Tag Archives: Tahrir Square

Rape and the Islamic Doctrine That Allows It

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Egyptian woman

Historically and juridically, Islam sanctions FGM for Muslim females and rape and sexual slavery of non-Muslim females. Westerners determinedly avoid the topic altogether.

By Clare Lopez:

The first time that many Americans and others in the West became aware of the extent of the mistreatment of  women in Muslim-majority countries was on February 11, 2011, the night that Hosni Mubarak’s government fell in Cairo and CBS News correspondent, Lara Logan, was brutally sexually assaulted in Tahrir Square.

Yet, those already familiar with the Egyptian street know that the brazen sexual harassment of women has been a feature of public life there for a long time. After all, this is an overwhelmingly Muslim country where statistics show more than 90 per cent of women undergo genital mutilation (Female Genital Mutilation-FGM), whose fundamental purpose is to destroy female sexuality—not only so that men may more easily control their own women but in an attempt to remove ostensible “provocation” from men who are raised from infancy in an environment of permissiveness to believe they are superior to women.

And while Western feminist groups determinedly avoid the topic altogether, international organizations charged with studying the treatment of women around the world typically take pains to avoid any insinuation that either FGM or rape of women and girls has anything to do with Islam. Unfortunately, both do. Doctrinally, historically and juridically, Islam sanctions FGM for Muslim females and the rape and sexual slavery of non-Muslim females.

Read more at The Clarion Project

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The ‘Epidemic’ of Sexual Harassment—and Rape—in Morsi’s Egypt

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3005970_370By :

Since the “Arab Spring” came to Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood assumed power, sexual harassment, abuse, and rape of women has skyrocketed.  This graph, which shows an enormous jump in sexual harassment beginning around January 2011, when the Tahrir revolts began, certainly demonstrates as much. Its findings are supported by any number of reports appearing in both Arabic and Western media, and from both Egyptian and foreign women.

Hundreds of Egyptian women recently took to the streets of Tahrir Square to protest the nonstop harassment they must endure whenever they emerge from their homes and onto the streets.  They held slogans like “Silence is unacceptable, my anger will be heard,” and “A safe square for all; Down with sexual harassment.” “Marchers also shouted chants against President Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood group from which he hails,” wrote Al Ahram Online

The response?  More sexual harassment and rapes.

Read more at Front Page

Raymond Ibrahim, a Shillman Fellow at the DHFC, is a widely published author on Islam, and an Associate Fellow at the Middle East Forum. Join him as he explores the “Intersection”—the pivotal but ignored point where Islam and Christianity meet—including by examining the latest on Christian persecution, translating important Arabic news that never reaches the West, and much more.

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Are We Really Back to Relying on the Egyptian Military to Save the Day?

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By Andrew C. McCarthy:

Back when Mubarak was clinging to power and the Tahrir Square rioting was intensifying, I cautioned that it would be foolish for the West to assume that the Egyptian military — principal recipient of tens of billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars over the last 40 years — would step in and stop the country from falling into the grip of Islamists. The Egyptian military is a reflection of Egyptian society which, as we have now seen in election after election, is dominated by Islamists. Indeed, despite the good relations some top Egyptian military brass have had with the Pentagon, the fact is that some of the most important members of al Qaeda and other jihadist organizations have served in the Egyptian armed forces.

It is thus remarkable to hear commentators now speculating that, as Egypt is imploding, the armed forces may finally be poised to step in and save the day — perhaps even oust the Muslim Brotherhood government of President Mohamed Morsi. This supposition is based on a warning just issued by General Abdel Fatah El Sissi, the defense minister: “The continuation of the conflict between the different political forces and their differences over how the country should be run could lead to the collapse of the state and threaten future generations.”

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Understand: Gen. Sissi is Morsi’s guy. As I observed here back in August, when Morsi succeeded in sacking the military’s Mubarak-era leaders, Sissi is well known in Egyptian military ranks as a Brotherhood supporter. Moreover, Sissi’s elevation was not Morsi’s only move to tame the military. As recounted in another column at the time, Morsi installed Gen. Sedky Sobhi as army chief of staff. Sobhi is an Islamist who has called for the permanent withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Middle East, deriding what he takes to be American hostility to sharia and American creation of the “popular grievances” that fuel al Qaeda’s popularity.

Read more at National Review

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Egypt Melting Down. State of Emergency Declared and Rape Gangs Go On Rampage

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2013-01-27T145234Z_01_GHA17_RTRIDSP_3_EGYPT-PROTESTS1359323772By Daniel Greenfield

Things are getting very ugly in Egypt. It’s not so much a new violence as it is the lingering chaos unleashed by Tahrir Square and exploited by various factions. Western governments and domestic voters backed Morsi in the hopes that he would provide stability, but after the authorities temporarily lost control of Port Said and Morsi unilaterally declared a State of Emergency in three cities, in violation of his own constitution, stability is nowhere to be found.

With 44 dead, as of now, the Egyptian pound imploding and Morsi looking increasingly unable and unwilling to fix the economic problems that caused the Jan 25 Revolution, Egypt may be headed for another revolution.

 

That is part of what’s going on. Whether it’s soccer clubs or Salafi militias, Egypt is melting down away from a state and into a state of violence. The assertion of force backed by international aid counts for more than the rule of law.

Egypt appears to have developed its own Black Bloc anarchist members who dress in black and engage in armed confrontations. There appears to however be some debate over whether the members are legitimate or regime provocateurs.

Either way it’s a sign that protest is becoming a way of life. Jan 25 sanctified the protester and transformed organized protest into a more significant political force than the voting booth. And that means unrest is just one triggering event away,

Some say the violence serves the Muslim Brotherhood’s purposes. Others say the Muslim Brotherhood regime is about to fall.

The chaos include the usual rioting and police shootings. And as usual, sexual assaults, that appear to be less about rape and more about inflicting horror and shock on the protesters.

“It happens very quickly,” said one victim, a protester who was assaulted on a street leading to the square, and who spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity. “Suddenly there were six men on one side of me, and six on the other, and they just started scratching me all the way down my skin. It’s not just sexual assault. It’s like they actually want to hurt you.”

That appears to be in line with earlier reports suggesting that the sexual assaults are initiated by paid rape gangs targeting female protesters.

The tactics of the defenders are often as crude as those of the attackers, in the absence of any meaningful law enforcement.

Read more at Front Page

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Tens of thousands protest Muslim Brotherhood-led government in Egypt

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E anniv protestsBy Betsy Hiel

CAIRO – Crowds across Egypt chanted down a Muslim Brotherhood-led government  on Friday, two years after the start of an uprising that ended the 30-year  dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak.

Clashes here and elsewhere injured more than 250  people. Four deaths were reported in the city of Suez.

Tens of thousands filled Cairo’s Tahrir Square – epicenter of the 2011 revolt – to condemn Mubarak’s successor, Muhammed  Morsy.

On cement block-barricaded streets, young men heaved  rocks and Molotov cocktails at police firing tear gas and birdshot.

Egypt’s most influential novelist, Ala’a Al Aswany,  said “the Brotherhood can’t impose their constitution on us” as he joined  marchers heading to the square.

In December, Egyptians adopted a controversial  constitution written by a Brotherhood-dominated panel. Morsy endorsed it after  first claiming near-dictatorial powers as president.

His power-grab united a fractious opposition into the  National Salvation Front, led by Nobel laureate and former U.N. atomic-weapons  chief Mohamad El Baradei.

Aswany accused Morsy of “violating the independence of  the judiciary” but said he is “optimistic we will overcome all this.”

Karim Kholy, 33, a dentist, said he joined the  protests “to show the Brotherhood that we are a significant part of the  population that doesn’t share their view for the future of Egypt.”

“Morsy is not delivering, and the Muslim Brotherhood’s  religious image is just geared towards getting votes and not showing ethical  values,” he said.

Crowds chanted against Morsy and Brotherhood leader  Mohamed Badie.

“None of the revolution’s goals have been met,” said  protester Shadi Moussa, 28. “There is no justice and no freedom. The Muslim  Brotherhood is clamping down on the press.

“I would rather die for my freedoms than worry about  it,” he declared.

Opposition leader Ziad El Elimi, 32, a former  parliamentarian, said the new constitution is worse than Mubarak-era laws. “We  think the old regime is continuing under the Muslim Brotherhood,” he said.

Women and Christians are especially concerned about  the Islamic-leaning constitution, which protester Lamia Hassan said “neglects  women.”

One sign in Tahrir proclaimed: “As the prophet said,  if you rule Christians, you must treat them well.”

Radical Islamists increasingly have attacked  Christians in the past two years, burning homes or churches and forcing them to  flee some villages.

Muhammed Wahdan, 52, an education ministry worker,  held a sign echoing the growing frustration with U.S. policy that the opposition  sees as backing the Brotherhood. It read: “From Tahrir Square to the U.S. media … Obama you jerk, Muslim Brotherhood are killing Egyptians.”

“I am well aware that Obama and the American  administration are the ones who enabled the rule of the Muslim Brotherhood,” he  said. “I want to tell Obama that the Muslim Brotherhood tricked you.”

Read more at Tribune Review and see the incredible photo slide show by Justin Merriman

Betsy Hiel is the Tribune-Review’s foreign correspondent. Email her at  bhiel@tribweb.com.

“Whoever Fights Us, Fights Islam”

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236by Raymond Ibrahim

Their more radical brethren will always say, “True Muslims support Sharia: if you reject this, you are no Muslim. You are an apostate, an infidel, an enemy.”

In the ongoing conflict between those Egyptians who strongly oppose a Sharia-based constitution — moderates, secularists, non-Muslim minorities — and those who are strongly pushing for it — the “Islamists” — are currently evoking the one argument that has always, from the very beginnings of Islam, empowered Islamists over moderates in the Muslim world: that anyone who disagrees with them disagrees with Islam.

Examples are many. According to a December 1 report from El Fagr, for example, Gamal Sabr, the former campaign coordinator for the anti-freedom Salafi presidential candidate Abu Ismail, made the division clear during an Al Jazeera interview, where he said: “Whoever disagrees with him, disagrees with Islam itself;” and that many Egyptians “are fighting Islam in the picture of President Muhammad Morsi and in the picture of the Islamists.” He was clearly implying that they are one with Islam, and to fight them is to fight Islam.

The logic is simple: Sabr, as well as those millions of Egyptians who want Sharia, presumably only want what Allah wants: that Egypt should be governed under Sharia law. According to this position, any and all Muslims who disagree, who do not want to be governed by Sharia law, whatever their arguments, are showing that they are at odds with Islam itself.

Sabr is hardly the only Egyptian Muslim making use of this age-old argument. A Dostor report, which also appeared on December 1, quotes Tarek Zomar making the same point. Zomar, a former leader of the infamous Gam’a Islamiyya, was once imprisoned for his role in the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. Released with the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, he is a now a member of the Shura Council of Egypt’s Parliament. According to Zomor, whoever votes against the Sharia-based constitution that Morsi is trying to enforce, “is an infidel”— an apostate enemy of Allah to be killed for the cause of Islam.

Even Ahmed Morsi, President Muhammad Morsi’s son, accused the many demonstrators in Tahrir Square, who object to his father’s attempts to impose Sharia on them, of belonging to the “former regime”—code for secularist-minded people, who are opposed to the totality of Sharia law. Writing on his Facebook account, he asserted that “all the people in Tahrir Square are remnants of the old regime.” He added: “My father will eliminate them soon.”

Such is the difficulty encountered by moderate Muslims, past and present: How can they justify their rejection of Islamic teachings, as captured in the Quran, hadith [the supposed teachings and actions of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, as reported 200 years after his death -- as if we were now just starting to write about George Washington], as well as the words of the Islamic scholars throughout the ages, all of which constitute the “Sharia” of Islam, a word that simply means the “Way” of Islam?

Read more at Gatestone Institute

Muslim Brotherhood Steps Up Threats Against Protestors

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supporters-president-morsi-army-450x330By Michael Volpe

With pro- and anti-Mohammed Morsi protestors clashing for the second week in Cairo, Egypt, the country is on the brink of a potentially explosive situation, and President Morsi is using ever increasing authoritarian tactics, including threatening the use of military force. While President Obama and the much-vaunted international community are hypocritically silent to this power-grab, an Islamist prison state is forming in front of our very eyes.

In the last month, Morsi has managed to broker a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians, order that he rule “temporarily”  by decree, and push a Sharia-based constitution through the legislature despite serious opposition from minority parties.

For more than a week, both supporters and opponents of Morsi have gathered in Tahrir Square in response to these maneuvers. With tensions already high, violence has continued to escalate. The latest tally by the Associated Press (AP) reports that at least six people have been killed and 700 injured.

Police and military are being routinely dispatched to break up the two sides. Now, some are worried that Morsi will use the increased tensions as an excuse to use the military to put down opponents of his Muslim Brotherhood-led government.

According to an AP report, Morsi has begun to demonize his opposition as enemies of the new democracy, accusing protestors of being loyalists to the regime of Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s long-time ruler prior to Morsi. Morsi “vowed he would never tolerate anyone working for the overthrow of his ‘legitimate’ government.”

Read more at Front Page

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Egypt: Morsi Engineering a Train Wreck

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imagesCAH1KX4Wby Michael Armanious

While Egypt was unable to supply medicine to the victims of the crash at Assiut, it has sent millions of dollars worth of medicine to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. How about making sure the hospitals in Egypt have enough medicine to treat Egyptians? Morsi is not governing the country for the benefit of its citizens. He is using it as a platform to implement the objectives of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi fled the presidential palace in Cairo and returned, in the face of huge opposition to his attempt to turn his country into an Islamist state, but he is not out of the picture — not by a long shot.

Yes, some police officers have sided with the protesters, but Morsi, (who will likely lay low for a while so as to not offend his political and financial patrons in the West), still has a huge base of support in the Muslim Brotherhood, which seeks to dominate the largest Arab country in the world. The Muslim Brotherhood, which has been on the sidelines of power since its founding in the 1920s, will stop at nothing to maintain its power. Credible reports indicate the organization has sent out teams of thugs to attack their secularist opponents in Tahrir Square and in front of presidential palace.

These are the tactics of fascism; and while Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood will stop at nothing to remain in power, it is clear that they, like all fascist movements, have no interest or desire to wield power for the benefit of the people they govern, but are instead intent on using the country they dominate to create an Islamic millennial utopia, through violence if necessary.

Morsi’s indifference to the well-being of Egyptian citizens became evident in the aftermath of a train accident that took place in the Egyptian province of Assiut on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012. CNN provided details about the accident, which killed more than fifty people, mostly elementary school children: “The train dragged the bus for nearly half a mile. Children’s shoes, books and school bags were strewn across the tracks. The twisted shell of the bus was left under the train.”

One father, Hamada Noor Abdul El-Rashid, lost his four children. He stated that he was thankful that he found their bodies in one piece, unlike many other parents.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated, but it appears that the attendant responsible for lowering the gate to stop automobile traffic from crossing the tracks when trains approach was taking drugs prior to the collision. The prospect of that the attendant was under the influence of drugs threatens to obscure another scandal.

Why is it that Egypt, one of the leading countries in the Middle East, is relying on an antiquated manual system to manage its railroad crossings? It’s part of a bigger problem of unsafe railways and roads that has plagued Egypt ever since the British were tossed out in the 1950s.

Egypt’s medical system is also in shambles. The survivors of the Nov. 17 accident were rushed to nearby hospitals that lacked the medicine needed to treat them. Parents and doctors were frantically looking for medical supplies and the necessarily medications — especially the ones that stop bleeding — to help the children.

While Egypt was unable to provide medicine to the victims of the crash in Assiut, it has sent millions of dollars worth of medicine to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

On October 24 2012, when it was becoming increasingly evident that a showdown between Hamas and Israel was imminent, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi gave a major speech from Al Azhar University in Cairo, in which he promised to send tons of medical supplies to Hamas in Gaza. He said that supporting Gaza in its fight with Israel is a religious and political duty.

How about fixing the roads in Egypt? And how about making sure that the hospitals in the country have the medicine they need to treat Egyptians? Morsi may be president of Egypt, but he is not governing the country for the benefit of its citizens. He is using it as a platform to implement the objectives of the Muslim Brotherhood.

This is also evident in the content of Morsi’s public speeches. The day before the accident, he gave a speech in which he condemned Israel in angry and emotional terms for 25 minutes. The day of the accident in Assiut, Morsi spoke about the tragedy for about two minutes, in rambling and incoherent terms.

Dealing with the material needs of the Egyptian people is not high on Morsi’s agenda. A few weeks ago, his government indicated its goal of raising $100 million dollars to block pornographic websites in Egypt. However, they have done little, if anything about Egypt’s major drug problem, which apparently played a role in the tragedy in Assiut.

Morsi’s actions and public statements demonstrate that he and the Muslim Brotherhood are committed to furthering the international Islamist agenda – not Egypt’s well-being. The Brotherhood’s main objectives are to restore a caliphate, drive the kuffars [infidels] out of the Middle East and spread Islam to the rest of the world. Those who will not convert to Islam must, under shariah [Islamic religious law], accept second-class status.

Read more at Gatestone Institute

Michael Armanious, a Coptic rights activist blogs at The New Egypt. His writings have appeared in The Boston Herald, PJ Media, and The Commentator.

No Mubarak-Style Condemnation for Morsi Power Grab from Washington

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egypt demonstrationsBy Bridget Johnson

The first democratically elected leader of Egypt fled the presidential palace today as fury over his Islamist power grab boiled over in Cairo with protesters clashing with police and demanding the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood leader.

The chants of “leave, leave” and “the people want to topple the regime” heard by reporters on the ground were familiar — the same chants heard in Tahrir Square two years ago when democracy-seeking Egyptians wanted president-for-life Hosni Mubarak out.

The draft “constitution,” hastily forged by Islamists as Egypt’s other vast interest groups protested the process hijacked by the Brotherhood, was the kerosene poured on Egyptians’ anger over Morsi granting himself “temporary” power over the judiciary and all other oversight bodies.

As Mauritanian activist and blogger Nasser Weddady succinctly tweeted, “In conclusion: if you’re a copt, an atheist, an agnostic, a Baha’i, non-religious Muslim, a shi’a, a Jew or a women you’re screwed. If you’e a free thinker, an artist, a journalist, you’re screwed by #Egypt new proposed ikhwani constitution #Liberticide”

The cries from Cairo, Alexandria, and beyond are getting louder as Egyptians protest the replacement of a dictatorship with Islamist tyranny.

In Washington… crickets.

There’s been no statement by President Obama chiding the power grab. The last mention of Morsi by the White House was a week ago in the daily press briefing, where spokesman Jay Carney was asked about the Egyptian president’s moves and in response urged “inclusive dialogue between the government of Egypt and all Egyptian stakeholders.”

“The current constitutional impasse is an internal Egyptian situation that can only be resolved by the Egyptian people, through peaceful democratic dialogue,” Carney said. “And we call on all Egyptians exercising their right to freedom of expression to do so peacefully.”

National Security Adviser Tom Donilon today met with Assistant to the President of Egypt for Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Dr. Essam el-Haddad to reaffirm “the strategic relationship between the United States and Egypt,” according to the White House, and “discussed a broad range of issues, including our bilateral economic cooperation, joint efforts to promote regional security and build on the cease-fire in Gaza, and Egypt’s democratic transition and the need to move forward with a peaceful and inclusive transition that respects the rights of all Egyptians.”

When reminded of the administration’s strict stance against Mubarak back during the Arab Spring, Carney said “much has changed since Mubarak was in power.”

“We need to step back, and look at the transformation that has been incurring in Egypt since the revolution began there,” he said.

But the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee suggested that the Obama administration has blinders on because of how much it wants Morsi to succeed.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) noted late last week that the White House “seemed to go out of its way to praise the Morsi government for making the ceasefire agreement happen” in Gaza.

“According to news reports, administration officials indicated off the record that President Obama was investing heavily in Morsi and views him as someone with whom the U.S. could do business. Of course, then Morsi immediately engaged in a massive domestic power grab, claiming virtually unlimited powers,” Ros-Lehtinen said.

“What steps should the Congress take to hold the Morsi government accountable for its actions?  What further conditions should be placed on U.S. political, economic, and military support to Egypt?”

A congressional letter today demanded that Morsi step up his effort to stop arms smuggling into Gaza if he’s so concerned about keeping the peace.

“Given Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza, there’s only one way to get weapons into Gaza, and that is through Egypt,” said the bipartisan letter led by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.). “In order for the ceasefire to hold, it is imperative that your government bolster its efforts to halt all weapons smuggling taking place via both overland and underground routes.”

The senators wrote that they’re “deeply disturbed” by statements from Hamas and Iranian leaders that Tehran is restocking the terror operation in Gaza, including with long-range Fajr-5 rockets.

“In the interest of peace and security, Egypt should take immediate and decisive action to halt such smuggling,” they continued. “This is all the more important in light of the potential easing of restrictions on the movement of people and goods through Gaza border crossings as a condition of the ceasefire you helped to broker. Preventing Hamas from re-arming is just one step in helping to prevent violence from erupting again.”

Signing the letter were Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mark Udall (D-Colo.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga..), John Tester (D-Mont.) Scott Brown (R-Mass.), Dan Coats (R-Ind.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Morsi has called for a referendum on the constitution Dec. 15. Two days later, he’s rumored to be coming to Washington — something the State Department would not confirm today.

Read more at PJ Media

 

CAIR Targets Morsi/Brotherhood Critics

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pic_related_113012_RVB_BIPT News

Pro-Muslim Brotherhood forces attacked protesters of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi with rocks and clubs in Cairo Wednesday.

It’s the latest in a series of clashes since Morsi, a longtime Brotherhood official, issued a Nov. 22 decree effectively placing himself above judicial oversight. He has said he will nullify it if voters approve a Dec. 15 referendum ratifying a controversial new draft constitution rammed through an Islamist-dominated assembly early Friday.

Although the document declares a right to freedom of speech, it also includes a prohibition on “insults” to “religious prophets.” Another provision would require government authorization to operate a website.

Wednesday’s clashes targeted several hundred anti-Morsi protesters who had camped out near the presidential palace.

Demonstrators say they will do everything possible to defeat the referendum. “Our marches are against tyranny … and we won’t retract our position,” Hussein Abdel Ghany, a spokesman for the protesters, said Tuesday. Eleven newspapers shut themselves down Tuesday to protest Morsi’s “dictatorship,” and banks said they would close three hours early in solidarity with the protesters.

The New York Times reported that Morsi’s Freedom and Justice Party warned three former presidential candidates, among them Amr Moussa and Mohammed ElBaradei, that they would be held accountable for any violence that occurred.

Egyptian riot police fired tear gas at demonstrators near the presidential palace in Cairo on Tuesday. Officials in Morsi’s office said the Islamist leader fled the palace as protesters broke through police lines.

While Egyptians take to the streets to oppose what they claim is a nascent tyranny, Morsi and his Islamist government can count on support from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). For example, CAIR-Los Angeles boss Hussam Ayloush praised Morsi for assuming more power in order to prevent “corrupt judges” from the “undermining and undoing of every democratic step.”

In a Facebook post, Ayloush blamed Egypt’s internal strife on the secular opposition: “Much of the Egyptian opposition seem to be more interested in opposing Morsi and the MB than actually helping Egypt become a stable and institutional democracy,”

CAIR-New York’s Cyrus McGoldrick disparaged criticism of Morsi as “a last stand by old pro-West/Mubarak/Israel crowd to keep power in judiciary.”

CAIR-San Francisco chief Zahra Billoo dismissed American concerns that the Islamist-backed draft constitution wouldn’t protect human rights. “Why do we care about what the Egyptian Constitution says about indefinite detention, when it is being practiced by the U.S. government?” she wrote in a Twitter post Monday.

Several oceans away in Tahrir Square, Egyptian women see things very differently. They charge that the Brotherhood is “paying gangs to go out and rape women and beat men” protesting Morsi’s policies.

Female protesters in Tahrir Square provided harrowing accounts of sexual assaults they say were carried out by thugs on the Islamist group’s payroll.

Read more