Samira Ibrahim (Arabic: سميرة إبراهيم, IPA: [sæˈmiːɾæ (ʔe)bɾɑˈhiːm]) was born c. 1986) is an Egyptian activist who gained prominence for her involvement in the Tahrir Square protests and subsequent legal battle against the Egyptian military's practice of conducting "virginity tests" on female detainees.
Tahrir Square during the Egyptian Revolution of 2011
Activism and Tahrir Square Protests
On March 9, 2011, Samira Ibrahim participated in a sit-in at Tahrir Square in Cairo. The military violently dispersed protest participants, and Samira and other women were beaten, given electric shocks, strip searched, and videotaped by the soldiers. They were also subjected to virginity tests.
After succeeding in placing the case in front of a civilian court, a court order was issued in December 2011 to stop the practice of “virginity tests”. However, in March 2012, a military court exonerated Dr. Ahmed Adel, the Egyptian Military 'Virginity Test' Doctor.
Ibrahim said her treatment showed the tests were intended to "degrade the protesters." She stated, "The military tortured me, labelled me a prostitute and humiliated me by forcing on me a virginity test conducted by a male doctor where my body was fully exposed while military soldiers watched."
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Egyptian academic and columnist Amira Nowaira gave a cautious welcome to the ruling. Speaking from Alexandria she said: "Nobody had heard of the virginity tests before so it is good a court has said they cannot be used. People should be prosecuted but it's going to be hard, even assigning blame will be difficult. Who is ultimately responsible?"
The case brings to the fore protester complaints against military actions during the transitional period. There is a long list of violations attributed to the military, with some 12,000 civilians being charged and sentenced in military courts, and numerous incidents that have led to deaths of protesters.
Campaign groups have been documenting the escalation in sexual violence towards female demonstrators and claim brutal tactics are used are to deter, intimidate and humiliate those taking part in political activities.
Humiliation and Violation Claims
Samira Ibrahim was one of seven female protesters subjected to the "virginity test" after being arrested in Tahrir Square during a protest on 9 March. The demonstrators were among almost 200 detained that day, 20 of whom were women.
The following day the female detainees were separated into two groups, the married and unmarried. The seven unmarried women were given a medical checkup during which the "virginity test" was done.
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The incident occurred a month into the handling of the country's affairs by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, their authority granted by the deposed Hosni Mubarak before his ousting on 11 February.
The military was by then losing patience with Tahrir protesters, already having forcibly dispersed protests against the government of the then Egyptian prime minister, Ahmed Shafik, Mubarak's final cabinet appointment.
The case of Ibrahim and the other six female detainees is one of a litany of abuses that occurred that night on the night of 9 March, with many protesters who were held being tortured and beaten on the site of the Egyptian museum that lies off the square.
Controversies and Public Statements
Samira Ibrahim's activism was later overshadowed by controversies arising from her public statements on social media. These statements included quoting Adolf Hitler, writing: "I have discovered with the passage of days, that no act contrary to morality, no crime against society, takes place, except with the Jews having a hand in it. Hitler.”
In reaction to a suicide bombing of a bus of Israelis in Bulgaria, she wrote "Today is a very sweet day with a lot of very sweet news.” In 2012 on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, she tweeted "Today is the anniversary of 9/11. May every year come with America burning."
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A July 18 tweet on Ibrahim’s feed and first reported this week by the Weekly Standard notes the suicide bombing in Burgas that day that killed five Israeli tourists and a bus driver: “An explosion on a truck transporting Israelis at the airport of Burgas, Bulgaria, on the Black Sea,” it says.
Last August 4, commenting on demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, she described the ruling Al Saud family as "dirtier than the Jews."
These statements led to significant backlash and impacted her international recognition.
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International Women of Courage Award
Samira Ibrahim, coordinator of Know Your Rights in Egypt, took part in the March 2011 sit-ins at Tahrir Square, where she was among a group of women who were beaten, strip-searched and given virginity tests. Her experience led to the founding of Know Your Rights.
She was initially selected to receive the International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. State Department. "We initially selected Ms. Ibrahim because of the incredible bravery and courage she displayed at the time of the Tahrir Square protests,” a State Department spokeswoman said. “As you may recall, she was detained, she was subject to real police violence. The report argued her political stance was clear according to the roles she played.
However, after her controversial tweets came to light, the State Department decided to postpone the award. State Department stated that "Upon further review, the department has decided not to present her with the award" as American officials "didn't consider some of the public statements that she had made appropriate.
A State Department spokeswoman, Victoria Nuland, confirmed that Ms. Nuland told reporters, "We, as a department, became aware very late in the process about Samira Ibrahim's alleged public comments. After careful consideration, we've decided that we should defer presenting this award to Ms. Ibrahim this year so that we have a chance to look further into these statements. I would say that in conversations with us in the last 24 hours, Ms. Ibrahim has categorically denied authorship. She asserts that she was hacked.
Seal of the United States Department of State
Samira Ibrahim and Raqia Mossad
Ibrahim stayed at the United States, where she worked in trade. She also served as a goodwill ambassador to Israel.
Ibrahim once rejected to play the role of a Bedouin who serves the Egyptian army, who was fighting in the Palestine war. Ibrahim left Egypt in 1954 to the United States after separating from her husband.
Israel was concerned about Moussa’s aspirations as she sought to allow Egypt to obtain the nuclear bomb, manufacturing it at low costs. Ibrahim offered Moussa a deal to receive US citizenship, live in the states and work there. However, the Egyptian scientist refused and expelled her from her house.
“One time, Raqia was able to steal Moussa’s house key. She printed it on a bar of soap and gave it to an official from the Mossad in Egypt.
Ibrahim reacted by threatening her that rejecting the offer would have dire consequences.
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