Yes I am opening the file of Lara Logan again because it should not be closed till the rights of this lady return back , even if she was only beaten not sexually harassed or assaulted.Lara Logan was our guest and doing her job and among the true Egyptian values is “we put the guest in our eyes” as we say it in Egypt.
Some incidents should not be wrapped by a press release from CBS or statement from the White house especially that Egypt has suffered in recent years from the sexual harassment epidemic , the file should not closed.
I received many comments on Lara Logan’s post and these comments made me more persistent to discuss the matter and not let it go. Unfortunately many comments were not angry for Lara as much as they were racist and hateful , I did not delete them to show the amount of racism there. I receive comments incriminate the whole race of Muslims and Arabs , I receive comments from the kind “We were happy for you but not any more” , “Arabs have a long way for democracy and civilization” I know that these people do not really care about Lara Logan as a woman or a human being as much they found a golden opportunity to attack Arabs and Muslims and restore the old perceptions about them. It is enough to read this headline in one of the websites “Happy Egyptians rape Lara Logan !!” and to know that Glenn Beck is using the incident of Lara to justify his sick and miserable theories about the Egyptian revolution using the green board just like Qaddafi in 1970s to understand what is going on.
Ironically these people , these websites and also Glenn Beck are only angry because she is working for an American network and also white but on the other they are so silent on the rape crimes committed by U.S soldiers against Iraqi women. If you are human rights champion , women’s rights advocate then you must mention both incidents as matter of principle. Also the right wing blames Lara for being too sexy for her job !! “and you thought it was only the East !!” Well I am sorry but Glenn Beck and O’Reilly are too damn cowards to go in to hot zones.
Any woman in Egypt or in the world actually can be here place and it has nothing to do with being foreign or being white or being Muslim , it could happen to an American lady in the States itself , it could happen to me in Egypt.
I really want the Egyptian authorities to open an investigation about this matter not because Lara was foreigner or because the White house demanded so or because the reputation of Egypt but because what happened was wrong and against the law. The words “Sex assault” are huge despite the fact that according to Wall Street Journal on February 15,2011 there was no rape unlike what the right wing websites claim. I think a proper investigation will end this debate for good.
Of course we need more details in an investigation like this , the general details are not enough. The general details about Lara Logan’s attack was in NY Post based on Sunday Times’ recount. According to Sunday Times Lara Logan was attacked , stripped from her cloth and beaten by flags plastic poles all over her body by a mob of 200 men. She was saved a group of strong Egyptian ladies followed by a group of soldiers. I hope these women come and speak to the media because they are heroes especially those who gave her cloth , calmed her down and escorted her to the Four Seasons. I do not think Lara was too strong to go to the Four Seasons Nile Plaza in that shape alone according to what I understand from Sunday Times’ story posted on February 21st. The authorities should to speak to those ladies and also that group of army soldiers. The authorities should also speak to those who claimed to witnessed the attack.
Speaking about the witnesses , I do not understand why those few witnesses are being bullied online simply because their testimony contradicts the CBS News statement . For example the very interesting post by Mexican freelance journalist Témoris Grecko which includes his testimony and the others’ testimonies from Tahrir square especially those who claimed to witness the attack. According to Gecko she was roughed up only and according to another American tourist who made it very clear that he did not know what happened to Lara before seeing her, Lara’s clothes were not torn up and she was not actually accompanied by ladies but rather young men who formed some sort of human chain around her till they reached to the army post. Grecko also included two other testimonies that supported him.He deleted a third testimony as the witness was being attacked online. Now Grecko is being labeled as yellow journalist !!
For the record I found a similar testimony in the comments of Youm 7 , yes I know Youm 7 and its comments but I found it very interesting because it is also close to what Grecko wrote in his website , that angry mob gathered around her yelling agent and Israeli then one soldier and couple of men protected her till she was reached to the army post.
In any proper investigation or any case in front of any court all stories , all testimonies and all eye witnesses must be included .These witnesses and their testimonies will be recorded in any investigation carried on by the Egyptian government because the law says so. I know that I will be attacked thought !!
If there will be an investigation in Egypt , I think Lara must be cooperative with the authorities to help them with more details. Already the fact that she left the country immediately without being treated in a hospital for fear , anger and distrust is not good. I understand she was scared especially that she was detained earlier, no wonder she left immediately.
Needless to say whether it was a rough up or or sexual assault or a mix “ I think that this is actually what happened is a mix ” , knowing that the state security was “and is still” messing up in the country , I will not be surprised to know that this was a deliberate attack may be not on Lara but on any foreign journalist. I said before and I will say it again.
In almost all the incidents that were recorded from attack on journalists whether foreign or local was that rumor that this reporter were Israeli or that reporter were an agent for foreign powers spreading like the fire. In the past few days with the exposure of the State security files and also methods “their last attempt to turn us against the army” , we have become more and more certain from this. The blame is also on the Egyptian national TV to of inciting hate in the Egyptian society with its systemic claim against foreign reporters or foreigners in general before anyone. The fact that the Egyptian national TV has not apologized or admitted yet this makes me angry.
We do not deny that we got a major problem called sexual harassment, Egyptian people were the first to document and expose to the world the sexual harassment problem in Egypt with videos and photos , we are not hiding it. If you are follower to the blog from old time , you will know that we have been vocal about it and honestly I began to believe neglecting this problem from the security part was another tactic to make us afraid and also to divert our attention.
Now Al Masry Al Youm English surprised me by this report “ Planned Tahrir demo for sexually assaulted US reporter sparks controversy” , already the words “Widespread opposition” are inaccurate considering the fact most of the people did not know that there was a planned protest for her nor there were Facebook pages dedicated to her from Egypt. I agree with the women’s rights activists , if we are going to have a protest then it will be for women in general , it is enough what happened last Tuesday. “Actually that FB page mentioned in report is making her the hero of the revolution !! The fact that it has got links from right wing websites made uncomfortable “
I will try to raise the matter in the Egyptian media not because if the White House demanded this or because the right wing that should go to hell considers us savages whom Mubarak knew how to deal with but because this is the true Egyptian values that want to restore back after 30 years of Mubarak’s rule.
Update : Check out this very important op-ed from Agnes Rajacic in Al Ahram online.
Some incidents should not be wrapped by a press release from CBS or statement from the White house especially that Egypt has suffered in recent years from the sexual harassment epidemic , the file should not closed.
I received many comments on Lara Logan’s post and these comments made me more persistent to discuss the matter and not let it go. Unfortunately many comments were not angry for Lara as much as they were racist and hateful , I did not delete them to show the amount of racism there. I receive comments incriminate the whole race of Muslims and Arabs , I receive comments from the kind “We were happy for you but not any more” , “Arabs have a long way for democracy and civilization” I know that these people do not really care about Lara Logan as a woman or a human being as much they found a golden opportunity to attack Arabs and Muslims and restore the old perceptions about them. It is enough to read this headline in one of the websites “Happy Egyptians rape Lara Logan !!” and to know that Glenn Beck is using the incident of Lara to justify his sick and miserable theories about the Egyptian revolution using the green board just like Qaddafi in 1970s to understand what is going on.
Ironically these people , these websites and also Glenn Beck are only angry because she is working for an American network and also white but on the other they are so silent on the rape crimes committed by U.S soldiers against Iraqi women. If you are human rights champion , women’s rights advocate then you must mention both incidents as matter of principle. Also the right wing blames Lara for being too sexy for her job !! “and you thought it was only the East !!” Well I am sorry but Glenn Beck and O’Reilly are too damn cowards to go in to hot zones.
Any woman in Egypt or in the world actually can be here place and it has nothing to do with being foreign or being white or being Muslim , it could happen to an American lady in the States itself , it could happen to me in Egypt.
I really want the Egyptian authorities to open an investigation about this matter not because Lara was foreigner or because the White house demanded so or because the reputation of Egypt but because what happened was wrong and against the law. The words “Sex assault” are huge despite the fact that according to Wall Street Journal on February 15,2011 there was no rape unlike what the right wing websites claim. I think a proper investigation will end this debate for good.
Of course we need more details in an investigation like this , the general details are not enough. The general details about Lara Logan’s attack was in NY Post based on Sunday Times’ recount. According to Sunday Times Lara Logan was attacked , stripped from her cloth and beaten by flags plastic poles all over her body by a mob of 200 men. She was saved a group of strong Egyptian ladies followed by a group of soldiers. I hope these women come and speak to the media because they are heroes especially those who gave her cloth , calmed her down and escorted her to the Four Seasons. I do not think Lara was too strong to go to the Four Seasons Nile Plaza in that shape alone according to what I understand from Sunday Times’ story posted on February 21st. The authorities should to speak to those ladies and also that group of army soldiers. The authorities should also speak to those who claimed to witnessed the attack.
Speaking about the witnesses , I do not understand why those few witnesses are being bullied online simply because their testimony contradicts the CBS News statement . For example the very interesting post by Mexican freelance journalist Témoris Grecko which includes his testimony and the others’ testimonies from Tahrir square especially those who claimed to witness the attack. According to Gecko she was roughed up only and according to another American tourist who made it very clear that he did not know what happened to Lara before seeing her, Lara’s clothes were not torn up and she was not actually accompanied by ladies but rather young men who formed some sort of human chain around her till they reached to the army post. Grecko also included two other testimonies that supported him.He deleted a third testimony as the witness was being attacked online. Now Grecko is being labeled as yellow journalist !!
For the record I found a similar testimony in the comments of Youm 7 , yes I know Youm 7 and its comments but I found it very interesting because it is also close to what Grecko wrote in his website , that angry mob gathered around her yelling agent and Israeli then one soldier and couple of men protected her till she was reached to the army post.
In any proper investigation or any case in front of any court all stories , all testimonies and all eye witnesses must be included .These witnesses and their testimonies will be recorded in any investigation carried on by the Egyptian government because the law says so. I know that I will be attacked thought !!
If there will be an investigation in Egypt , I think Lara must be cooperative with the authorities to help them with more details. Already the fact that she left the country immediately without being treated in a hospital for fear , anger and distrust is not good. I understand she was scared especially that she was detained earlier, no wonder she left immediately.
Needless to say whether it was a rough up or or sexual assault or a mix “ I think that this is actually what happened is a mix ” , knowing that the state security was “and is still” messing up in the country , I will not be surprised to know that this was a deliberate attack may be not on Lara but on any foreign journalist. I said before and I will say it again.
In almost all the incidents that were recorded from attack on journalists whether foreign or local was that rumor that this reporter were Israeli or that reporter were an agent for foreign powers spreading like the fire. In the past few days with the exposure of the State security files and also methods “their last attempt to turn us against the army” , we have become more and more certain from this. The blame is also on the Egyptian national TV to of inciting hate in the Egyptian society with its systemic claim against foreign reporters or foreigners in general before anyone. The fact that the Egyptian national TV has not apologized or admitted yet this makes me angry.
We do not deny that we got a major problem called sexual harassment, Egyptian people were the first to document and expose to the world the sexual harassment problem in Egypt with videos and photos , we are not hiding it. If you are follower to the blog from old time , you will know that we have been vocal about it and honestly I began to believe neglecting this problem from the security part was another tactic to make us afraid and also to divert our attention.
Now Al Masry Al Youm English surprised me by this report “ Planned Tahrir demo for sexually assaulted US reporter sparks controversy” , already the words “Widespread opposition” are inaccurate considering the fact most of the people did not know that there was a planned protest for her nor there were Facebook pages dedicated to her from Egypt. I agree with the women’s rights activists , if we are going to have a protest then it will be for women in general , it is enough what happened last Tuesday. “Actually that FB page mentioned in report is making her the hero of the revolution !! The fact that it has got links from right wing websites made uncomfortable “
I will try to raise the matter in the Egyptian media not because if the White House demanded this or because the right wing that should go to hell considers us savages whom Mubarak knew how to deal with but because this is the true Egyptian values that want to restore back after 30 years of Mubarak’s rule.
Update : Check out this very important op-ed from Agnes Rajacic in Al Ahram online.