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Tue, March 08, 2011 | Al Masry al Youm | By Ali Abdel Mohsen

Women suffer assault at Tahrir Square. (Photo: Jenna Krajeski)

Egypt: Women Suffer Assault and Derision at Tahrir March

The romanticism of the Egyptian Revolution meets the reality of Islam dominated society. The road towards real democracy will be a long one, if ever. Read this report by Ali Abdel Mohsen about the Million Women March:

A million woman march held on Tuesday in honor of International Women’s Day turned ugly when violent altercations erupted between several opposing camps. The amount of women attending the demonstration held in Tahrir Square was far less than the targeted million — hovering somewhere between the 200-400 range — but was still large enough to provoke the seemingly majority male crowd.

Women lined the sidewalks directly across from the square, holding up signs and banners demanding equality and a say in the ongoing constitutional amendments. A number of men seemed to misinterpret these demands, however, as a call for a female president, and proceeded to spread the message through the crowds, with the apparent intention of inciting anger–a strategy that, unfortunately, seemed to work.

Initially, detractors responded to the female-led protest with mockery and sarcastic comments….

Read more here.