Egyptian rappers, Abyusif, Marwan Pablo and Marwan Moussa, have thrown their two cents into the continuing media storm surrounding Ahmed Bassem Zaki, an Egyptian man accused of assaulting, harassing and raping some 100 women.
It was
Moussa who made the first move, fuelled by a growing narrative of victim
blaming that he caught onto online. The rapper spoke out against the notion of
women inviting harassment by virtue of what they wear and how they act, and
condemned the culture of harassment that exists in contemporary Egyptian
society. He called on his fans to be better than the generations before them,
while also encouraging other influential artists to speak up.
A day after Moussa
posted a video on Instagram, Abyusif followed, while Marwan Pablo went live on
Instagram to reflect a similar sentiment.
Accusations
were first levelled at Zaki several years ago while he was a student of the
American University in Cairo. He was promptly shipped off to Spain, but the
accusations resurfaced this month through Instagram account @AssaultPolice,
through which tens and tens more of victims have come forward, many with evidence
in the form of screenshots of conversations and voice messages.