In a recent article in Foreign Policy, Mona Eltahaway, Egyptian born journalist, gets us thinking about “they” and “us.” During the so-called Arab Spring, Egyptian riot police violated her sexually and broke both of her arms.

It’s not the usual Muslims vs. the US sort of article. In the article, “us” is women and “they” are misogynists and patriarchs in the Middle East.

Socially, legally, financially, educationally, and morally, women are treated very poorly in the Arab world. One shocking statistic: 90% of married women in Egypt, a socially and economically advanced country, have had genital mutilation.