Nude Blogger Riles Egyptians of All Stripes

[Beet]

CAIRO — Aliaa Magda Elmahdy apparently thought she was striking a blow for sexual equality and free expression in Egypt when she posted nude photographs of herself on a blog. Instead Ms. Elmahdy set off a wave of outrage here, stoking conservative Islamist sentiments that many liberals fear will undermine their prospects in the country’s parliamentary election next week.

It is hard to overstate the shock at an Egyptian woman’s posting nude photographs of herself on the Internet in a conservative religious country where a vast majority of Muslim women are veiled and even men seldom bare their knees in public. In Egypt, even kissing in public is taboo.

It is often the case that activists willing to defy social conventions, pushing the boundaries of what is considered acceptable anywhere, succeed in provoking discussion — while finding themselves ostracized and isolated. Indeed, Ms. Elmahdy learned that reality quickly after a Twitter post directed attention to her blog, and her pictures.

Link

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

[Simfan34]

What on earth would bring her to think that exposing herself online would somehow constitute a blow for "sexual equality and free expression" and not just piss off some conservatives?

[Gustaf]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

Anyway, once Egypt is stable and democratic this kind of thing will obviously be needed. I'm just not convinced we're there yet.

[Teddy (IDS Legislator)]

She posted like one picture, and not even a very good one, and wtf?

In short:

One person in one part of one arab country posts one nude pic and OMG THE SKY IS FALLING THE WORLD IS COMING TO AN END

[dead0man]

I see a new tourism campaign aimed at other middle eastern countries and this is the slogan....


Egypt:returning to the stereotype


The adhan played over video of the recent attack on the Israeli embassy, burning Coptic churches, attacking western journalists and gay men dying in prison.

[Beet]

Wow. Now even the Israelis are trying to undermine her:

http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=246238

[Хahar 🤔]

I'm not sure what she was expecting here.

[RI]

Posting nude pics of yourself is never a good idea.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

See, I'm really not sure this is one of those things that one needs to make a battle of, though, particularly considering how delicate everything is right now.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

See, I'm really not sure this is one of those things that one needs to make a battle of, though, particularly considering how delicate everything is right now.

This kind of logic ("well, let's not talk about this now because, you know, it's a troubled period, everybody needs to chill out, etc...") always leads to radicalization. We need to stick to principles as firmly as possible.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

See, I'm really not sure this is one of those things that one needs to make a battle of, though, particularly considering how delicate everything is right now.

This kind of logic ("well, let's not talk about this now because, you know, it's a troubled period, everybody needs to chill out, etc...") always leads to radicalization. We need to stick to principles as firmly as possible.

I just don't know that the right to post nude pictures of oneself online is or ought to be axiomatic, at least to the same extent as the right to not have elections marred by violence.

[Gustaf]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

See, I'm really not sure this is one of those things that one needs to make a battle of, though, particularly considering how delicate everything is right now.

This kind of logic ("well, let's not talk about this now because, you know, it's a troubled period, everybody needs to chill out, etc...") always leads to radicalization. We need to stick to principles as firmly as possible.

I don't think that's necessarily true. The more radical option A is the more likely people are to go for option B. For example, part of the reason the Nazis could whip up so much support in the 30s was that people were (rightly) worried about Communism.

If an average Egyptian thinks the choice is between theocracy and decadent Western values they are more likely to go for theocracy. So, while there is definitely a time for this battle to be fought I'm not convinced it should be first in line. Then again, I'm not Egyptian so it isn't really my place.

[opebo]

Anyway, once Egypt is stable and democratic this kind of thing will obviously be needed. I'm just not convinced we're there yet.

What the heck?  I think the term is 'when pigs fly' or 'when hell freezes over'. Egypt will never be 'stable and democratic'.

But regarding this young woman I hope to golly she lives in London or Paris and not in Cairo.  Even in the former two her chances of being raped and slaughtered by the bearded men is high; a near certainty in the latter.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

See, I'm really not sure this is one of those things that one needs to make a battle of, though, particularly considering how delicate everything is right now.

This kind of logic ("well, let's not talk about this now because, you know, it's a troubled period, everybody needs to chill out, etc...") always leads to radicalization. We need to stick to principles as firmly as possible.

I don't think that's necessarily true. The more radical option A is the more likely people are to go for option B. For example, part of the reason the Nazis could whip up so much support in the 30s was that people were (rightly) worried about Communism.

If an average Egyptian thinks the choice is between theocracy and decadent Western values they are more likely to go for theocracy. So, while there is definitely a time for this battle to be fought I'm not convinced it should be first in line. Then again, I'm not Egyptian so it isn't really my place.

That's not this kind of situation. I honestly doubt the average egyptian gives a sh*t about a random blogger posting nude pics. This is the issue of a minority vs a minority : the islamist activists on the one hand, the pro-freedom activists on the other, while 80% of people are focused on totally different issues (corruption, authoritarism and, above all, poverty).

The point is that, if people keep reasoning in terms of "well, let's give this to the islamists so that maybe the won't be too angry at us", it will spur them to go further and further on the way to theocracy. The right parallel would be, rather, the 1938 Munich conference.

[GMantis]

I'm not sure what she was expecting here.

Sometimes protest is just about making a statement, whether or not you receive support.

[Хahar 🤔]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

And by posting naked pictures of yourself, you're certainly doing that. Right.

[GMantis]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

And by posting naked pictures of yourself, you're certainly doing that. Right.

I would say that publicly trampling one of the main Islamic tenets is standing against Islamist domination.

[Vosem]

Anyway, once Egypt is stable and democratic this kind of thing will obviously be needed. I'm just not convinced we're there yet.

What the heck?  I think the term is 'when pigs fly' or 'when hell freezes over'. Egypt will never be 'stable and democratic'.

But regarding this young woman I hope to golly she lives in London or Paris and not in Cairo.  Even in the former two her chances of being raped and slaughtered by the bearded men is high; a near certainty in the latter.

I find myself in total agreement with opebo, for what is probably the first time since my registration.

*

Yeah, of course this lady deserves the right to do whatever she wants with her body, and trying to stop her is authoritarian. That said, she's being pretty stupid by deliberately provoking the Islamist authorities -- if she feels a burning desire to post naked pictures of herself online, she should probably move here. Or the E.U.

In the long run, of course, the goal should be to get Egypt to accept 'decadent Western values'.

[Gustaf]

Pissing off idiots is always a good thing.

Erm...that's not necessarily true.

^

The stakes are high enough here that the less these particular idiots' specific idiocies are stoked the better.

People need to stand up against the rise of islamism. If the obscurantists don't realize some people who won't abide to their laws, they can only be more dangerous.

See, I'm really not sure this is one of those things that one needs to make a battle of, though, particularly considering how delicate everything is right now.

This kind of logic ("well, let's not talk about this now because, you know, it's a troubled period, everybody needs to chill out, etc...") always leads to radicalization. We need to stick to principles as firmly as possible.

I don't think that's necessarily true. The more radical option A is the more likely people are to go for option B. For example, part of the reason the Nazis could whip up so much support in the 30s was that people were (rightly) worried about Communism.

If an average Egyptian thinks the choice is between theocracy and decadent Western values they are more likely to go for theocracy. So, while there is definitely a time for this battle to be fought I'm not convinced it should be first in line. Then again, I'm not Egyptian so it isn't really my place.

That's not this kind of situation. I honestly doubt the average egyptian gives a sh*t about a random blogger posting nude pics. This is the issue of a minority vs a minority : the islamist activists on the one hand, the pro-freedom activists on the other, while 80% of people are focused on totally different issues (corruption, authoritarism and, above all, poverty).

The point is that, if people keep reasoning in terms of "well, let's give this to the islamists so that maybe the won't be too angry at us", it will spur them to go further and further on the way to theocracy. The right parallel would be, rather, the 1938 Munich conference.

You don't think Egyptians care about their religious values? What is that based on?

You don't seem to be acknowledging my point at all. I think a line should be drawn somewhere but I'm not sure this is the battle you want to fight right now. Why pick a battle which you're almost certain to lose?

Because I very seriously doubt you could get a majority fo Egyptians today to support this. So by drawing the line here you're ensuring that the islamists win.

For us, sitting here in the West, that may seem fine as a principle but from the perspective of Egyptian moderates it doesn't seem to make much sense.