CAIRO — As part of the yearly United Nations campaign to end gender-based violence, we want to bring light to the role of clerics in sexual harassment and assault — a topic which is considered taboo in light of the silence and fear of stigmatization of the victims.
It’s one of the thorny issues that society and state institutions fear to objectively discuss in order to prevent it, protect the victims, and hold those involved accountable.
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The argument is always centered on denying the existence of these pathological and immoral behaviors in our society, because our religious institutions are fine, and they are the fortress of religions and their sacred values.
But many incidents can challenge this claim. The latest was a few months ago when a woman accused a famous Sufi sheikh of sexually harassing her. The woman said that she was psychologically affected and unable to express what happened for years, due to the sheikh’s position and influence and the lack of support from her family.
However, many incidents could challenge this claim. The latest was a few months ago when a woman accused a famous Sufi sheikh of sexually harassing her. The woman said that she was psychologically affected and unable to express what happened for years, due to the sheikh position and influence and the lack of support from her family.
It was one of a series of cases in which Islamic and Christian clerics faced charges of sexual assault. Perhaps the most prominent of these cases was that of defrocked priest Royce Khalil on Sally Zakhari.
Zakhari spoke out to the media after she waited many years with no avail for the church to intervene and punish the suspect. The priest was eventually stripped of his priestly rank after about 17 years of the victim’s struggle.
Not isolated cases
I do not think that the scope of these crimes and practices is limited to what has been reported in the media or on social media. There is nothing to support the claim that these cases were isolated ones, and we should not be concerned, especially if we take into account the spiritual and social authority that clerics enjoy.
This authority allows the clerics to know all details of large segments of citizens who consult them in their daily affairs. Therefore those with abnormal behavior can easily control their victims, and their authority serves as an immunity against prosecution.
This problem is widespread and is tolerated by society.
Several combined factors cause fear of discussing these crimes, foremost among which is the nature of the problem itself. This problem is widespread and is tolerated by society when it occurs in a stereotypical manner in transportation, workplaces, and places of public services.
The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women conducted a study that found 99% of Egyptian women have experienced some form of sexual harassment. A 2015 survey by UNFPA, the state-run National Council for Women and official statistics agency in Egypt found that around 7.8 million women suffer from all forms of violence annually, whether perpetrated by a husband/fiancé or individuals in her close circles or from strangers in public places.
These figures are usually used to deny that assaults by clerics are a recurring phenomenon. However, criticizing clerics on such sensitive moral issues is a red line, given Egyptian religious institutions’ strong ties with political institutions. Both sides have mutual interests, reflected in the religious institutions’ wide social influence which spare them from repercussions of acts committed by their officials and employees.
Minorities’ concerns
For many, clerics represent God on earth. They are viewed as the highest class in society, and cannot be held accountable. And to accuse one of them is to accuse the institution as a whole, or at the very least distorting its image and reputation — perhaps unfairly. This shakes confidence of members in the religious institution and clerics in general, and allows forms of mockery and bullying against them, especially if the aggressor belongs to a religious minority group — not the prevailing Sunni sect.
We saw an example of popular treatment that is characterized by sarcasm, humor, and disregard for the feelings and concerns of weaker parties, in the reaction to the recent case of the Sufi sheikh, which extended to criticizing Sufi practices and traditions as a whole. Naturally, anxiety increases among Christians, as they are a minority, and it is easy to establish a negative stereotype about them.
Some people remember the incident of the monk, Barsoum Al-Mahraqi, whose story was published in Al-Nabaa newspaper in 2001. His name was used to bully and harass Christian women for some time. As a result, not discussing these incidents have become of public interest, and a way for the religious institution to protect its members in general.
This way of thinking helps those involved to escape criminal punishment.
Some people promote a misleading and malicious way of dealing with these assaults as sins — only in the religious sense — and therefore they should not be revealed, but rather covered up. And as long as they are only sins, their treatment is confession and repentance.
This way of thinking helps those involved to escape criminal punishment, and preserves their reputation at the expense of redressing the harm to the victims, who are usually asked to forget, forgive, and blindly obey the religious authority.
Many, Christians and Muslims alike, fear that revealing sexual assault will harm the reputation of the victims.
Moreover, the conservative religious and social culture is a major pressure factor on the victims. Many, Christians and Muslims alike, fear that revealing sexual assault will harm the reputation of the victims. Talking about these topics is shameful and “impolite” for many.
The victim is usually blamed and criticized as the weaker party responsible for what happened. Their accounts are usually denied or at least questioned. Some also hold the victim responsible for her clothing or behavior. They view the clothing and behavior as an encouragement for the cleric to continue expressing his sexual desires or assaulting the victim.
To confront this, a woman in Egypt’s southern province, Sohag, documented and recorded a priest’s abuses to respond to those who didn’t believe her. The priest was suspended after the woman shared the audio online.
In this climate, it is difficult for the victim to survive and not be psychologically and socially affected.
What makes matters worse is the absence of redress mechanisms at the administrative and criminal levels. The absence of announced, clear and appropriate procedures encourages impunity and increases pressure on victims.
These cases require a special approach to collect evidence and to deal with survivor testimonies. It is not enough to have legal texts alone without taking into account the nature of these crimes and the difficulty of finding witnesses.
No one is immune
A cleric is not immune, and he shouldn’t be granted immunity against accountability and punishment, just for his chair of a religious institution or for being a member of this institution.
A cleric should be held accountable morally, as well as legally. It will not harm the religious institution to reveal such moral and financial crimes whenever they exist. These institutions are harmed when they cover up these crimes under whatever pretexts.
The first necessary step to deal with this file is to encourage survivors to talk about their experiences freely and without fear of social repercussions. This represents a salvation gateway for other women.
There is also a need for a code of conduct or policy to combat sexual assault.
It requires strengthening and clarifying the laws that guarantee the victim rights. It also requires an active role for civil society organizations to support victims psychologically and legally.
There is also a need for a code of conduct or policy to combat sexual assault, which includes a clear definition of the limits of the relationship between clergy and employees of religious institutions, with the followers of these institutions and those benefiting from their services.
This code should also include a clear mechanism for receiving and investigating complaints, and should ensure that victims are not pressured but rather encouraged to speak out.
In this context, it is important to point out the experience of a number of Coptic Orthodox dioceses in the United States following the Sally Zakhari. These dioceses crafted a protocol on sexual misconduct to investigate allegations, and provide mandatory training for clergy and servants, which has not been done in Egypt.
Finally, in all cases, the administrative investigation within the religious institution does not cancel the legal procedures, even if punitive measures are taken against those involved. Many of these acts are criminalized, and clerics should not be distinguished from the perpetrators of these incidents outside the clergy.
