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We, Egyptian women in the diaspora, watched with horror as the sit-in at the Egyptian cabinet was forcefully dispersed on 16 December 2011 by the military police. Subsequent protests from that day on saw at least fourteen protesters martyred, thousands beaten, and hundreds detained at the hands of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the military junta. We witnessed how you, our sisters, were singled out and brutally abused, verbally degraded, beaten, arrested, and stripped of your clothing. While the iconic image of a woman in abbaya tortured and humiliated by army soldiers was broadcast worldwide, there are doubtless numerous other army abuses that have not been as highlighted. We also cannot forget our sisters who brave live ammunition and tear gas at demonstrations, sacrifice their lives for the revolution, and are subject to “virginity tests” by the same army. You have not only been at the forefront of protests and gone out on the line of fire as security forces cracked down on the uprising, but you have also coordinated vital initiatives such as field hospitals and the campaign to end military trials for civilians.
This is far from the first time that authorities have objectified and exploited women’s bodies as a political tool. We have seen this strategy used the world over in times of political upheaval to repress, instill fear, and detract us from participation in the public sphere. These acts of gender violence are meant to deter the protestors’ spirit and shame them into staying at home. Despite facing such state-sanctioned violence, women have been and will remain steadfast in continuing the struggle for freedom, dignity, equality, and justice in Egypt. They proved this on 19 December 2011, when ten thousand women took to the streets and called in one voice: “Egyptian women will not be stripped!”
The SCAF tactic has backfired, and the resolve of the revolutionaries has thickened. We, Egyptian women in the diaspora, add our voices to theirs and stand in solidarity with our sisters in Egypt, as well as our sisters involved in other liberation struggles throughout the Arab world. We grieve with the mothers of the martyrs, support the families of the civilians facing military tribunals, and express our utmost admiration to those confronting oppression in all its forms and their commitment to seeing this revolution to its completion. We are humbled by the bravery of our countrywomen and countrymen.
We condemn in the strongest terms the abuse of our sisters’ bodies and the violence propagated by SCAF against all Egyptians. We call for Egyptian solidarity activists (individuals and organizations) to join us in our call to:
- Stop US military and police aid!
- Stop the murders, tortures and detentions!
- Release all detainees and political prisoners!
- Immediate end to military rule in Egypt!
Signed,
Rania El Essawi
Alya El Hosseiny
Heba Gowayed
Lamia Hassan
Menna Khalil
Hoda Mitwally
Maryam Zohny
The Egyptian Women of the Ad Hoc Coalition to Defend the Egyptian Revolution
Alia Elkordy
Aziza Fahim
Dahlia Eissa
Ginan Rauf
Hana Elhattab
Leticia Elnaggar
Mariam Wagdi
Myra Salem
Nada Elmansy
Noha Arafa
Noha Radwan
Randa Emara
Sofi Bahgat
Endorsed by:
The Ad Hoc Coalition to Defend the Egyptian Revolution
American Iranian Friendship Committee
Campaign for Peace and Democracy
WESPAC Foundation
WOW Caucus (Women Occupying Wall Street)
A. B. Zahlan
Aly Abul-Kheir
Amejo Amyot
Ami Skånberg Dahlstedt
Amy Harris
Andrea Wojcik
Anna Larsson
Barbara Dale
Barry Finger
Billy Kelly
Bushra Shamma
Candace Lukasik
Carol Seeley
Caron Shanahan
Cathy Cade
Cecelia Lavan
Charlotte Kates
Christine McCabe
Cindy Moeckel
Dan La Botz
Daniel Millstone
David L. Mandel
David Letwin
Diane Laison
Donna Little
Eleanor Ommani
Eliane Maria Santos De Lacerda
Ellen Siegel
Frank O’Gorman
Gabriel Engel
Gayle Simons
Geralyn Abinader
Glória Ferreira
Hassan Mohamed
Helen Evelev
James Eilers
Janet Gerson
Janie Rezner
Joan Cove
JoAnne Bauer
Joanne Landy
Joel Furst
Joline Daudelin
Joyce C. Rawitscher
Judith Anne
Karem Said
Kathleen Russell
Katie Colhoun
Kay Keys
Kevin Jones
Lee Levin
Linda Lancz
Lisa Jensky
Margherita Verdis
Mark Adams
Marlena Santoyo
Mary Garton
May Seikaly
Meredith Priestley
Miho Tsujii
Mirene Ghossein
Miriam Kurland
Mirna Miranda
Ms. Beverly Anne Bentley
Nada Khader
Noreen Duggan
Nydia Leaf
Pat Morrison
Philomena McKenna
Pilar Casasus Acevedo
Raffaella Del Deo
reginald wilson
Rey Ramirez
Rosemary Sayigh
Salah Aldin
Saleh Mohamed
Sandra Nolan
Shaista Husain
Sherif Sadek
Sherna Berger Gluck
Stephen R. Shalom
Wael Ashy
Wayne Heimbach
Werner Lange
Yasser Gowayed
Yeou-Shiuh Hsu