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| photo by Fatma Naib |
From Denny: Egypt held so much hope for the world when the Arab Spring broke out last year, toppling the regime.
Then reality set in. The very women that protected the men who marched, the very women who gave medical aid and money to help the revolution, were turned upon and denied their respect and freedom.
The protesters took it all and gave nothing in return by denying women a seat at the table while they restructured the national government. The former male protesters and the Egyptian military council refused the concepts of generosity, kindness, partnership and equality. To the women, the protesters and the military are no different than the regime: all deny freedom and equal rights to women.
And the Egyptian military wonders why Americans want to pull out the $1 billion in foreign aid to them? American women are furious at the treatment of Egyptian women and we don't want our tax dollars going to support such torture, unnecessary imprisonment, harassment, lack of protection from police and military, embarrassment, sexual groping in public, all without recourse or punishment of the men who are out of control with impunity.
The current Egyptian government, military and Arab Spring Revolution are all as much a world embarrassment as the old regime. Nothing positive has changed for the status of women. They had better get serious about real change if they want the respect of the world community. Otherwise, Egypt will just slide back into the third world status of oblivion and no importance.
