

It's very easy to judge when you are on the outside looking in.

Easier still when you're getting your information from news reports from The National Enquirer.

[ZonieDiver]

I don't think I appreciate your <snip> tone.

Wow! The last time I heard that phrase, it was followed by a few licks with a hairbrush, administered by my mom!

[Eagle5US]

Alright, alright-

let's focus here...

Who she bangs or gets banged by (willingly) while on "assignment" has no bearing whatsoever on her being the victim of SA by an angry mob of HN fucktards.

There is no way of knowing the circumstances of her "trysts"...for all we know contractor dude told her he was already single (or never married for that matter) BFD - simply no relevance or bearing on this situation AT ALL....

A "lack of professionalism" is not justification for being the victim of a serious and personal crime

so.... let's drop it shall we

[Peregrino]

I'm glad she's alive. I hope she recovers and goes on to lead a relatively normal life. Personally, I think she was incredibly stupid. I won't say she deserved it because I don't believe anyone deserves "sexual assault". I will say she's incredibly lucky to be alive. She was almost a top three Darwin Award winner. I hope somebody learns some lessons about prudence and risk management. I doubt it will be her though.