On Wednesday February 8th, Egypt’s head of military
court has made a statement urging media outlet to halt the coverage on the “Virginity
Tests” case. This decision came at the backdrop of the unraveling court case
filed by Samira Ibhrahim. But who is Samira Ibrahim and why does the Military Forces want to ban publication on the
matter?
Samira was arrested in Tahrir Square during a protest on 9
March and was subjected to virginity testing alongside other six women in
military prison. Initially, the military
generals adamantly tried to deny that those tests took place. It wasn’t until a CNN interview
where an anonymous general admitted it. Later, in a meeting with Amnesty International, the Head of the Military Intelligence Department explained that
those tests are performed to “protect the army against possible allegations of
rape”. The statement reveals that not only such tests already occur, but it was
a routine procedure by prison officials to avoid female prisoners’ claims of
sexual violence. This statement is of much concern because we don’t know the extent
of abuse female detainees are exposed to while perpetrators are easily getting
away with it.
Human rights groups in Egypt filed a case in front of the administrative
court on behalf of Samira Ibrahim, the only detainee who decided to defy the
authority, speak up and take it to court despite the threats she was receiving.
Late December, the court made its
historic rule to ban “Virginity Tests” and deemed it a violation of both
Egyptian constitution & legislation and the International Agreements that Egypt
is party to. The court rule is considered an official acknowledgement that
those tests actually took place and that those responsible must be brought to
justice. However further legal developments were not as promising, as only one military
doctor has been brought to justice in front of military court, notorious for its
lack of independence and fair trial procedures. The charges against that doctor
were changed from sexual assault to public indecency which amounts to much less
punitive action. Moreover, the case has been postponed several times and the
fate of her case is still unclear.
Virginity tests come as part of a long list of abuses by the
military forces against Egyptians. Since the military council of armed forces
took charge of the country after Mubarak stepping down, military and police
forces have used excessive force against protesters which resulted in hundreds
dead and many thousands injured. The violence against peaceful protesters is
one of the strategies upheld by these forces to discourage participation in
protests and acts of resistance to military rule. Women have been targeted
during those demonstrations by excessive violence and the other weapon that
state knows how to use well: the shaming of women.
For an array of political, socioeconomic, and historic
reasons, our country is suffering from deeply-held patriarchal values and “honor”-based
practices. This is manifested in many ways including the justification of
gender-based violence against women. Women who do not conform to that system
are punished, and they carry the burden of the blame. The state uses this value
system to kill the revolutionary spirit. They know that by targeting women,
they will strike the chords of patriarchy that affects both women and men. Women
will be blamed, shamed and traumatized. Men will also be shamed when they know
they were not able to help their women and attain redress for their violated
bodies. Another clear example of this is when women protesters were brutally
and sexually assaulted while protesting the constitutional amendments in May 25th,
2005, which was called the Black Wednesday.
The state has failed to deliver to protect women against
violence whether in private or public spheres. Women in Egypt suffer from high
rates of sexual harassment, domestic violence, widespread cultural practices
such as female genital mutilation and “honor”-motivated violence. Virginity
tests were used to humiliate those protesters and enforce the idea that these
are morally loose women for taking the street. If we look back at the history
of such tests, we will find many such examples in history even dating back to
biblical sources. In a recent article, historian Khaled Fahmy offers a Foucaultian analysis of the history of the state introducing virginity tests into Egypt to prove that it’s a state
tool to control the people, rather than ensuring their health and welfare.
Indeed such virginity tests are considered by human rights
groups and the scientific community to be spurious. Tracing back the origin of those tests to its
roots, we will find that they are based in outdated medical beliefs. They are
mere tools to control women’s sexuality and behavior. The case of virginity
tests has created an unprecedented debate about such practice, and produced a
state of solidarity with Samira and the other victims. However, the resistance
is not only coming from the military institution. Dr. Fakhry Saleh, the head of
the forensic authority in Egypt made a statement against the use of virginity
tests at the hands of the military and described it as sexual assault, but he
stopped short of criticizing the tests themselves. He further added that it’s
the responsibility of the forensic authority to check female hymens, and not
any other doctors! Furthermore, the Egyptian Medical Syndicate sent lawyers to
defend the military doctors accused of performing the tests. I n reaction, human
rights groups have sent a letter to the Syndicate urging them to completely ban
the practice as it constitutes a violation of medical ethics. The medical
syndicate has justified its move as a normal procedure for defending its members. They said that the procedure shouldn’t have been performed by military
personnel, rather by specialized gynecologists only! Up until now, the
syndicate has not denounced the tests themselves. Despite the presumed independence of such institutions as the forensic authority and the medical syndicate, their history is full of politicization and manipulation by the state. The challenge then is not only about opposing state authority but authority in its various forms.
As the debate about the virginity continues, many questions
are raised. While feminists and human rights activists are excited about the growing
public debate about the notorious tests, changes in attitudes about virginity
and women’s rights are slower to be achieved. As virginity tests have become
part of revolutionary jargon, the public position on virginity tests practiced in private remains to be assessed. Until now, women are subjected to
virginity testing on their wedding night or on other circumstances to prove
their chastity. Using blood stained sheets as proof of chastity is not uncommon
in Egypt. The harsher version is where the first “defloration” of a woman is
performed by other related women via inserting fingers covered with a piece of
cloth to obtain “the blood of honor”.
What Samira did is an unprecedented act of defiance. She is
challenging the very systems of patriarchy that the military institution are enforcing, which is probably why the military court would like to silence media coverage on the matter. Once again, the intimidation tactics prove its failure and they makes people more determined to claim their rights. Interestingly, in her public interviews Samira does not use the discourse
of women rights and most probably she is not supposed to. Her perseverance in
the face of the “council of failure and shame” as she likes to call the
military council is an unquestionable act of feminism that inspires me and many
others. She deserves nothing but our deep respect and solidarity.
Watch the video testimony of Samira Ibrahim with English subtitles here.
