As increasing reports of sexual harassment and violence targeting female protesters have been creating uproar amongst Egyptians, leading Muslim Brotherhood member and Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) Vice President Essam El-Erian sent a message of appreciation to Egypt's women.
In a post made early Thursday on his Facebook page, El-Erian stated that in every man's life there are people who have made a huge difference and impacted him greatly.
"Those who have most left an imprint on me are Sara (my mother), Fatema (my wife), Sara, Samia and Asmaa (my daughters)," El-Erian said.
El-Erian mentioned his mother's efforts as a widow, raising him and his three siblings into faithful, loving and responsible men.
"My wife has stayed patient with me over many years, as witness to my frequent arrests and detentions, and like my mother has never complained," the Brotherhood heavyweight asserted.
El-Erian also acknowledged his daughters, "Who are like flowers in the middle of a hectic life filled with work and sacrifices."
El-Erian, concluding his message, stated: "Here is an example of Egyptian women working and striving both within and outside the home for the good of a better nation for all of us, free from injustice, corruption, tyranny and harassment."
His statements come a day after Egyptian women's rights groups and activists marched in downtown Cairo against assaults and rapes against women participating in public protests.
The most well known of these attacks was against Yasmin El-Bormawy, who gave her testimony on the private Al-Nahar satellite channel. She recounted how a large group of men, some armed, tore her clothes off and sexually assaulted her in a protest in Mohamed Mahmoud Street, downtown Cairo.
Several protesters have accused the Brotherhood of using organised harassment as a tactic to scare off dissenting protesters.
FJP female member and former MP Azza El-Garf refuted such claims as "ridiculous and disgusting." She further asserted Thursday that Islam regards women respectfully, whether in their personal or professional lives. "So how can the Brotherhood propagate such heinous acts?"
