The Women of Tahrir Square Fight Back - By Christian Caryl

On Friday, July 6, Egyptian women -- and not a few Egyptian men -- will be marching once again to the heart of Egypt's revolution. The demonstration could fizzle. But it could also become a key moment in the course of the country's revolution.

The marchers will be protesting against sexual harassment, a widespread problem on the streets of the Arab world's most populous country. But their protest will be aimed not at the government or the army or the Islamists, but specifically at Tahrir Square itself, the psychological -- and physical -- fulcrum of the rebellion that overthrew Hosni Mubarak. Over the past few weeks, women have been the victims of a series of incidents of sexual violence at Tahrir. The young journalist Natasha Smith published a detailed account of the assault she endured at the hands of a male mob last month. Though her story was widely publicized, spreading far and wide across the Internet, it was far from the only case. Other journalists have chronicled what some are describing as "Egypt's sexual harassment epidemic."

The problem is, sadly, not new. American TV reporter Lara Logan first brought it to international attention last year, when she revealed her own harrowing experience with a Tahrir mob. But the phenomenon she described was already painfully familiar to her Egyptian counterparts. A 2008 study by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights (ECWR) found that 83 percent of Egyptian women reported being sexually harassed at some point in their lives. Perhaps even scarier, 62 percent of the men surveyed admitted to having participated in acts of harassment. (ECWR activists have since created an online map to track harassment cases.)

Lately, however, it seems that the assaults at Tahrir have been increasing in frequency and viciousness -- a trend that is prompting this latest attempt to reclaim the square as a safe place for women. It's a bit of a gamble. A similar effort to protest harassment last month ended in a flurry of attacks on the women who participated. For that reason, the female demonstrators this time around will be accompanied by a protective screen of male companions -- a dreary commentary on the situation of women in Egypt.

But the story doesn't end there. You can rest assured that Egyptian women won't allow themselves to be typecast as victims. Indeed, it's important to remember that the course of Egypt's revolution would be unthinkable without the participation of women, who were an integral part of the protests in Tahrir -- and elsewhere in the country -- from the very start. Thousands of female demonstrators joined the crowds, often working as organizers, nurses, and even security guards. Young activist Asmaa Mahfouz made the video that brought thousands of protesters to the square at a crucial moment in the revolution. Journalist Shahira Amin galvanized the protests when she publicly announced her resignation from a state TV broadcaster in February 2011. Amid the turmoil of the uprising against Mubarak, some women re-established the long-dormant Feminist Union, adding another notable voice to Egypt's chorus of civil society groups.