Sexual harassment: not just an Egyptian problem

Egypt is famously plagued by sexual harassment. Here it ranges from cat calls and pet names to groping and rape with a knife. There is no accountability and no shame in the streets. Whether out of fear or indifference, very few people are willing to intervene in such instances. I know from personal experience no one will come to your rescue, even on a crowded street in the middle of rush hour.

Sexual harassment and assault is not just an Egyptian problem. My mom was worried when I told her I was going to India next week. India had just been in the news for a series of brutal and fatal rapes. But sexual harassment is also not limited to the developing world either.

When I get into conversations with people who dismiss Egypt as a land of sexual harassers, I often point back home. We're far from perfect. There is a lot of sexual discrimination in DC. Working on the Hill as a young woman, I developed a no-BS attitude to combat people's perception of me as a silly girl.

Our problems go beyond sexual discrimination. Sexual abuse is unfortunately far from uncommon in all levels of society. Yes, it happens in the lower class, but it also happens in the upper middle and upper classes. But it's quiet. There's a stigma against talking about it, against dealing with it. I saw it when the Chris Brown-Rihanna thing happened. Half of the people blamed her for deserving it, and the other half blamed her for putting up with it.

Sexual harassment also plagues our military. From military academies to the front lines, I read a constant stream of stories in military blogs and papers about attacks. Over the past year or so more than a handful of military officers have had their promotions halted--gasp!--or been demoted--gasp gasp!--for sexual assault.

In November 2012, Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, an F-16 pilot, was convicted by an all-male jury of aggrivated assault against a female contractor in Italy. According to ABC News, Wilkerson, who was the base's inspector general, was sentenced to a year in prison and dismissed from service.  The case was reversed in February when a commander agreed with Wilkerson's attorney that guilt had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt because of a lack of physical evidence. The fact that a commander unilaterally overturned a military court conviction enraged Congress--mainly women in Congress--and led to the introduction of legislation that would essentially strip commanding officers of their ability to reverse criminal convictions of service members.

This was all before, in what is almost an Onion headline, the Air Force officer in charge of the branch's sexual assault prevention program was arrested for sexual assault.

Two days after the announcement of the arrest of Jeffrey Krusinski, the aforementioned Air Force officer, the Pentagon released a report estimating 26,000 people in the armed forces were sexually assaulted in 2012, up from 19,000 in 2010.

The President talked a big talk, ordering Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel" to "step up our game exponentially," and told victims of such sexual assault, "I've got their backs." But this is a long-standing problem that did not just pop up now. It's been simmering for years and he's been president for years. I'm a huge Obama supporter, but this is an issue that should have been addressed a long time ago.

FP: Secret State Department cable supports claims of chemical weapons use in Syria

A secret cable signed by the US Consulate General in Istanbul, Scott Frederick Kilner, supports claims by the Syrian opposition the regime used chemical weapons against its own people in an attack against Homs last month.

Homs (AJE)

The Consulate's intensive investigation produced a "compelling case" that claims that Syrian President Bashar al-Asad used chemical weapons were true.  The investigation included interviews with activists, doctors, and defectors, including Mustafa al-Sheikh, a former regime major general and WMD official.

Opposition figures published videos and photos of the December 23 attack.

FP spoke with doctors who treated the victims. All were sure victims fell prey to chemical weapons, not tear gas.  The medical officials attributed 5 deaths and around 100 cases of severe respiratory, nervous system, and gastrointestinal pain to the poison.

"The main symptom of the respiratory ailments was bronchial secretions," said Dr. Nashwan Abu Abdo, who spoke to FP from Homs.  "This particular symptom was the cause of death of all the people.  All of them died choking on their own secretions.

Abdo said the chemical weapons were fired by tank shell.  The symptoms of those who were further from the shelling included gastrointestinal pain, nausea, and vomiting.

According to FP, the doctors concluded the weapons where chemical and not tear gas because of three factors: the suddenness of death of those directly exposed, the large number of people affected, and hte fact that many had reoccurring symptoms after treatment, meaning the chemical agent had settled in their nervous system and/or fat.

The State Department would not comment on the contents of the secret cable. If true, the attack means the al-Asad regime crossed the "red line" delineated by President Obama last year.

"We have been very clear to the al-Asad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized," said President Obama.  "That would change my calculus.  That would change my equation."

US policy has not yet shifted to reflect the reported use of chemical weapons.

Satellite images showing Syria preparing for the use of chemical weapons in early December 2012 prompted a rare united international push against the regime.  

Women Strip, Beat Politician Accused of Rape in North East India

On the heels of the terrifying death of a young woman gang-raped  in Delhi, a Congress Party politician in Assam, accused of rape, was surrounded, stripped, and beaten by a crowd of women.  Footage of the attack showed several women ripping of Bikram Singh Brahma's shirt and slapping him.  A group of men later joined to hit him.

The aforementioned brutal death of a 23-year-old student sparked protests across India, a country known for delay of justice for rape victims and overall apathy about sexual abuse.  According to the New York Times, gang rapes have become almost routine in India, a country that some surveys suggest has one of the highest rates of sexual violence in the world.

The widespread Indian mentality toward rape is embodied in the son of India's president Pranab Mukhergee, who said those protesting sexual abuse and rape were "middle-aged and caked in make-up," and also "dented and painted" women.  Even his sister, Sharmishtha, condemned the remarks.

"It is definitely something that we as a family definitely don't agree with," she said.  "It's not just one protests, it's accumulated rage over the way women are being treated, raped, molested...My father is absolutely with me on this."

He later apologized for his comments.

In the aftermath of the attack, India set up a special court for cases involving crimes against women.  Under international and domestic pressure, Indian officials fast-tracked the arrest of five men and one juvenile to be charged with more than 50 pages of accusations including rape, murder, kidnapping, robbery, and assault.  The government seems to have been caught off-guard by the public's anger. It's response to protests with water cannons, tear gas, and beatings was widely condemned.

The men are accused of attacking the victim and a male friend on a bus late at night on December 16, 2012, gang raping her for an hour and impaling her with a metal rod so savagely she sustained irreparable organ damage. Her male companion was also beaten and both were thrown out of the moving bus.  She was flown to Singapore for treatment, but died two weeks later.  

UAE "busts" Egyptian Ikhwan cell

Al-Khaleej, a local Emiriti newspaper, is reporting that UAE forces "busted" an Ikhwan "cell" of senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood officials. Not for terrorism, as it claimed when it arrested a cell of Gulfie nationals on December 26. But for politically organizing.

Their crime? Holding "secret meetings" and "recruiting Egyptian expats in the UAE to join their ranks" and "continuous coordination" with the Egyptian-based branch.

"Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood had offered [the cell's members] courses...on elections and the means of changing leadership in Arab countries," said a UAE source.

The horror! Elections!

The arrests here have been treated in the expected political manner. Supporters of the Ikhwan rallied in support of those detained and opponents of the Ikhwan saw their political activities as just another step in a wider scheme of Islamicizing the region. Lost in all this is these guys were not arrested for terrorism but for promoting goals similar to those the liberals *should* be supporting. Instead, many are aligning themselves with the autocratic government.

The UAE and Ikhwan have a long history of tense relations.  The Islamists movement's rise has been met in the Gulf state with trepidation and worry similar political forces could result in regime change. Tension erupted in 2012 when an Egyptian Muslim scholar Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi spoke out against the UAE for reportedly revoking visas of Syrians who protested against the regime of al-Assad and UAE officials threatened him with arrest.  

How Victoria’s Secret Saved the National Guard During Hurricane Sandy

From Danger Room:

On Monday night, Hurricane Sandy hit the armory of the New York Army National Guard’s 69th Infantry Regiment, leaving the soldiers without power, hot water, or anything but the most rudimentary means of communicating with the outside world. So the next morning, the Regiment’s officers made an emergency plea — to the producers of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. 

As they had done for the last three years running, the lingerie company was holding its annual television event at the Regiment’s historic armory, located at 25th street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. For the show, the producers had hauled in eight massive 500 kilowatt generators. Of course, the producers said, we’d be happy to help. Hours later, the lights flashed back on. 

“We were dead in the water until Victoria’s Secret showed up,” says Capt. Brendan Gendron, the Regiment’s operations officer.

Dubai to build Taj Mahal replica, proves Russel Peters right

In the event people needed more of a reason to poke fun at khaligis (Gulfies) and their ostentatious and spendthrift ways, Dubai unveiled a plan to build a $1 billion replica of the Taj Mahal.

The copy will be bigger than the original and house a 300 room hotel, shops, and other commercial buildings.  Around the new Taj will be copies of the Eiffel Tower, the Pyramids of Giza, and the Great Wall of China.

The project is projected to finish by 2014, so all those who want to visit the "New City of Love," as the Emirate will call the new complex, better start planning their holidays ASAP.

Russel Peters is right. Dubai is stupid.

Iranian police clash with protesters demonstrating against currency crisis

Police reportedly clashed with protesters demonstrating against the collapse of the Iranian rial, whose value dropped precipitously to a third of its value, in a week, and lost 80 percent of its value compared to a month ago. The rial was valued at 36,100 to a dollar on Tuesday.

Around 100 traders and money lenders rallied in front of the country's central bank before being confronted by riot police and dispersed.  Demonstrators were frustrated not only by the drop in the currency value, brought on in a large part by sanctions, but also frustrated by the government's failure to act in the face of a crisis. The official paralysis increased the price instability.  Many Iranians also blame President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and alleged financial mismanagement for the currency depreciation.

Police fired tear gas against demonstrators and arrested illegal money exchangers in the capital.  The national police also formed a special unit of police and government economic officials "to combat those perturbing the currency market," according to the head of national police Esmail Ahmadi Moghadam.

Merchants in Tehran's central bazaar also closed in solidarity with the demonstrators.  Their participation is significant, as they are seen as a bellweather for public sentiment and have significant political influence.

Shops shuttered in Tehran's central bazaar in solidarity with borsa protesters

Today's developments were the first sign of public discontent.  Observers reported continued heavy police presence on the streets. 

Saudi to its citizens: About that whole jihad thing--don't.

Mindful of how that whole send-jihadists-to-fight-the-Soviets-in-Afghanistan thing turned out (enter: Osama bin Laden, security vacuum in Afghanistan, militant networks in Pakistan, al-Qaeda in general, militants turning against the Saudis... need I go on?), Saudi is trying to stop its citizens from joining the rebel fighters and what some see as holy war in Syria.

The United States wasn't the only country to experience blowback after helping the Afghans fight the Soviets.  Saudi too faced blowback as its returning fighters, emboldened by experience in the field, driven by strong religiosity and angry at the excesses and willingness of its own government to work with the infidels, turned its ire against the Kingdom.  

Saudis are furious at the news reports and images leaking out of Syria of decimation of streets and villages, deaths, and disrespect for religious symbols, as rebel forces fight those loyal to Bashir al-Assad. The country's Wahhabism is further stoking the fire.  The ultra-puritanical strain of Islam sees Shi'ites, of which al-Assad's Alawite sect is an offshoot, as heretics.  

A video entitled "A message from a Saudi fighter with his Syrian brothers" showing a Saudi with rebels, armed to the teeth, posted on YouTube in August, has been seen more than 121,000 times.

"I ask God to unite us in heaven and say to my brothers in the Arabian peninsula to fight in the name of God as your brothers in the Levant need fighters of strong faith and chivalry," said the unidentified Saudi.  

The Saudi government is putting pressure on the al-Assad regime publicly calling on the international community to "enable" Syrians to protect themselves amid reports the Saudis, along with the Qataris and Turks, are funneling cash and arms to the Free Syrian Army.  But they are drawing the line there.

"It's illegal to go abroad and get involved in any...military actions or fighting," Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour Turki said.  "This is known to all Saudis and many have been prosecuted.  If we have evidence that somebody is leaving Saudi Arabia for the purpose of joining militants, he will be stopped and investigated for that."  

Clerics have joined the government in pushing back against jihad.

"Families must watch over sons who can be lured into hot spots in this world," said cleric Siraj al-Zahrani. 

"They don't want to repeat the same mistake they made in Afghanistan," said a Saudi who fought the Soviets there.  "Young men went there and learned to fight with many groups of jihadists.  Some of those groups accused Islamic countries of being infidels and the young people were influenced by that and went back to their countries and caused problems." 

Whether or not the government has influence over the estranged youth is questionable.  

"The youth of jihad don't listen to the Council of Senior Clerics," said an Saudi who fought in Afghanistan.

The government's official line is also being ridiculed in online jihadist forums.

"Abdullah, call for jihad against this Syrian tyrant and his aides and you will find, God willing, strong men who have a faith in God to lift the banner of Islam," said one user on a prominent site al-Waseem.  "Enough weakness."

"Green on blue" attack toll in Afghanistan reaches 2,000

The US military toll from insider attacks rose to 2,000 after an attack Saturday in Wardak province that killed a US soldier and a contractor.  The two were apparently killed by a rogue member of the Afghan security forces.

Not only has the death toll rose to 2,000, but such attacks are now the biggest killer of foreign military forces in Afghanistan. Provincial government spokesman Shahidullah Shahid told the AP an Afghan soldier turned his gun on the Americans and started shooting, killing the two foreign forces along with three Afghan army soldiers.

The deaths followed a "verbal dispute" during a joint operation.

Attacks against US and coalition military forces by Afghan police, security, and military personnel increased sharply this year. The development threatens to undermine America's Afghanistan strategy, in which foreign forces work directly with and train their Afghan counterparts to "step up" following US withdrawal, scheduled for the end of 2014.  The United States has cut back on its training missions, for a time halting them completely as recruits were re-vetted.

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers were dismissed after the US halted training missions following an inquiry.

The attacks are also forcing US soldiers on the defensive. The military implemented a "guardian angels" plan, in which foreign military personnel would remain armed and ready for attack during all interactions with their Afghan counterparts.  The increasingly defensive stance--and the ill will that inevitably emerges from interactions between the two sides in charged environment--will only make differences and grievances worse.  It is difficult to see how Afghans will be able to be properly trained to "step up" when such distrust and animosity holds between both sides.

The plan for withdrawal also depends on a contingent of foreign trainers remaining on the ground for years to come.  

A Polish girl's journey across the Middle East

My grandparents literally paved the road for me. 

The BBC featured an article this morning about Danuta Mazka, a young girl from what was Poland, now Ukraine, who was sent with her family to Siberia after the Soviets invaded Poland in 1939.  A few months later, she and her family were sent to Siberia.  According to the article, no one knows how many Poles were deported in those weeks, but most estimates point to around one million.  

"We were put on a cargo train," remembered Danuta.  "It was full-72 people in each wagon. There was a hole in the floor for the toilet, and a little stove."

She continued, "The guard would come and throw the dead babies out of the window into the snow. When an adult died, they'd put the body on a platform by the engine. When the train slowed, they'd put them off. But the children they just threw away."

After the German invasion of Poland in 1941, the Soviets turned to the captives and gave them a choice--either join them against the Nazis as members of the Red Army or join the Polish army in exile.  Many joined the army in exile.  

Danuta's journey would take her from Siberia to Uzbekistan to Iran to North Africa and Palestine, finally settling in the United Kingdom.  

I read this article and got really emotional. I remembered my grandfather telling me a similar story about my grandmother, who was born in what was Poland and now Ukraine, sent to Siberia. Somewhere between the two of them, their journeys took them to Iran, Egypt, and Palestine (from what I remember). Danuta's story very closely followed that of my own grandmother. 

I sent the article to my mom, asking her whether the article was similar to the story of my grandparents.  She replied:

Yes it is. Poland was invaded on her 9th b-day. The family was captured and sent to Siberia where she and your great uncle caught birds (a reason for you to like birds [birds are my number one fear]) and ripped off potatoes from trains to bring "home" to eat.  Later, the family went to some Middle Eastern country, I forget which, where your great grandmother, a healthy-sized woman, was pinched many times and men asked your great grandfather if they could buy her for a wife [apparently nothing has changed]. He said no. They got to England where she met Dziadzia [my grandfather] and the rest is history.