Egypt, Virginity, and DC Comics… By Whitney Farmer – Un Pop Culture

June 1, 2011 Whitney Farmer 8 Comments

Whitney runs a rock music venue on the beach in L.A.. She has an M.B.A., and is joining the call to bloggers issued from Egyptian protest groups to demonstrate solidarity today against what’s happening to women there…even if no one cares.

Abuse allegations arising from a violence-plagued March 9^th rally in Tahrir Square in Cairo are now being confirmed by a senior Egyptian general who has stated that as many as 18 women were subjected to ‘virginity tests’ while in police custody. The anonymous source provided the account to blogger Hossam el-Hamalawy in violation of a 1956 prohibition against reporting about the military in the press. Following the story, the journalist was taken into informal custody along with four other journalists, including a female broadcaster.

Rather than violating the law in order to bring to light a human rights violation, the general instead spoke on the record for the purpose of defending the practice, indicating that it was a prudent precaution to prevent false rape accusations that might arise. He stated:

“…The girls who were detained were not like your daughter or mine…These were girls who had camped out in tents with male protesters in Tahrir Square, and we found in the tents Molotov cocktails and (drugs)…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…None of them were.” Imbedded in this genius strategy is the assumption that only virgins can be raped. There is also the marked ignorance that sexual assault perpetrated in the presence of multiple officials does not provide credibility. It escalates the event to gang rape and war crime.

Prior to and in addition to the procedures that would be legally termed sexual assault in other countries, the victims were subjected to physical beatings and the use of stun guns and electric shocks. Amnesty International reported that one of the women who told her jailers she was a virgin was beaten and tortured with electric shocks after inspection when her test supposedly proved otherwise.  The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information stated Tuesday that they were aware that members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the military leadership which took control following the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, “…have practiced torture against the youth of the revolution and have subjected women to virginity tests…”

While sexual assault is always a part of war, the anonymous general’s comments as a gang-rape apologist provide important insight into the cultural mind of a country that has yet to give birth to true democracy.  Valuing physical virginity – rather than honoring moral strengths – is a vestigial practice that recalls a time when women were viewed as property, or chattel, and were considered as part of an estate. Unfortunate outcomes awaited women who failed to provide a bloody marriage bed. While the lack of a hymen can be caused from numerous reasons – only one of which is previous sexual experience – women to this day can be faced with severe consequences including honor killings. Shame is intolerable in some countries to the point of being lethal. In an effort to provide protection from retaliation, women have even sought out revirginizing surgeries. These procedures are being performed more frequently as the opposing worlds that contain modern medicine and misogyny collide.

If women can be subjected to officially sanctioned sexual assault, then they are chattel and not full members of a society.  If they are chattel, they don’t have representation in government.  If there is no representative government, than there is no democracy. There are dangerous emotions present in witnesses to a revolution.  The euphoria that imagines the possibilities of a brave new world includes the risk of accidently missing a vital step to creating a sure foundation.  If the watching world gives these burgeoning democracy-hopefuls a pass after they fail the fundamentals, whatever is built will eventually come crashing down.

 

* * * BREAKING NEWS * * *

In an unrelated but double-entendre packed segue, DC Comics announced that it will be revirginizing er…rejuvenating its entire universe of characters. Its catalog of all titles will be renumbered back to the beginning, starting with Justice League No. 1 on August 31. Wonder Woman will again work unchaperoned with a group of (super)men. This time, writer Geogg Johns states he will delve into, “…what’s the human aspect behind all these costumes? That’s what I wanted to explore…” Justice League No. 1 and the September release of the additional 51 newly-first issues will feature characters that appear to have lost their experience (younger, with hip costumes). The rationale presented by DC is that it will make the company more competitive against archival Marvel which has outperformed the 76-year-old publishing giant in the market sector every year since 2002. Put another way, DC is investing in the concept that less experience is more valuable.

When contacted by media for comment regarding returning to her official position which includes fighting for justice while hanging out with (super)men – in a scenario remarkably similar to the 18 women protestors from Tahrir Square – Wonder Woman stated that she will avoid Egyptian airspace in her invisible airplane. When asked by reporters to provide her response to being stripped of experience in an effort to improve her market value, she declined comment.

—-
Quote of the Blog, from Ed, Dude of Light and Fog: “There’s nothing worse than a picky bum…”