An Egyptian woman who made history by successfully filing charges against a man who assaulted her has been dropped by her defense attorney due to family ties with Israel, according to Al-Arabiya news. Attorney Naglaa al-Imam dropped her client, film producer Noha Roshdy, after discovering that Roshdy was born in Yafo (Jaffa), Israel.
Attorney Imam said she was breaking ties with Roshdy because Roshdy was born in Israel, and her father still lives in Yafo. Imam further said that when he asked Roshdy if sexual harassment is as common in Israel as it is in Egypt, she replied in the negative, saying, “Israel is a respectable country.” Roshdy still carries an Israeli passport, Imam said.
Imam has now switched sides and will defend the convicted attacker, Sherif Gibril.
Roshdy accused Gibril of assaulting her in June, 2008. She said that Gibril grabbed her as she was walking down the street, knocked her to the ground and subjected her to sexual harassment for two hours. Roshdy said passersby refused to help her despite her screams for help, and only stopped to watch.
Eventually a bystander helped restrain Gibril. In an unprecedented move, Roshdy insisted on taking her attacker to court. She was successful in proving Gibril had assaulted her, and he was sentenced to three years in prison and a fine of 5,001 Egyptian pounds.
One month after the assault, the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights conducted the country's first survey on sexual harassment. Sixty-two percent of men admitted to harassing women, and 83% of Egyptian females said they had been harassed. Many vacated employment positions as a result of harassment.
Amongst female foreigners, 98% said that they had been sexually harassed and attributed most of the cases to police and security personnel. Fifty percent of women said they faced daily harassment. Some of the males explained their behavior with the claim that women enjoy sexual-related harassment. Female tourists complain that Egypt is second only to Afghanistan in terms of sexual verbal assaults which they encounter.
The Roshdy-Gibril case was seen as a historic moment by Egyptian women's groups. Activists expressed hope that Roshdy's victory would encourage more victims to press charges.