| No more Eve teasing? How can that be? |
"Linking sexual harassment to women’s behavior or clothes is unacceptable," said the statement. "Sexual harassment is a violation of women’s privacy, freedom, and dignity and its prevalence compromises their feelings of security." The statement added that a society only becomes civilized when it respects women. Through its unconditional support for women, the statement did mark a major shift in religious discourse in Egypt, but whether it would have the desired impact on the ground remains to be seen.
While the statement conveyed an undebatable state on sexual harassment, questions about whether different departments and scholars at al-Azhar adopt the same view. This was mainly because a few hours after the statement was issued, the Azhar-affiliated Global Center for Electronic Religious Edicts, issued a report in which women were partially held accountable for sexual harassment. The report, which constituted the conclusion of a workshop on sexual harassment organized by the center, cited women’s appearance as one of the triggers of sexual harassment. "We condemn men’s behavior, but this does not mean that women are not to blame," said the report. "While men are required not to gaze at women, women are also required to cover up."