War on Women, Egyptian Style

Here’s another story that the media has been ignoring.

It’s coming out of the new Egypt, the one where Obama’s man in Cairo is currently establishing an Islamist despotism.

When young Egyptians rose up to revolt against the dictator Mubarak the media thrilled to the new Arab Spring. It was seeing its beliefs confirmed: the Obama administration had corrected Bush administration belligerence and was implementing a policy of outreach to the Muslim world. President Obama had announced it himself in Cairo in 2009.

The media cheered. It cheered some more when good news starting coming out of the Middle East and North Africa.

When Egyptian youth flooded Tahrir Square in early 2011, Obama had their back. He called Mubarak and told him to give up power. He announced that he wanted Mubarak to go.

Obama’s handling of the crisis stood in stark contrast to his handling of the democratic rebellion in Iran in 2009. There, he sat on his hands and let the mullahs suppress the demonstrations.

Given his special affinity for Islamists, Obama has been making nice with Mohamed Morsi. He is sending foreign aid. He is forgiving loans. He sent Hillary Clinton to bless the new administration. He enhanced Morsi’s prestige by making him a peacemaker between Israel and Hamas.

As it happened, sexual abuse of women was on the rise, but no one really cared. I reported the story in September.

Now, the young people of Egypt are again rallying in Tahrir Square, this time against an Islamist tyranny imposed by Mohamed Morsi.

We are seeing that the Muslim Brotherhood has its own way of dealing with public demonstrations and protests.

It hires goons to go out and sexually abuse female demonstrators. It hires thugs to beat up male protesters.

The London Daily Mail has the story. The American media has been strangely silent about the mistreatment and outright brutalization of Egyptian women. So far not a word from Tom Friedman or Nick Kristof, both of whom camped out in Tahrir last year to help usher in the Egyptian Arab Spring.

The Daily Mail reports on what has been happening:

Egypt's ruling party is paying gangs of thugs to sexually assault women protesting in Cairo's Tahrir Square against President Mohamed Morsi, activists said.

They also said the Muslim Brotherhood is paying gangs to beat up men who are taking part in the latest round of protests, which followed a decree by President Morsi to give himself sweeping new powers.

And also:

One protestor, Yasmine, told the newspaper how she had been in the square filming the demonstrations for a few hours when the crowd suddenly turned.

Before she knew what was happening, about 50 men had surrounded her and began grabbing her breasts. She said they ripped off her clothes, starting with her headscarf and for nearly an hour, indecently assaulted her with their hands.

A few men tried to help her but they were beaten away. Eventually some residents who had seen the attack from their windows came to her aid and an elderly couple pulled her into their home. She suffered internal injuries and was unable to walk for a week.

Four of Yasmine's friends were also sexually assaulted in the square that day, in the summer.

Everyone knows that Egyptian women suffer constant sexual harassment and sexual abuse. A large majority of Egyptian girls suffer genital mutilation. The practice is condoned and even facilitated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

When Hillary Clinton traveled to Cairo to give the administration blessing to the newly-elected Mohamed Morsi, did she know the way Egyptian men treat women?

She had to know.

Did she care?

Apparently not.

Does Barack Obama, great defender of Sandra Fluke’s right to free birth control, know about the way the Muslim Brotherhood treats women in Egypt?

He must.

Does he care?

Apparently not.

Have American feminists been raising their voices to defend the dignity of Egyptian women?

Not so much.

The new American policy toward Egypt must be: Hear no evil; see no evil; speak no evil.

The media is on board with the policy, and will be until Republicans retake control of the White House.