Speaking on a news commentary show, a prominent Egyptian lawyer and television commentator sparked mass outrage for suggesting it's men's "duty" to sexually harass and assault women who dress immodestly.
Appearing on an Egyptian TV talk show called "Infrad" on satellite channel Al-Assema, Nabih al-Wahsh engaged in a heated debate about a draft for legislation concerning prostitution, according to Al-Arabiya.
Wahsh's asked the other commentators, "Are you happy when you see a girl walking down the street with half of her behind showing?"
"I say that when a girl walks about like that, it is a patriotic duty to sexually harass her and a national duty to rape her," the commentator continued.
Wahsh's comments garnered a seriously deserving amount of outrage and criticism. Egypt's National Council for Media Regulation has announced plans to file a complaint with the attorney general against Wahsh and the television channel that hosted him, according to New York Post.
In addition, the council claimed it had also filed a complaint to the Supreme Council for Media Regulation and pressed other media outlets to refrain from airing other individuals who make remarks like al-Wahsh.
Wahsh later claimed in his comments were a call to demand stricter punishment for sexual harassment and added, "Girls must respect themselves so others respect them. Protecting morals is more important than protecting borders."
Unfortunately, this kind of treatment of women is more commonplace than a once in a while occurrence. Recently, a BBC report found that Cairo was described as the "most dangerous" megacity for women in an international survey of 19 megacities with populations over 10 million.
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