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rbrthwrd
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Quote :
"Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are the countries that come to mind when I think of the great humanitarian governments that truly care about people."

in a grand twist of irony, China is often one of the first nations to offer aid and supplies after disasters and in times of need. they had cargo planes on the ground in haiti before anyone else, for example.

3/22/2011 8:13:01 PM

Lumex
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A woman in Tripoli was dragged off by a mob and thrown into a car during her interview with foreign journalists.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/26/134886461/libyan-woman-dragged-off-while-telling-rape-story?ft=1&f=1001

3/26/2011 11:58:57 PM

0EPII1
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lots of pics and video

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1370288/Libya-war-Iman-al-Obeidi-arrested-telling-world-Gaddafi-troops-gang-rape.html

3/27/2011 5:53:03 PM

The E Man
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We just bombed the rebels. This is where shit hits the fan.

4/2/2011 11:52:48 AM

smc
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Whoopsie daisy.

4/2/2011 12:53:17 PM

lazarus
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Quote :
"News services reported other rebels grieving for their dead. A rebel spokesman said he could not confirm that the dead were rebels, but he called for continued airstrikes.

“You have to look at the big picture,” the spokesman, Mustafa Gheriani, told Reuters. “Mistakes will happen. We are trying to get rid of Qaddafi, and there will be casualties, although of course it does not make us happy.” "


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/world/africa/03libya.html?src=twrhp

4/2/2011 12:54:48 PM

RedGuard
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Thought you might find this interesting: the view of the Libyan activities from mainland China. It is anecdotal and non-scientific, but it's an interesting look from the viewpoint of members of the urban intellectuals. Note that the source, Aviation Week, is a major aerospace and defense trade magazine.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7&plckPostId=Blog%3a27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post%3af248f484-191c-46bc-82ba-4576c8d284dc&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest

Quote :
"I do not know of any scientific survey of Chinese opinion on NATO's support for the Libyan rebels, but readers might be interested in the unscientifically collected opinions of my friends here in Beijing.

They all hold the same view and it is quite a simple one: the United States is attacking Libya; European countries are helping.

"It reminds me of the foreign intervention in the Boxer Rebellion" of 1900, says one friend, unaware that this time the foreigners are helping rebels.

My friends, all reasonably well-educated but with varying degrees of interest in foreign affairs, are quite unaware that the recent events in Tunisia and Egypt were democratic revolutions, or at least attempts at democratic revolution. They do not know much about Gaddafi. They do know that he is the president of Libya.

I have heard the opinions of about six of my friends on this.

One says: "I think it [the Libyan fighting] will turn out alright. I have seen a news report that says the United States will fail."

I have previously written on Ares on the attitudes of Chinese to foreign affairs and Chinese foreign policy. It is much more nationalist and anti-Western than most Westerners imagine.

On the other hand, we should not not take my experience too seriously. The opinions of a handful of people hardly represent a country. "

4/8/2011 4:32:38 PM

0EPII1
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Ooooh look at us, we are so liberal, women can wear bikinis on public beaches, we have nightclubs and bars, blah blah blah....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13043270

UAE arrests democracy activists

What exactly did they do? Did they protest in the streets?

Quote :
"The authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have arrested three political activists who called for democratic and economic reforms.

They include outspoken economics professor Nasser bin Ghaith, said a lawyer and fellow activist on Sunday.

Also detained were Fahad Salem al-Shehhi and Ahmed Mansour, who took part in an online pro-democracy forum.

Mr Mansour was arrested on Friday in Dubai after he signed a petition in favour of an elected parliament.

Emirati intellectuals and activists, inspired by popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world, petitioned the UAE president on 9 March to introduce direct elections and invest parliament with legislative powers."


Arrested for signing petitions and taking part in online pro-democracy forums!!!

4/11/2011 9:27:20 PM

qntmfred
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so things appear to be heating up in responding to Syria

did the US or UN ever respond to the Bahrain violence??

4/25/2011 2:03:09 PM

GrumpyGOP
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We won't do anything about Bahrain because of our political connections to them and the Saudis propping them up. We keep a fleet based in Bahrain, remember.

On the flipside we won't do anything about Syria, because then maybe Iran decides to get involved. That would be bad enough. Israel might then see an opportunity to say, "Fuck it, we're going after Iran, too," and things get even worse.

4/25/2011 2:57:59 PM

qntmfred
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Did any other countries respond to Bahrain and/or criticize the US for not responding?

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 3:00 PM. Reason : .]

4/25/2011 3:00:02 PM

Prawn Star
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^^ we are already pushing for sanctions against Syria.

Bahrain is Saudi Arabia's most important ally in the region. The US won't comment publicly on them for fear of angering the Saudi royal family.

Syria, on the other hand, is Iran's most important ally. We'll be sure to blow the Syrian crackdown out of proportion, and do everything we can to subvert Assad's government.

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 3:03 PM. Reason : 2]

4/25/2011 3:01:29 PM

GrumpyGOP
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I'm aware of the sanctions push, and I stand by my statement -- we won't do anything. At least if by "anything" you mean "anything remotely useful."

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 3:05 PM. Reason : of course we can sanction. Syria didn't start a war when we sanctioned Iran, did it?]

4/25/2011 3:05:25 PM

Prawn Star
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Starting a war would be highly counter-productive for both sides. No, we will not be launching a Libya-style campaign. It would only rally the people in support of the ruling establishment. We will, however, work actively to destabilize them. We will put them on blast and push for UN involvement.

Make no mistake; we want the Syrian government to fall. Doing so would severely weaken Iran's influence.

[Edited on April 25, 2011 at 3:13 PM. Reason : 2]

4/25/2011 3:11:40 PM

GrumpyGOP
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I've no doubt we want them gone, but our options are extremely limited. What do you envision UN involvement as entailing?

4/25/2011 4:56:53 PM

ThePeter
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Muslim brotherhood has orchestrated tens of thousands of protestors to take to the streets today in Syria. Reports coming in of protestors killing and capturing soldiers in Daraa

4/29/2011 12:51:46 PM

The E Man
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Saif and 3 of Gadhafi's grandchildren killed in a NATO terrorist attack.

4/30/2011 7:03:12 PM

Pupils DiL8t
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http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-why-no-outcry-over-these-torturing-tyrants-2283907.html

Quote :
"... silence from the Arabs who know where their bread is buttered. That means, of course, also silence from al-Jazeera. I often appear on their otherwise excellent Arabic and English editions, but their failure to mention Bahrain is shameful, a dollop of shit in the dignity that they have brought to reporting in the Middle East..."

5/16/2011 3:37:45 PM

0EPII1
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terrible, just terrible

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13502715

6/5/2011 6:31:37 PM

The E Man
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What could make the opposition sound worse than systematic rape? Of course rape tactics go a long way in helping a regime stay in power.

6/5/2011 10:53:18 PM

The E Man
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NATO has increased its illegal airstrikes on tripoli today.

6/7/2011 12:23:52 PM

d357r0y3r
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Is anyone surprised that "true Democracy" failed to spring up any of these places? A couple months ago, the Egyptians were cheering over successful revolution. They failed to realize that they stopped too soon; they had not achieved Democracy, only regime change, and the regime was turned over to a military dictator.

6/7/2011 12:44:45 PM

The E Man
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http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/08/libya.rebels.oil/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
Thats all this was ever about.
1. Pay some thugs to want to take over
2. Stage protests and crackdown
3. Come to humanitarian assistance of protesters
4. buy oil from thugs
5. everyone profits

[Edited on June 9, 2011 at 1:54 AM. Reason : if it was about murder we'd be in syria ten times quicker]

6/9/2011 1:53:29 AM

lazarus
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Well, at least you can count to five. I'll give you that.

6/9/2011 9:57:48 AM

The E Man
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Said thugs are actually lead by a former Gitmo detainee we picked up in Afghanistan. Funny how these guys are terrorists in one nation but you literally pick them up and move them to another country or simply fast forward the clock a decade or two and all of a sudden we are fighting for their "freedom".

6/9/2011 11:39:30 AM

disco_stu
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I guess the world is an easier place to grasp when everything is black and white, but it ain't.

Also, it sounds like you're complaining that we didn't execute him or imprison him indefinitely or something.

6/9/2011 1:08:33 PM

lazarus
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Quote :
"1. Pay some thugs to want to take over
2. Stage protests and crackdown
3. Come to humanitarian assistance of protesters
4. buy oil from thugs
5. everyone profits"


So, Western countries "staged" protests, knowing that they would be brutally repressed, all so that they could come in and rescue the protesters who would, in turn, give them access to oil, thereby returning the relationship between the West and Libya's oil to approximately the same state that had existed prior to this ingenious plot being hatched. Neat theory. Anything to back it up?

6/10/2011 10:02:00 AM

The E Man
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I can show you a lot of evidence along with matching claims from the Libyan government about private mercenaries doing the killing of protesters, gitmo detainees being involved in the leadership of the rebels.

If this isn't what happened, then why are we there? Why has there been an intervention? I'd LOVE to hear you theory on that.

6/10/2011 1:33:27 PM

lazarus
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We are there because the UN Security Council mandated that Qaddafi's assault on Libyan cities be reversed. And so there we are, reversing it.

I realize this theory contains a dearth of Jewish lobbyists and oil executives, but there it is nonetheless.

Quote :
"I can show you a lot of evidence along with matching claims from the Libyan government about private mercenaries doing the killing of protesters, gitmo detainees being involved in the leadership of the rebels."


That's not what I asked you to prove. I asked you to prove your little theory. You realize the mercenaries are working for Qaddafi, right?

[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 3:36 PM. Reason : ]

6/10/2011 3:33:46 PM

The E Man
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I don't realize it because qaddafi regime has denied it and claims to have been fighting against it. There are three groups in Libya. Protesters, rebels and regime.

6/10/2011 4:13:49 PM

The E Man
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You think the UN isn't useless? You don't think its affected by lobbyists and national interests of the big players? Why aren't we in Syria? Why no UN resolution on Syria?

6/10/2011 10:32:20 PM

lazarus
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k

6/11/2011 9:53:25 AM

SkiSalomon
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Quote :
"Why aren't we in Syria?"


One word: Iran

6/11/2011 11:14:32 AM

0EPII1
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innocent vicilians, including women and children, killed in NATO strike.

NATO says the [residential looking] building was a command center. the big dude's (Qaddafi loyalist military man) family was living there, including his wife and kids. building is so destroyed that it is impossible to tell if it was being used as a command center or not.

NATO's mandate was to protect civilians. so they are going to kill some civilians to protect others?

NATO will be there for years, it is obvious now. Qaddafi is no Mubarak. he is sticking to his guns and has made the whole country a war zone, as he promised.

in the end, as usual, as can be seen in iraq and afganistan as well:

winners: dictator + western leaders + arms companies
losers: civilians + infrastructure

6/20/2011 5:45:53 PM

d357r0y3r
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When America/NATO is "bringing you freedom," you begin to think that maybe investing in an underground bunker was a good idea.

6/20/2011 6:02:13 PM

mrfrog

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bump for Libya

8/21/2011 10:07:10 PM

Socks``
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Looks like the coming conclusion of Libya's civil war is already leading to lower crude oil prices.

Quote :
"Brent oil fell in London, narrowing its record premium to the main U.S. grade, on speculation that an end to Muammar Qaddafi’s rule in Libya will lead to a recovery in the nation’s crude production. "

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-22/brent-oil-falls-as-libyan-rebels-enter-tripoli-premium-to-wti-shrinks.html

8/22/2011 1:38:05 PM

Shrike
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Compiled by someone in another forum, but this is almost as good as McCain saying he would never go into Pakistan without permission:

Quote :
"Ron Paul: Leave Libya Alone!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-qm9U3X3EU


Rudy Giuliani calls Libya "worst handled" military action he's seen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvVN42HfaYw


Herman Cain on Libya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIp9VK20YoE


Michele Bachmann: Against Obama's Effort In Libya
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYkWsixw0-I


Newt Gingrich Says Libya Is an "Opportunistic Act By a Group of Amateurs"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmjTgJ-MmLE


John Huntsman: Libya a mistake:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pc-B-N5UidI


Rick Santorum on the situation in Lybia
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaqPahWAz4I



Palin slams Obama's Libya speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTLXWazWLBM


What a President Donald Trump would do on Libya and France leading the way
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUTQLMrQUA4"


Now let the backpedaling begin!

[Edited on August 22, 2011 at 7:03 PM. Reason : :]

8/22/2011 6:58:43 PM

Shrike
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double post

[Edited on August 22, 2011 at 7:00 PM. Reason : .]

8/22/2011 6:58:43 PM

The E Man
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^^I fail to see what you (or the idiot on some other board) are trying to say. That the people against this operation were wrong since 20 year olds are running the capital city with guns?

8/22/2011 7:27:33 PM

qntmfred
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/08/us-yemen-saleh-idUSTRE7970W420111008

Quote :
"Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Saturday he would leave power in the coming days, the closest the veteran leader has come to announcing he plans to step down after nine months of mass protests against his 33 year rule.

"I reject power and I will continue to reject it, and I will be leaving power in the coming days," Saleh said in a speech on state television.

Saleh has been clinging to his position while opposition and ruling party representatives cast about for a formula to see through a transition-of-power deal.

"I call on my supporters to persevere and to confront any challenge," Saleh said.

Protests against Saleh's rule have paralyzed Yemen, weakening government control over swathes of the country and fanning fears al Qaeda's regional wing may use the upheaval to expand its foothold near shipping routes through the Red Sea.

Saleh has thrice backed out of signing a Gulf-mediated power transition deal. The opposition says the government is holding up negotiations after Saleh's return from Saudi Arabia, where he had gone for treatment after a June assassination attempt"

10/8/2011 11:53:18 AM

0EPII1
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^ good, the asshole should be tried in court.

did you guys see the news yesterday? i would suggest looking for youtube clips... there were APCs literally running people (christians) over on the streets of cairo. it was scary and surreal to see that on the tv screen.

first of all extremist (i.e., somewhat mainstream) muslims burned down a church. then when the christians protested on the streets, they were shot at and run over by APCs... terrible.

2 dozen are dead.

as i said here:

message_topic.aspx?topic=610620&page=2#14959699

sad to say, but a disproportionate number of arabs act like barbarians, regardless of education and socioeconomic status.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15242413
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15238269


[Edited on October 11, 2011 at 8:44 AM. Reason : ]

10/11/2011 8:42:59 AM

0EPII1
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Tunisia's Islamists 'reaffirm commitment to women'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15496990

what next for tunisia? would they really ensure women's rights, or is it all talk because the world is watching?

i bet islamist parties will also win in elections in egypt and libya in the near future, as well as in yemen and syria, if they ever have elections.

[Edited on October 28, 2011 at 7:04 PM. Reason : ]

10/28/2011 7:03:35 PM

0EPII1
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Syria's Assad warns of 'earthquake' if West intervenes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-15508630

Quote :
"Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has warned of an "earthquake" if the West intervenes in his country.

In a rare interview with the UK's Sunday Telegraph newspaper, Mr Assad said involvement risked transforming Syria into "another Afghanistan".

His comments came after the UN secretary-general made a new call for the repression to end.

More than 3,000 people have died in the unrest since protests calling for the government of Mr Assad to step down broke out in March."

Quote :
"In the Sunday Telegraph interview, Mr Assad said Western countries "are going to ratchet up the pressure, definitely".

"Syria is the hub now in this region. It is the faultline, and if you play with the ground you will cause an earthquake," he said, .

"Any problem in Syria will burn the whole region. If the plan is to divide Syria, that is to divide the whole region.

"Do you want to see another Afghanistan, or tens of Afghanistans?"

President Assad admitted that "many mistakes" had been made by his security forces in the early part of the uprising, but the paper said he insisted that "only terrorists" were now being targeted.

He said he had responded differently to the Arab Spring than other, deposed Arab leaders.

"We didn't go down the road of stubborn government," he said. "Six days after (the protests began), I commenced reform.

Mr Assad described the uprising as a "struggle between Islamism and pan-Arabism.

"We've been fighting the Muslim brotherhood since the 1950s and we are still fighting with them," he said."


It is a sad situation with no solution in sight.

Analysis:

Quote :
"President Assad is warning that things are very different in Syria and he's right. There are sectarian issues, between Sunnis, Shias, Alawites and Jews, and ethnic issues, between Kurds and Arabs, involving neighbouring states. Libya was far less complex and is pretty much ethnically homogenous.

There are other issues including neighbouring Israel, which Syria has a long history of hostility towards. Any Western intervention could look like it's part of some conspiracy to undermine Syrian steadfastness. Those are the cards Mr Assad is playing and he's ringing the alarm bells very loudly.

The West is very well aware of these sensitivities, but on the other hand if things go on as they are - with no end in sight - Syria could in any case face a kind of fragmentation and instability that the West and Turkey and other neighbours don't want to see."

10/31/2011 9:23:22 AM

0EPII1
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Remember this from February?

CBS Correspondent Attacked, Sexually Assaulted

Quote :
"In the crush of the mob, she [Lara Logan] was separated from her crew. She was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers. She reconnected with the CBS team, returned to her hotel and returned to the United States on the first flight the next morning. She is currently in the hospital recovering."


?

Well...

Quote :
"French TV journalist assaulted by Cairo protesters

By AP
Published: Nov 25, 2011 21:00 Updated: Nov 25, 2011 23:18

PARIS: A French TV journalist said Friday she was punched and roughed up, then sexually assaulted while covering protests in Egypt’s Tahrir Square, the second attack reported in a single day on women journalists working there.

Caroline Sinz told France 3 television, her employer, that she and her cameraman were set upon by young men in the square then separated on Thursday. She said she was punched, then “subjected to a sexual aggression in front of everyone in full daylight.” Providing more detail in an interview with RMC radio, she said boys 14 to 16 years old “tore off my clothes and undergarments” and assaulted her.

Mona Eltahawy, a prominent Egyptian-born US columnist, said she was sexually assaulted, beaten and blindfolded Thursday near the square — by local police. She said the police then dragged her to the nearby Interior Ministry by her hair and detained her there for 12 hours.

Eltahawy, based in New York, is a women’s rights defender, a lecturer on the role of social media in the Arab world and a former Reuters journalist.

In February, Lara Logan, a US correspondent for CBS television, was sexually assaulted by a frenzied mob in Tahrir Square.

On Thursday night, the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders advised media outlets that “there is no other solution” but to hold off on sending female journalists to Egypt.

But when that advice was criticized in France on Friday, the Paris-based organization toned down its warning, urging media outlets to show “great care with the safety of the reporters they send.”

“It is more dangerous for a woman than a man to cover the demonstrations in Tahrir Square,” Reporters Without Borders said. “That is the reality and the media must face it.”"


My post back from February:

Egyptian men in general are notorious for sexual harassment and assaults on women in public. There was a BBC article a couple of years ago which mentioned some horrible statistics on the percentage of women in Cairo who have been sexually harassed.

During the recent protests, one CNN commentator was talking about why there were no women in the streets (but there were in protests in Iran last year). He said during similar anti-government protests several years ago, women DID come out onto the streets as well, but they were groped and assaulted by the police and MUBARAK SUPPORTERS ---> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4600133.stm

Sad.

According to this video, 60% of all women face harassment DAILY in Cairo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvNoOmSUHag

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7514567.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8314091.stm

Quote :
"Being an Egyptian woman is to accept sexual harassment as daily routine, according to a recent report from the Egyptian Center for Womens Rights (ECWR). The study outlines, 60 percent of Egyptian women and 98 percent of foreign women are harassed on a daily basis.

This is not a new problem. In fact, the problem has been simmering silently since the fall of 2006, when dozens of men and boys attacked and assaulted women outside a downtown a Cairo cinema. In a mob style attack, the perpetrators attempted to grope and tear at any passing womans clothes in the October attack. "


Quote :
"SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN EGYPT

Experienced by 98% of foreign women visitors
Experienced by 83% of Egyptian women


62% of Egyptian men admitted harassing women
53% of Egyptian men blame women for 'bringing it on'


Source: Egyptian Centre for Women's Rights"


These were the men the whole world was cheering for.

11/25/2011 7:36:39 PM

0EPII1
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Results of Egyptian elections:

(Bye-bye freedom of thought/speech/action)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/02/world/middleeast/egypts-muslim-brotherhood-keeps-distance-from-salafis.html

Quote :
"CAIRO — The Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm on Thursday distanced itself from a more conservative Islamist party as early vote tallies indicated that the two factions would claim the two largest roles in the first Parliament elected since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

Responding to reports that the two Islamist parties together could form a majority of the new Parliament, the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party denied that there was any “alleged alliance” with the ultraconservative party, Al Nour, to form “an Islamist government.”

The statement appeared to be aimed at quieting the anxiety of Egyptian liberals and Western governments about the unexpectedly large share of the vote apparently won by Al Nour, which was formed by the ultraconservative Islamists known as Salafis. It also reflected the fine line that the Muslim Brotherhood is walking as it tries to hold together its most ardent Islamist supporters in the streets without provoking a backlash at home or internationally.

The Egyptian authorities, citing the record turnout in voting this week, said Thursday that they had postponed by a day the scheduled announcement of official results from the first of three rounds of voting for the lower house of Parliament. But unofficial reports from state news media and party monitors continued to indicate that the Brotherhood’s party had won about 40 percent of the votes, the Salafi party about 25 percent and a liberal coalition known as the Egyptian Bloc slightly less. On Friday, the head of the election commission said only that the turnout was 62 percent.

Emboldened by its success, the Brotherhood’s party has said that Parliament should try to wrest the power to name a new prime minister from Egypt’s interim military rulers — an assertion of authority that the military council has so far rebuffed. But on Thursday the party also reiterated, as it has throughout the campaign, that it hoped to form a unity government with the more liberal parties in Parliament. The elections, it said in another statement, “will most likely lead to a balanced Parliament that reflects the various components of the Egyptian public.”

Liberal Egyptians have become increasingly afraid that that will not be the case; they were surprised by the unexpected success of the Salafis. In contrast to the Brotherhood’s emphasis during the campaign on tolerance and pluralism, the Salafis often talk about moving quickly to put in effect Islamic religious code on matters like banking, alcohol, women’s dress or entertainment.

Many male Salafi candidates refuse to shake hands with women and in interviews require female journalists to wear a veil. Egyptian law requires all parties to nominate at least one woman on each roster of candidates, but because many Salafis oppose putting women in leadership roles, they put their female candidates’ names last on each list. Often, the women’s campaign posters displayed flowers instead of their faces.

Scholars credited the Salafis’ success in part to their organizational advantages. The term Salafi is used for Muslims who seek to emulate the companions of the Prophet Muhammad, in their understanding and practice of Islam. Salafis had flourished for years in Egypt, but under Mr. Mubarak most had turned away from politics because they believed that law should come from God and not man.

But after the president was overthrown in February, opening the possibility of democratic change, some Salafis began to argue that by seeking office they could carry out God’s law through Parliament. And when they did turn to politics, they were able to rally an existing and organized network of as many as two million to four million Egyptians, said Shadi Hamid, a researcher at the Brookings Institution in Doha, Qatar. Many had already gravitated to the leadership of a local sheik.

The Muslim Brotherhood, in contrast, is believed to have about one million members, including 600,000 men and about 400,000 women, Mr. Hamid said.

“The Salafis have been underestimated from day one, because it is hard to imagine how this guy with a long beard and some aggressive ideas can actually gain much support,” Mr. Hamid said. “But elections are about organization and manpower, and they have a core group of supporters that is very mobilized.”

In Egypt, “liberals don’t have two million core supporters,” he added, “and they never will.” "

12/3/2011 3:43:06 AM

smc
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Disappointing but not unexpected. However, they can't suppress western ideas forever, and at some point there will be a backlash against fundamentalists. If they can make it a decade I think you'll a drastically more liberal egypt.

Is it safe for you to be posting this sort of thing from Saudi Arabia?

12/3/2011 11:18:15 AM

0EPII1
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^ yeah no problem...

this is so sad and terrible and disgusting, i have no words for it

Egyptian general admits [forced] 'virginity checks' conducted on protesters

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/05/31/egypt.virginity.tests/index.html

12/14/2011 12:04:43 PM

pack_bryan
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^ i mean chris dodd (D- Connecticut) wants to block websites and shut down huge chunks of the internet like egypt/china did/have done/are doing...

but yeh. that is fucking horrible what they are doing there with checks like that.

12/14/2011 3:46:10 PM

disco_stu
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Quote :
""We didn't want them to say we had sexually assaulted or raped them, so we wanted to prove that they weren't virgins in the first place," the general said. "None of them were (virgins).""


What the fuck gorilla logic is this?

12/14/2011 3:49:09 PM

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