Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Artificial Virginity Device Sparks Backlash In Egypt

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113763459
October 13, 2009
Conservatives in Egypt are in a lather over a new device that promises 
to simulate the bleeding a virgin bride experiences on her wedding 
night. Politicians are calling the device an assault on Islamic and Arab 
values. But some young women say it's the inevitable result of Egypt's 
double standard when it comes to premarital sex.
The online ad from Gigimo promises women "no more worry," because they 
can restore their virginity for just $29.95. The ad says the "artificial 
virginity hymen" fits in the vagina and, upon penetration, oozes a 
bloodlike liquid.
"Add a few moans and groans and you will pass through undetectable," the 
Asian Web site promises in its somewhat mysterious English.
The owners of the Web site did not respond to questions, so it's not 
clear if anyone in Egypt has actually ordered the virginity-restoring kit.
But virginity is a very real issue for Egyptian women, as illustrated in 
the popular film The Wedding, released earlier this year. It tells the 
story of Abdullah and Gamila, a young couple who signed their marriage 
contract years ago but couldn't afford the marriage ceremony that would, 
by tradition, allow the union to be consummated.
But the couple has been having sex all along, and, after gossipy 
neighbors call Gamila a tramp, her father warns Abdullah that the 
following day, he must prove to the whole neighborhood that Gamila is 
still a virgin. Complications ensue.
In Egypt, those women who can afford it may resort to surgery to restore 
their hymens before their wedding night. But news of this new, 
inexpensive device sparked an intense backlash. A lawmaker from the 
Islamist Muslim Brotherhood said it would be a "mark of shame" on the 
government if it didn't keep the devices out of the country.
A Double Standard
A sampling of opinion on the streets of Cairo found widespread 
acceptance of a double standard that is hardly restricted to the Arab 
world: Purity applies to women, but not men.
Ahmed Rifaat, 19, says no matter how much he loved a girl, he would drop 
her instantly if he found out that she wasn't a virgin.
When asked if it should be the same for the male, he says, "No, it's not 
a big deal if the guy's not a virgin. I'm not speaking about Islam — I'm 
just saying it's normal. But she has to be a virgin, because she's a 
girl. She's a girl! That's just the way it is."
Sitting next to Ahmed is his cousin Aya, who laughs at Ahmed's logic but 
seems resigned to the prevailing view that forgiveness for premarital 
sex is a one-way street.
"For me, men and women are the same," she says. "The only reason he said 
it's normal is because he's a guy. But I would never marry a guy who 
wasn't a virgin. Well, maybe if we were really in love and it was just 
once and he was honest about it, maybe I could forgive it."
Confronting Hypocrisy
At the offices of Enigma magazine, Egypt's upscale fashion and society 
monthly, managing editor Amy Mowafi has heard all this before. She's the 
author of a popular column and now best-selling book, Fe-mail: The 
Trials and Tribulations of Being a Good Egyptian Girl.
Mowafi says Egyptian men still have a "huge complex" about virginity, 
from the poorest rural villages to the wealthiest Cairo suburbs.
"No matter how 'Western' he may appear, it's very exceptional to find a 
man who is willing to accept a woman who has had, quote unquote, 'a 
life' before marriage," she says. "And the objective, unfortunately, for 
an Arab woman remains marriage. I mean, there's a quote I often use, 
that as an Arab — an independent Arab woman — you can break as many 
glass ceilings as you like. But you can never break your hymen."
Mowafi has her own issues with these artificial virginity devices, 
because she doesn't believe technology should be a substitute for 
confronting hypocrisy.
"The problem with a device like this," she says, "is it makes it too 
easy for the woman to play by the rules of society instead of standing 
up and saying, 'No, you need to understand that I am a good person. And 
it should not all come down to this issue of a hymen.' "

 Conservatives in Egypt are in a lather over a new device
#_Amalric!!!!
 " E un bel..................." fill-up plz! 

 bloodlike liquid.
Troppo buffo, troppo orribile.  Che mondo.

 bloodlike liquid.
E' inoltre da ricordare che per la gran parte delle donne egiziane il
sangue vaginale (sia vero sia artificiale) della notte di nozze non e'
il primo che avranno conosciuto, la clitoridettomia essendo ancora una
pratica normale li'.

<<Artificial Virginity Device Sparks Backlash In Egypt>>
Si noti il doppio senso di <backlash>, benche' non inteso.  LOL --
not.

pratica normale li'.
Ma che cavolo dici, in egitto � proibito!

 Ma che cavolo dici, in egitto è proibito!
Pah, e' proibito a Toronto e succede la', e' proibito in Bretagna e
succede la, e' proibito in America e succede la, e secondo quanto io
ne ho sentito e' proibito in Italia e succede la.  Proibito in
Egitto?  E chi se ne frega, in un paese terzomondiale?  Devo parlare
dei milioni di cose che sono dette proibite qui in India ma se le
vedono ogni giorno nelle strade?

Ancora nessuna risposta?  Beh, se trovero' tempo cerchero' qualche
articolo sulla pratica continuata delle varie forme di mutilazione
genitale femminile nei paesi africani, musulmani, ed occidentali.
Deve esserci molta informazione sullo web.

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Perch� non vai direttamente in egitto e ti fai esplodere per protesta
davanti alla sfinge? Quella sarebbe una mossa che scuoterebbe molte
coscienze.
Avvertimi quando parti che accendo la tv.