Egypt's sexual assaults intensify over holiday

CAIRO - Egypt's president on Tuesday acknowledged the widespread problem of sexual harassment in his country, ordering his interior minister to investigate a rash of assaults during the weekend's Muslim holiday.

Mohammed Morsi acted after his government reported 735 police complaints about sexual harassment over the four-day Eid al-Adha holiday, which ended Monday.

In a statement, Morsi stressed the need to fight "all phenomena of moral chaos and abuses, especially harassment in Egyptian streets."

The holiday features celebrations, crowded public squares - and widespread harassment of women by men.

Rights activists have faulted Morsi's Islamist government for failing to take action against the wave of sexual assaults. Earlier this month, about 200 activists gathered outside the presidential palace, chanting slogans against Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood and pressing for a law to criminalize harassment. Morsi's order Tuesday appeared to be an attempt to counter the charges.

Complaints about the problem, which has long been a feature of Egypt's society, gained prominence during last year's popular uprising that unseated longtime President Hosni Mubarak. Female activists and reporters told of assaults by men in Tahrir Square, the focus of the mass protests.

Activists say that little, if anything, has changed.

Activist Azza Suleiman told the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper Tuesday that her two sons were assaulted in downtown Cairo during the holiday while trying to protect a group of foreigners, while police stood by watching. She criticized the police and the Interior Ministry for failing to secure the crowded streets.

Tahrir Square has been the scene of a number of assaults against women in the aftermath of the revolution. Earlier this month, a correspondent for France 24 TV was "savagely attacked" after being seized by a crowd, the network said.

Hani Henry, a psychology professor at the American University in Cairo, said the widespread notion that women should dress more conservatively to reduce harassment is one of the biggest impediments to addressing the issue.

"There's a 'blaming-the-victim' mentality," Hany said. He predicted that addressing sexual harassment could be more difficult now that Islamists have emerged as the strongest political power.