25°c Partly cloudy
18°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Furor over Egyptian PM's remarks on poor women
Lawyers file suits after technocrat's contentious words
CAIRO, Egypt -- Egypt's prime minister faced uproar, derision and even lawsuits Thursday after he blamed health problems of babies in impoverished villages on nursing mothers who "out of ignorance" don't clean their breasts and talked of village women getting raped in the fields.
Hesham Kandil made the remarks as he tried to make a point about poverty at a press conference aired live on TV this week. The backlash put the previously little-known technocrat appointed by Islamist President Mohammed Morsi under a spotlight.
Rights advocates and activists said Thursday it showed a prime minister who is out of his depth -- and who holds elitist and patriarchal attitudes that blame poor women for everything from not bringing their children up right to bringing dishonour on society.
A number of lawyers in Beni Sweif, a province Kandil mentioned specifically, filed lawsuits against him, accusing him of libel, an official at the top prosecutor's office said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to talk to the press.
Kandil was responding to a question about whether economic policies are increasing poverty in Egypt and how poverty contributed to the wave of unrest since late January.
With a muddled and stumbling response, Kandil seemed to be trying to show he was aware of the depth of poverty in Egypt. "I've been around," he insisted.
"In the 21st century, there are still villages in Egypt where babies are infected with diarrhea... because their mothers nursing them, out of their ignorance, don't do the personal hygiene of cleaning their breasts," Kandil he said.
He spoke of visiting villages in Beni Sweif, just south of Cairo, in 2004, saying, "There is no running water or sewage."
"Men go to the mosque... Women go to the field and get raped," he said, apparently meaning men wash at the mosque while women go to the river to wash. "This is happening in Egypt."
"Egypt is full of miseries," he said. "The solution is not in violence."
Many were baffled over what point he was trying to make exactly. But critics said his comments reflected the conservative mindset of his Islamist backers -- the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails, or their ultraconservative allies.
"His talk reflects extreme shallow vision and ignorance of everything related to the Egyptian community and all the problems that the Egyptian women are suffering," said Nehad Aboul-Qomsan, head of the Egyptian Center for Women rights, a vocal critic of the Islamists.
She saw his rape comment as implying the women were to blame for going out, while men go to mosques.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition February 8, 2013 0
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 48 articles for today)
Forest fire situation unpredictable, premier says
7:04 PM 0Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger insists it’s too early and unpredictable to be optimistic about forest fire season in the province ...
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Man convicted of drunk driving in Henderson pile-up
- Court told driver hysterical after vehicle fatally hit highway worker
- Teen on train tracks from York Landing
- Saskatchewan considering hydro deal with Manitoba
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- California 'Night Stalker' serial killer Richard Ramirez dies at 53
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Winnipeg man given 2-year sentence for coma-inducing 'sucker punch'
- RCMP say woman deliberately murdered her sister with her car
- Toronto woman dead in rural Manitoba ATV wreck
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- Child in critical condition after West End crash
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Bomber fans wowed by new stadium
- Portage Ave. stretch re-opens after Friday-night bomb scare
- Young girl found dead on railway tracks
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Two people killed in crash north of Winnipeg
- Two Winnipeg teens identified as victims of crash
- HSC Home Lottery winners announced
- Father, daughter seriously injured in ATV crash
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Filipino singer Charice comes out as lesbian; Catholic official says she's in identity crisis
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Craig Ferguson adds second show
- Make it look natural; companies work to make packaged foods appear homespun
- McMunn & Yates absorbs five McDiarmid locations
- Teens can join Let It Out Summer Rock Camp
- City-wide average mosquito count drops
- Scientists meet to discuss weird British weather, say soggy summers likely for a few years
- New Flyer awarded Atlanta bus contract
- Suspect arrested after North End sex assault
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- Sobeys gobbles up Safeway
- Priest kept silent about accusations against Storheim, court hears
- Manitoba restaurant stops selling giant hamburger "for obvious reasons"
- Basic arithmetic back in class
- Yaz and Yasmin pills linked to 23 deaths, say Health Canada documents
- Geothermal heat coming to some Manitoba First Nations
- Spiralling cost of land raises new home prices
- Jaimie Creasy becomes first woman to graduate from RRC with degree
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Door openers being used to break into garages, police warn
- Province formally opens Mental Health Crisis Response Centre
- Hailstorm wreaks havoc on Winnipeg garden centre
- New rules let customers cancel phone contracts without penalty after two years
- App could give Winnipeggers chance to report bad parking, get paid
- At 55, I'm wise to what's real in life
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is be a Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscriber to join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
Have Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press print or e-edition subscribers only. why?
Login SubscribeHave Your Say
Comments are open to Winnipeg Free Press Subscribers only. why?
SubscribeThe Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.