I have said here several times that I am an “eye for an eye” kind of girl. If someone does something horrible to you that affects your health and livelihood, that person should be punished by having to endure the same horrible act. It’s so easy for some to dish it out, but they are left begging for their life and forgiveness when they are faced with same horrific act administered upon themselves by others.

I think of the Arab women who are thrown in sacks and tossed into a pool of piranha, or dipped head first in a vat of boiling oil, and left to die a slow painful death. While the men stand by and laugh and threaten other women with the same, should they disrespect their family, etc. My first thought is, “These kind of men deserve this exact treatment and more so.”

People have agreed with me and people have said that I am barbaric. The ones that have called me barbaric are men. No surprise that it is the men in this world that are the majority of the perpetrators, murderers, serial killers, etc., and yet they are the ones calling me barbaric, for saying that it is okay to perform a brutal act in retribution for the same brutal act that was initially administered to innocent victims.

The story today is about a man who threw a bucket of acid over a girl’s head because she rejected his marriage proposal. If you ask me I say, “Do the same thing to him.” Evidently, it is allowed under Sharia law if the victim requests it. The victim did. However there are those that oppose and his punishment was postponed.

Here’s the write:

Fury at Iran’s ‘eye-for-an-eye’ acid punishment as sentence is branded ‘cruel and inhumane’

A punishment in which an Iranian man was to be blinded by having acid dropped into his eyes has been postponed after international condemnation.

Majid Movahedi was convicted and sentenced for pouring a bucket of acid over Ameneh Bahrami after she rejected his marriage proposals.

The attack left her blind and severely disfigured.

The court-ordered retribution was due to have been carried out yesterday in Tehran.

Irene: That’s an excellent question to ask. I think the majority of this planet would be happy for aliens to take over even if that meant a percentage of humans would go to feeding the aliens. Hey, they’re dining on us anyway. The ones screaming would be the men because they would no longer be in control of their toys, and they would have a predator themselves to fear for once.  The women would be happy to be free from the abuse, and hey perhaps the chance of some alien dick might put a smile on their faces too. :)

I’d love to say more but I’m already posting late. Done. Your turn.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Yesterday the kissing couple put a smile on my face. At first glance the image seemed contrived. But when the story was revealed, it was nothing close to that.

Today, Cooney, this sweet beagle below, also makes me smile. At first glance you might smile too. However the revealing story is nothing but bittersweet.

Cooney, the little love, is no longer with us do to the hands of her owner who brutally tortured and killed her. But fortunately she did not die in vain. As horrible as life can be, sometimes there is something good that arises from the evil that is inflicted.

Cooney’s story is not unlike the many stories of animal abuse. But this time, enough was enough. Nevada joined the majority of states where animal cruelty is classified as a felony.

Here’s the write:

Victory! Nevada Passes Felony Animal Cruelty Bill into Law

Animal advocates across Nevada could be heard cheering last Friday night. They were celebrating the signing of Senate Bill 223 (pdf), also known as Cooney’s Law, by Governor Sandoval.

Since its introduction in March, SB 223 has been backed by organizations including Nevada Voters for Animals, SPCA of Northern Nevada and Shade Tree. The new law will make certain acts of animal cruelty a felony, an upgrade from a misdemeanor offense.

Cooney was a beagle mix who was brutally tortured and killed by her owner, Raymond Rios. He brought her body to the SPCA of Northern Nevada, the shelter he adopted her from, and told shelter manager Holly Natwora what he had done. Holly immediately called animal control to report the crime. When police found Rios, once again, he confessed his crime and showed the officers Cooney’s body.

But since the act was a misdemeanor offense and the police did not witness the crime, they let Rios drive away.

That was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. SB 223 was introduced to bring Nevada into the majority of states where animal cruelty is classified as a felony. Under the new law, Cooney’s death would be a felony crime for the unjustifiable death of a dog.

Having Cooney’s face and story prominent in support of SB 223 helped legislators realize that animal cruelty is something to pay attention to. “We cannot put our heads in the sand or pretend that people don’t do horrific things, sometimes to the people they love,” Holly told me. “By putting a face on this violence, we can begin to have empathy which leads to compassion and then to love.”

Many of the staff at SCPA of Northern Nevada remember Cooney from her time at the shelter and were devastated by the news of her death. The healing process is still evident, even as the shelter begins a new chapter with the grand opening of their new and expanded building this past weekend.

“At the time I couldn’t understand why such a horrible thing had to happen to such a sweet and loving dog, but now I know that Cooney had a bigger purpose to serve and I believe her life was not lost in vain but for the betterment of all animals in Nevada,” Holly said.

The law may not be enough in and of itself to prevent animal cruelty. Cases like this one are excellent examples of the link between animal abuse and domestic violence. No one knew Rios’ violent past toward both humans and animals. To protect both animals and people, animal cruelty needs to be taken seriously, not only with strong laws but with strong sentencing for animal abusers.

Photo of Cooney provided by SPCA of Northern Nevada

*********

Readers: If the world gave one tenth of the love that Beloved Lucy gives me every morning, oh how changed the world would be.

Inas: When I read a comments such as the one you posted, I am reminded how screwed up our country really is. And how stupid the ones in power think we and others are. I am not surprised by your post, and yet why should I be? This type of behavior is “normal”*. And yes, the arab men are no doubt correct.

Najat: I was relieved to hear that you were safe and enjoyed yourself, and yet I was not surprised by the comments from Inas that the Saudi went behind closed doors and made threats, not to mention America’s involvement.

I think about arab women quite a lot especially when I am walking Lucy and I run across a muslim woman wearing a hijab, and the weather is particularly hot. And I realize that if she is uncomfortable here just in a hijab I can only imagine how you girls must feel in your own country, forced to dress head to toe in black in blistering heat. It is abusive.

The picture you posted I saw that other day when I was perusing the net preparing for my write. I remember the first time I saw a woman dressed like that. Twenty years ago, I was leaving India headed to Nepal when we missed our plane and got laid over in Oman. I was fascinated by a woman that I saw, all in black, with only her mysterious, dramatic eyes peaking from beneath.

I knew nothing of the culture…the oppression and abuse of their women. I smiled when she caught a glimpse of me looking. My ignorance and love for the unique left me glamorizing her as this mysterious exotic beauty. Oh what little did I truly know of her and other arab women. As Ahd, said “Life is hell. If it were not for technology, this wonderful venue to gain knowledge, I, as well as many others might still be ignorant of the plight of arab women.

Yes, it is shameful that men from other countries look the other way. I know if they did pay attention…if they truly cared about women…if they took a stance and refused to do business with arab countries unless they treated their women better, arab men would change. I believe, in an instant.

If we can’t inspire arab men to care more for women than they care for money, we have to force them. And if forcing them means to take away the money to get them to change, then that’s what we need to do.

It seems so simple. We women have more voting power in America, but we don’t use that voting power and support women in becoming leaders, becoming the power of our country. We need to, not only to support women in America, but so that we can be the ones to demand that arab men treat their women better or we will refuse to do business with them. Because as it now stands, the men in power are obviously not going to.

Ahd, Areebah, Alhena: Your stories are so hard to read, one can only imagine the lives you lead, and the fear you must feel daily. I don’t know what to say. HOPEing for a solution to arise is not enough. We must be the solution. And I don’t mean you specifically. I mean women in general. Especially American women.

Girls: The stories posted by Ahd, Areebah and Alhena are more common than we know. When are all women going to learn that we can’t count on the men in this country to care more about us than they do each other and money? It is up to us.

*This world is run by male arrogance and selfishness.  I am used to it, but I am not numbed by it, where it becomes “normal” even though it is “normal” behavior by men…it is not acceptable and never will be.  To get used to it means, we “normalize” it and that is never going to happen with me – that means we as women are giving up and giving in to it. That will never be. I am just sick of it. It is so prevalent in so many ways from obvious abuse to little hits of dialogue…the nuance that can slip by in a sentence or two if one is not conscious of it being there. We need to be and stay conscious of it and not be numbed by this “normal” behavior.

Like I said, it is up to us women to ban together and make the changes for each other,  because it is highly doubtful that men ever will for us.

Peace out.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

Well the women in Saudi took to the road yesterday, and defied the rules banning women from driving…the only country that has such a ridiculous rule.

Women2Drive is a Facebook page that is in support of the Saudi Women. I gave it my thumbs up in support. Those that oppose had their own FaceBook too, only they weren’t exactly just stating that women shouldn’t drive, which is absurd to begin with. No, they were promoting violence…calling on people to beat up anyone woman they see driving. Can you imagine…a call to beat up women just because they are getting behind the wheel?(!)

So…Girls: How did it go? From what I have read, pretty smoothly. A few of you were followed by police but there were no arrests. If you can blog me, I’d love to hear about your experiences. I HOPE that this will inspire more women to drive and the ban will end. You know that you have my support.

Saudi women defy ban to take driver’s seat

A number of Saudi women have defied a ban on driving by getting behind the wheel in the conservative kingdom.

Friday’s show of defiance came in response to calls on social networking sites to defy the ban that prohibits women from driving in the kingdom.

“We’ve just returned from the supermarket. My wife decided to start the day by driving to the store and back,” said columnist Tawfiq Alsaif on his Twitter page on Friday.

“I took King Fahd Road [Riyadh artery] and then Olaya Street, along with my husband, I decided that the car for today is mine,” local resident Maha al-Qahtani tweeted.

She also told the AFP news agency that driving is “a right for women that no law or religion bans … I went out to get my right, so that it would be up to me to drive or not”.

Her husband Mohammed al-Qahtani tweeted that she carried her necessary belongings “ready to go to prison without fear”.

The en masse action was the first since November 1990, when a group of 47 Saudi women stunned men by driving around Riyadh in 15 cars before being arrested.

‘Mutiny against male-only rules’

Activists had not appealed for mass protests in any specific sites, but had urged Saudi women to begin a mutiny against the male-only driving rules.

Women who had driving licences obtained abroad were urged to run their errands themselves without relying on male drivers.

She had posted internet clips of herself driving in 2008.”We want women from today to begin exercising their rights,” Wajeha al-Huwaidar, a Saudi women’s rights activist, said.

“Today on the roads is just the opening in a long campaign,” she said. “We will not go back.”

Friday is the climax of a two-month online campaign riding the winds of the so-called Arab spring, which has spread mass revolts across the region and toppled two regimes.

The main Facebook page campaign, dubbed Women2Drive, says the action will keep going “until a royal decree allowing women to drive is issued”.

Women in Saudi Arabia face an array of constraints, ranging from having to cover from head to toe in public and needing authorisation from a male guardian to travel, to having restricted access to jobs due to strict rules of segregation.

The driving campaign follows the 10-day detention last month of 32-year-old Manal al-Sherif, after she posted video of herself driving.

She was released after reportedly signing a pledge that she would not drive again or speak publicly.

Her case, however, sparked an outcry from international rights groups and brought direct appeals to Saudi’s rulers to lift the driving ban on women – the only such countrywide rule in the world.

Earlier this week, a group of women drove around the Saudi embassy in Washington to protest the kingdom’s ban on female drivers. Similar convoys converged on Saudi diplomatic missions in other cities around the world.

Difficult choices

Calls for an ongoing road rebellion could push Western-backed Saudi authorities into difficult choices: either launching a crackdown and facing international pressure or giving way to the demands and angering traditional-minded clerics and other groups opposing reforms.

The men-only driving system is supported by clerics backing austere interpretations of Islam and enforced by powerful morality squads.

The last en masse protest against the ban on female drivers was held in November 1990 when a group of women stunned Saudi men by driving around Riyadh in 15 cars before being arrested.

There is no written Saudi law barring women from driving - only fatwas, or religious edicts, by senior clerics following a strict brand of Islam known as Wahhabism.

They claim the driving ban protects against the spread of vice and temptation because women drivers would be free to leave home alone and interact with male strangers. The prohibition forces families to hire live-in drivers or rely on male relatives to drive.

Saudi King Abdullah has promised some social reforms, but he depends on the clerics to support his ruling family and is unlikely to take steps that would bring backlash from the religious establishment.

*************

Howie: You’re welcome. Yes, pure food and water should be a given. It used to be before greed started growing, and the love of money grew stronger than the love of people.

Carol: Because the words, “responsibility” and “accountability”, aren’t in their vocabulary, nor do they care to learn them.

Doug: Great video. A must watch. We stated off with perfect pure food. The gods created earth perfectly. We are fucking it up badly.

Readers: It’s Friday…you know what to do. Blog me.

Peace & Love & Pure Food: “Live it, Give it, Eat it”

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

I know it’s not Saturday but I just couldn’t help starting off the week on a positive note, with another wonderful woman of the world. (Thanks Doug!)

This news is a few weeks old, but new to me. Perhaps you too.

Geena Davis Expects Public Media to Set the Bar High

Oscar-winning Actor Geena Davis helped launch ITVS’ Women and Girls Lead campaign at last week’s PBS Annual meeting in Orlando, FL. During the conference, Davis sat down with PBS NewsHour President Simon Marks to discuss her own work on gender discrimination in media, as well as ITVS’ multi-year initiative, aimed at supporting women and girl’s leadership through independent films.

Watch the full episode. See more PBS NewsHour.

**********

Okay, the video shows up in my admin but for some reason won’t show up live. (deep sigh). Please click on the title and you will be able to watch the video from the original site posted by “Beyond the Box”. Thanks.

Mark: I did a quick google and didn’t find any but I don’t doubt your word.  My question to you, is although you are embarrassed by the length that your race will go, to slander our president, will you do anything about it besides refuse to take the job? There will be others that will jump at the opportunity.There is no end in sight to racism.

If you feel so strongly against as it seems you do, and you are embarrassed (so many others have written here feeling the same way), what will you do to combat it? I ask this not of just you but of all of my readers who feel as you do. We can’t “Just notice” and keep bitching – something has to be done too.

Lenny: You probably got that right. When will women start supporting women, like men support men? I HOPE you had some words with your sister.

Zen Lill: I had every intention of calling you yesterday but my day took a different path than I had expected. I ended my day with a walk in the park which I then also intended to call you, but I took a moment of relaxation, and fell asleep in my car with Lucy for a brief respite. When I woke, I just wanted to continue the quiet…so I did. We’ll connect at some point.

Howie: Interesting read.

Anonymous: Well spoken and unfortunately true.

Readers: I have more to say but will reserve it for another day….the forum is now open. Thoughts? Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good  morning.

This happened last week, but no matter – the subject is still very worthy of posting this morning.

Sick…what men will do…

Egyptian Female Protesters Forced To Take ‘Virginity Tests’: Report

CAIRO (AP) — Activists and bloggers are pressing Egypt’s military rulers to investigate accusations of serious abuses against protesters, including claims that soldiers subjected female detainees to so-called “virginity tests.” (Scroll down for video)

Bloggers say they will hold a day of online protest Wednesday to voice their outrage, adding to criticism of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took control of the country from ousted President Hosni Mubarak in February.

The accusations of virginity tests first surfaced after a March 9 rally in Cairo’s Tahrir Square that turned violent when men in plain clothes attacked protesters and the army intervened forcefully to clear the square.

One woman who was arrested spoke out about her treatment, and Amnesty International further documented the abuse allegations in a report that found 18 female detainees were threatened with prostitution charges and forced to undergo virginity tests. They were also beaten up and given electric shocks, the report said.

Egypt’s military rulers have come under heavy criticism from the youth protest movement, which is upset at the pace of reforms that they hope will lead Egypt to democracy.

Since Mubarak’s fall on Feb. 11, the military has led crackdowns on peaceful protests, and critics accuse it of failing to restore security in the streets or launch serious national dialogue on a clear path forward for Egypt.

The military council denied soldiers attacked protesters at the March 9 rally. But one general used a press conference to make negative remarks about women who mingle with men during the sit-ins and suggested lewd acts were taking place in protest camps.

There were girls with young men in one tent. Is this rational? There were drugs; pay attention!” Gen. Ismail Etman, spokesman of the council, said at the end of March.

He confirmed then that the military police arrested 17 female protesters among 170 others at the March 9 rally. He said the women were among a group of protesters given one-year suspended prison sentences.

“We secure the people. We don’t use the violence,” he said.

One of the women arrested, Salwa al-Husseini, gave a detailed account at a press conference in March of her treatment and said she was made to undergo a virginity test.

She said she was slapped in the face and electrocuted in her legs in Tahrir Square before being taken to a military prison.

“When we went to the military prison, me and the girls, we were placed in a room with two doors and a window. The two doors were wide open,” she said in March. “The girl takes off all her clothes to be searched while there were cameras outside filming to fabricate prostitution charges against us later on,” she added.

“The girl who says she is single, she undergoes a test by someone; we don’t know if he is a soldier or some kid on their behalf,” she said.

Amnesty said in its report that one of the women told her jailers she was a virgin but was beaten and given electric shocks when the test supposedly proved otherwise.

“Forcing women to have ‘virginity tests’ is utterly unacceptable,” the Amnesty report said. “Its purpose is to degrade women because they are women.”

The military council has promised to return the country to civilian rule after elections later this year, but some Egyptians fear the council is adopting the same autocratic ways that characterized Mubarak’s rule. They point to what they say are attempts by the council to make any criticism of the military an untouchable taboo.

On Tuesday, the military prosecutor questioned a prominent blogger along with four other media people over their criticism of the performance of the council and military police.

The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information, in a statement issued Tuesday, accused the council of trying to silence critics and create “an atmosphere of fear.”

It warned, “The military council is committing a grave mistake if it continues to shut the mouths of those criticizing it. The council is not made up of angels.”

The group also referred to virginity tests, saying that the military council is aware that “those belonging to it have practiced torture against the youth of the revolution and has subjected women to virginity tests.”

**********

Readers: You know what to do – Blog me.

Maria: Essentially but not exactly.

Howie: You’re welcome.

Ellie: I think you called that one right.

Maleda: You’re welcome. I wish that I could offer more assistance. May you and yours be safe.

PrP: Thank you for apologizing. Your apology is accepted.

Zen Lill: Yes, I did receive your VM. Thanks for the call. I was busier than I thought I would be this past weekend. This week is pretty much the same. We’ll try again.

Kiania: Your news is sad and frustrating. Sad because the world is this way and frustrating because people such as Obama who are trying to do good and make changes for the betterment of all, is so challenged by those who oppose.

The answers to your questions are simply complicated. In my opinion the hypocrisy is known, and has been verbalized here many times, but not nearly enough. They are words that need to be spoken…need to be written continually…in our face, until people do something. I wish you and yours well.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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