Veil your lollipop

I was sent this image in an email forward.
The text says: “You can’t stop them, but you can protect yourself.”

Two obvious (and rhetorical) questions: Can we really not stop harassment? And does veiling really “protect” you?

Comments Published by Ursula Lindsey June 25th, 2008
Categories: Posts.

31 Responses to “Veil your lollipop”

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1 Blank Jun 25th, 2008 at 10:56 am

I cannot believe this! At first, I thought it was a campaign promoting safe sex…
2 ayman Jun 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm

how about stopping these idiots. that would be a good start. and then the idiots who listen to them.

it’s funny harassment has now gone form being a cause for activism to another bow in the pious moron’s quiver. what next? pray at your local mosque and the local cops won’t march up and down your back?
3 Eman Jun 25th, 2008 at 2:48 pm

This is absolutely disgusting! I’m speechless!

PS. I saw a fully covered (Mounaqqaba) woman being harassed in front of al Orman Park in Giza a year ago, and in case we forgot, the women in the infamous eid harassment incident were all veiled.
4 Eman Jun 25th, 2008 at 2:59 pm

I’m still furious but this idea just poped into my head, how about we start this counter campaign using the same photo with the uncovered lollipop and another photo with dead flies around the “still uncovered” lollipop and somebody in the background cleaning up all the trash in the street that has led to these flies appearing in the first place and have a caption that says something along the lines of you won’t be able to stop them on your own, we need a law that would protect us all and then link it to the one million signature anti-harassment campaign initiated by the New Woman Foundation: http://www.nwrcegypt.org
5 Ursula Lindsey Jun 25th, 2008 at 7:21 pm

Thanks Eman for linking to the anti-harassment petition, I had thought about mentioning it. I was pretty speechless when I saw this too.
6 AMP Jun 26th, 2008 at 9:40 am

If self-restraint and mutual respect cannot be exercised by the male gender of a species infinitely more developed than that of the common housefly, BRING OUT THE BUGSPRAY!
7 charles Akl Jun 26th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

ده على أساس أن ربنا عويل و مش عارف يربي الرجالة و يفهمهم التحضر فقال يختصر و ينشر الحجاب و يغطي النسوان … انا برضه بقول كده أسهل أصل الرجالة مالهاش أمان…
جتك نيلة في أمك
أحا
8 Lobna Jun 28th, 2008 at 10:46 pm

Let me tell you something, I have been veiled for 2 years, wearing very conservative clothes with the hijab and I was still constantly verbally harassed in the streets of Cairo. The veil doesnt protect, its only a religious practice but it doesnt protect you, if someone is sexually frustrated he will sexually harass you whether verbally or physically with or without veil.
9 Muslimah Media Watch Jun 30th, 2008 at 7:50 am

This “PSA” is disgusting.
We’d like to feature this post on our website, with all due links & permissions of course.
10 Amre El-Abyad Jun 30th, 2008 at 7:10 pm

Arabist

I published an important comment. and for some reason it was taken over by the spam filter. Kindly, sir, see to the problem.
11 Red Alert Jun 30th, 2008 at 7:32 pm

Darling they were not all veiled H-E-L-L-O…& good bye
12 Noha Jun 30th, 2008 at 7:49 pm

I’m veiled, and I can’t stop them nor can I protect myself. If the smart brainfart who created this ad would like to know why, it’s because the police are too busy protecting Mubarak and his consort’s asses than seeing to our safety and protection.
13 scribbled Jul 1st, 2008 at 12:51 pm

it’s not really worth addressing whether or not this thing reflects reality or not. it’s made by the product of a union between a soulless brow beating hate filled cretin and a bottle of bleach, so it’s never going to come close to fact. veiling won’t protect, harassment can’t be ignored and accepted as a fact the same way vicious rulers, corrupt cops and sick citizens are and fear cannot be allowed to ride through politics, religion and everyone’s minds. fuck the fear and drown out these rats.
14 Husams Jul 1st, 2008 at 12:58 pm

I used to live in Jordan where almost 80% of women are veiled, and street harassment is very spreading both to veiled and non-veiled women, maybe because it is a kind of a norm for common men to harass women and maybe because sexual frustration due to unhealthy social structure. Then i moved to Italy where women do wear almost nothing, and almost I didnt see any woman got harassed. I don’t think you need opinions on this when you simply have facts on ground! I feel bad for Arabs, and I wish they stop being afraid to think.
15 LK Jul 3rd, 2008 at 2:36 am

This would work better as a safe sex advert.
16 Manar Jul 3rd, 2008 at 5:19 pm

This is disgusting indeed. Living in Egypt, there’s no doubt that for these men it doesn’t matter whether you’re covering your hair or showing your legs – if they want to harass you, they will. The problem goes back to gender inequality, if these men thought of us like equals, they wouldn’t act like they are above us, like they have the right to sexually harass us whenever they please, because, ofcourse, we can’t go anything about it.
My friend was walking down the street and this guy kept bothering her, so she goes to a cop nearby and complains. He replies saying, “can you blame him? you’re very beautiful”
Psychologists have said before that rape is always, 100%, about rage. It doesn’t take a genius to try and figure out why men, mainly lower class citizens, are outraged and uncivilized.
17 Engy Ghozlan Jul 6th, 2008 at 9:46 am

Dear all,

It is very disappointing to see this poster used as an anti-sexual harassment tool, not only it lacks reason and good understanding to societal problems and needs.

I would like to say that “The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights” has been working on the sexual harassment problem for 3 years now. We launched recently the million signatures campaign demanding a law that criminalize sexual harassment.

I would encourage we all support the campaign, having been the project coordinator for this campaign I’ve had my share as all of you from sexual harassment.

ECWR website is http://www.ecwronline.org, you can dowload the petition and collect as many signatures as you can, you can either e-mail it back or fax it to our office.

Or sign up on the petition website http://petitions.ensan.net/showpetition….
Also join our facebook group and support our work http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8634989990, I would like also to mention Teen Stuff and Kelmtna Magazines new campaign against sexual harassment also could be found on Facebook’s http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20112551897

We need to work together against sexual harassment, discussing the problem is very important but action is needed!

And please feel free to contact ECWR for more information or to volunteer in your community.
Engy Ghozlan
18 Engy Ghozlan Jul 6th, 2008 at 9:58 am

Unfourtunately problems in our society like sexual harassment are treated like that, not only that this poster is frustrating but also lacked a good understand to the societal background of the problem. Adressing girls on the issue of sexual harassment shows that actually “Sexual harassmsnt” wasn’t the main cause here.

I would encourage every one to read more on “The Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights” campaign against sexual harassment “Safe Streets for All”, ECWR has been working for more than 3 years now on sexual harassment.

Our efforts has been greatly appreciated, but we still need to reach out for more people, I would like every one to support our “One Million Signatures campaign” Demanding a law that criminalize sexual harassment.

Petitions and more information could be found at http://www.ecwronline.org or http://petitions.ensan.net/showpetition…. you can download and fill in the petition, feel free to distribute as much as you can, you can email or fax them back to ECWR, also join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=8634989990
I would also like to draw your attention to Teen Stuff and Kelmtna Magazines campaign aginst sexual harassment that could be found on Facebook’s group
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=20112551897

Your efforts count, and please contact ECWR if you would like to volunteer or help in your community.

Engy Ghozlan
19 samer Jul 6th, 2008 at 5:02 pm

Hi Ursula,

do you know who’s behind this campaign?
20 ursula Jul 12th, 2008 at 11:50 am

I don’t know who’s behind it, I received it as a completely random (but genuine-looking) email forward. By the way, it’s now made its way all the way to the US site Gawker: http://gawker.com/tag/advertising/?i=5024420&t=baby-let-me-rub-my-thorax-on-your-sweet-candy-face
21 Alice Jul 27th, 2008 at 8:49 pm

I have never been veiled. I have never been sexually harassed except for once by a person who had a record of perversion.
22 Huda Sep 16th, 2008 at 5:12 pm

The british Guardian has written about this today.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/16/religion.gender
23 Gargantua Sep 24th, 2008 at 3:56 am

Islam is a way of life.

It is a framework of different beliefs and excersizes to be followed strictly by an entire society.

If important aspects of Islam is ignored, whole thing falls apart.

Unfortunality, most of the predominantly muslim societies do not follow the idea to its fullest extent, which is supposed to ensue a stateless republic ruled by the community, the overlay of government has destroyed this concept.

Islam is supposed to be a community-driven effort, where everyone is in the same mindset, the entire culture is focussed on preserving and entitling everyone the same right and dignity. That includes allowing women a safe and equal opportunity at life, vieling is simply a way for a muslim women within this muslim framework (Which, again, does not exist in our modern day) to ensue that her beauty is preserved for the man that likes her for what her personality really is, not what she looks like, this is to ensue a safe and seamless transaction from adolsecent into a true marriagehood.

But, again, due to the fabric of islam being torn by government and other manipulative means, islam does not truely exist in a social form. Therefor, this ad and everything that conveys it is just a charade to make you think that you’re actually living islam to what it really is, which you are not.
24 Karim El Fawal Apr 23rd, 2009 at 8:52 am

Hi, Lobna
My name is Karim el Fawal. I am producer & reporter at French TV. I am making a story about the sexual harassment in Egypt. I would like to make an interview with you if it is possible. If you are interessed, please give me call on 012-7368872. Thanks en advance for your help.
Karim

1 malströmmen.se » going to the candyshop… Pingback on Jun 28th, 2008 at 2:10 am
2 Global Voices Online » Egypt: The Lollipop and The Flies Pingback on Jul 1st, 2008 at 8:02 pm
3 Global Voices بالعربية » مصر: الذباب والمصّاصة Pingback on Jul 3rd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
4 Global Voices auf Deutsch » Ägypten: Der Lolli und die Fliegen Pingback on Jul 5th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
5 Readers Edition » Ägypten: Der Lolli und die Fliegen Pingback on Jul 7th, 2008 at 3:04 am
6 Hatshepsut » Veil Your Lollipop (Part 2) Pingback on Jul 26th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
7 The Skeptic الشكاك » ‘A Veil to Protect or Eyes Will Molest’ Pingback on Jul 29th, 2008 at 5:17 pm

Veil your lollipop

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Veil your lollipop

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