CBS reporter Lara Logan has a new show coming out and while doing press for it has been constantly asked about the sex attack she suffered while covering riots in Egypt that saw her separated from her crew, stripped naked by a gang of 200 men and lasted almost an hour.
Logan told the NY Daily News that she thinks of it most when she is putting her daughter to sleep and has some moments to think with no other thoughts intruding in her brain.
"When I’m lying there, waiting for my daughter to go to sleep, I have time to think about things.
Those can be dark moments. You get through it though, you have to. You’re aware of how much you have and it’s so much more than what you’ve lost."
“I didn’t even know that they were beating me with flagpoles and sticks and things, because the sexual assault was all I could feel, their hands raping me over and over and over again. I was in no doubt in my mind that I was in the process of dying.
Lara was only rescued when a group of local women closed ranks around her and brought 20 Egyptian soldiers to her aid. That are some women who were really brave because things could have turned just as ugly for them just as quickly.
"When I’m lying there, waiting for my daughter to go to sleep, I have time to think about things.
Those can be dark moments. You get through it though, you have to. You’re aware of how much you have and it’s so much more than what you’ve lost."
“I didn’t even know that they were beating me with flagpoles and sticks and things, because the sexual assault was all I could feel, their hands raping me over and over and over again. I was in no doubt in my mind that I was in the process of dying.
Lara was only rescued when a group of local women closed ranks around her and brought 20 Egyptian soldiers to her aid. That are some women who were really brave because things could have turned just as ugly for them just as quickly.
Oh God, that made me tear up. It's just so horrible, and then those brave women saved her. I can't even put in words what I want to say.
ReplyDeleteThat's something a person would likely never forget and it bothers me that people are still asking about it. It's personal and if someone wants to talk about it that's one thing but very intrusive if they are trying to move on with their life as Lara seems to be doing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both statements above. I am horrified by all of it but impressed with the women that saved her. I am so sad for all women that face brutal rape.
ReplyDeleteI cannot even begin to imagine what she went through. This will haunt her for the rest of her life.....thank G-D for those brave women who saved her.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter has just returned from 2 yr stint in Beruit, and before that she was in Egypt, Iraq and traveling everywhere inbetween when given the chance.
ReplyDeleteWhen she told me after that fact, that shw was in Egypt the weekend following the "revolution" I nearly came undone.
While I think her facination and need to be and work in that area of the World are finally exhausted-I had to dig deep to extend my ability not to worry on a daily basis of this happening to her.
I know there are so many good people in the Middle East- people who celebrate birthday and homework being finished, who pass on traditions of love and kindness.
When the news/film came out with our Marines pissing on the dead Taliban terrorists- I smiled....and was sad that they didn't shit on them too.
Lara Logan- you being able to get up each day and face life without hate- is something to truly admire!
I cannot express how sorry I am for what Lara had to endure. However, I hope that this story proves to folks that not every person in the Middle East is a terrorist monster. In fact, most people in that region are wonderful and kind hearted.
ReplyDeleteThe group of local women risked their lives for her. An American. I bet if you asked any one of them, they would tell you that it didn't matter what nationality she was, they were going to help, regardless.
Poor woman! She and the women that saved her are incredibly brave. I cannot imagine how terrified she must've been. An assault by 1 person is traumatizing but 200?? I really hope that over time she can heal.
ReplyDelete@Christine!
ReplyDelete"When the news/film came out with our Marines pissing on the dead Taliban terrorists- I smiled....and was sad that they didn't shit on them too."
My husband, beening a soldier, and has spent time in Afghanitan LOVES your comment.
(I smiled too!)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@ Diane- thank your husband for my family. My father was a proud Marine.
ReplyDeleteI want to be clear here, my daughter LOVES the Middle East, and thru her- I have many stories of good families, excellent food, great peoples and even some sad and un-repeatable stories. She loves the Middle East, EVERY single piece of it. She carries a piece of it in her heart.
I, on the other hand- only know (besides from her stories and a few people I have met and befriended) what I have heard from the news and casual sources. If it all went away, I wouldn't be sad- and I am not ashamed of my blanket feelings of , well lets just call it what it is HATRED.
I can say the best thing I ever did, was subscribe to a free publication called SAUDI ARAMCO WORLD- google it- beautiful stories of the people, the history and the persective of artists from the Middle East- not to mention- beautiful photos...it helps my perspective each time I pick it up...
I took away my previous comment because I didn't want to start an argument. Too much work to do today! :)
ReplyDeleteSo I will just say this: Logan is a very strong woman, and I look forward to watching her reports for a long time to come.
Women everywhere, in every country, endure attacks against them every day. Bravo to Lara, the women who saved her and the soldiers who could have joined in but chose to rescue Lara and protect the other women. This isn't about race, this is about sex. Women being objectified and seen as nothing but things to be used by men who view them that way. I am so very lucky to be married to a man who is the kindest, nicest, gentlest man in the whole world. May we have a world filled with men like him one day.
ReplyDeleteSo on the one hand this morning, we have the story of women risking being horribly raped themselves to save a stranger. On the other hand, we have Joe Paterno, the most powerful man in town, who turned a blind eye when children were being raped in his locker room.
ReplyDeleteBarbarians. Now the Islamists are in charge of Egypt, a former ally. Nice job. Mubarak isn't looking so bad now. In fact he wasn't ever bad, but the administration was blind and thought this "revolution" was about "democracy".
ReplyDeleteNow Israel is truly surrounded by savages.
Christine and Diane-
ReplyDeleteThis woman, who so bravely tried to report on the Egyptian revolution and was victimized does not need the support of the two of you.
The exploitative pictures of the dead terrorists being peed on and worse show the way people really have to dehumanize others to make killing and war okay.
Smiling in the face of dehumanization makes you NO BETTER than the people who did this to poor Lara Logan- you are objectifying human life and reducing it to fit whatever mold or image of the person you want it to.
Condoning objectification...dehumanizing others...why dont the two of you just join the Taliban yourselves and get it over with?
Realize Im not defending the Taliban's regime at all, rather I am protesting the cavalier and superior and frankly sociopathic way the two of you are commenting on the life and death of others. No matter who the people, once this line of mentality is drawn there is greater capacity to paint others with this dehumanizing stick and others and others and it goes on from there.
Realize that we are more alike than we are unalike and though the various governments in various countries (especially our own US) would have you think differently, this creed stands true. Perhaps your idea of what freedom means includes the ability to gleefully chortle at dead humans being urinated upon but count me out of your version of this type of American freedom. Im ashamed to be called an American, with people like the two of you as my fellow countryman.
Kudos to the extraordinarily brave and anonymous women who risked their lives to save a stranger. Thanks, Enty, for pointing out their bravery.
ReplyDelete@Christine!: I'm an American too. My jaw dropped when I read your comments. I disagree. Any US soldier who would despoil the bodies of dead enemies is a shame to his country and his training.
Yeeeeeah. While I certainly have zero respect for the Taliban, I also think that members of our military should refrain from acting like idiotic frat boys.
ReplyDeleteIt's no wonder the world hates us, honestly.
And I adore Lara Logan. She's pure class.
Christine and Diane-
ReplyDeleteDon't let others make you feel bad for what you said. If it were them being raped and killed by terrorists and seeing what savages they are first hand, then maybe they'd feel differently. They are ignorant fools.
This story gave me chills.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me while I stand up and cheer for Jasmine, Jamie and Ida. Jasmine, thank you for very eloquently saying what I am sure many of us were thinking when we read the incredibly spiteful and ignorant comments above.
ReplyDeleteExcuse me while I stand up and cheer for Jasmine, Jamie and Ida. Jasmine, thank you for very eloquently saying what I am sure many of us were thinking when we read the incredibly spiteful and ignorant comments above.
ReplyDeleteawww Maja- thanks <3
ReplyDelete@Jasmine - That was beautifully stated.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of what she went through makes me so ill. :( I hope she is in extensive therapy for this.
I see no one pointed out the obvious here. While I'm terribly sad for what happened to Lara...why was she sent into that kind of situation by whatever news group to begin with? A man should have been sent in...or in fact no one at all. Then we wouldn't be talking about this at all.
ReplyDeleteChristine and Chewysmama: All I have to say is this: Shame on you. Your ignorance is glaringly apparent. God Bless America, and may He protect it from people like you.
ReplyDelete@Sadie -- "why was she sent into that kind of situation by whatever news group to begin with? A man should have been sent in..."
ReplyDeleteLara Logan is a brilliant journalist who was more than capable of translating the underlying complexities behind this revolution to viewers of 60 Minutes. She covered numerous dangerous stories before this incident, and was no stranger to peril. I don't think she'd be content with sitting in a comfy studio amid soft lighting and interviewing movie stars week after week, is what I'm trying to say.
I'm sorry, but "a man should have been sent in" is such a sexist and bullshit argument. I've heard similar statements about how Lara Logan is too attractive, and that the producers of the show shouldn't have let a pretty blonde woman cover this story in the first place. Because, you know, boys will be (violent and misogynistic) boys -- which, in a roundabout way, removes their culpability.
That, to me, is akin to saying that a curvaceous woman who wears a figure-hugging dress in public is basically asking to be sexually assaulted because men just can't control themselves.
I agree that women need to be vigilant -- whether we're here in the States, or in the Middle East -- but why should an accomplished journalist turn down one of the most important stories of her career just because of her gender?
Bottom line: a terrible thing happened, but it's the kind of terrible thing that happens to women everywhere. I admire her for speaking frankly about her assault, and for having the fortitude to continue covering the stories that are, frankly, pretty unglamorous.
@Maja etc, thanks, but Jasmine said it first and best. I hadn't read her comment when I posted because it took me so long to write a polite reply.
ReplyDelete@Sadie: Polite is over for the day. Sorry. You are a throw-back to the 1800s. You're not at all terribly sad about what happened to Lara. The thing that is obvious here is that you don't think women should be journalists in war zones.
I think they should.
But thank you for pointing out your biases.
What's sad is when our government trains our young boys to be killers then when they act in a "war like " fashion ( pissing on dead enemy's ) then we either congratulate them or we see them as a bane to our country .. The men who peed on soldiers are only acting out what sorrows and horrors they themselves are faced to endure . It's not necessarily right but sad and somewhat understandable. All of our soldiers are victims in some capacity too.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU Ida~
ReplyDeleteI understand both sides to the marines peeing on the Taliban. I also have travelled the world and know the opinions of the US govt among foreigners (not as much the citizens but the govt). Until we ourselves have spent time oversees in te military in the war we can't say what we would do. This war has changed so many of our soldiers that no wonder the PTSD and suicide rates are out of control. My friend came back totally not the same person and killed himself because of what he saw and the feeling this is an endless war. Releasing the frustration and anger is hard to do and if the worst is peeing on the dead Taliban instead of domestic violence or murder- suicide.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sexist argument to say that only a man should report in these Islamic ratholes, where women are good for one thing only? And that one thing is having more sons. Women are not even good enough for f***ing, as far as Muslim men are concerned. For that, they use little boys.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless they are obsessed with women's bodies, due to their insane religion, which makes Evangelical Christians look like total hedonists.
Yeah, it's a sexist argument. But that part of the world is sexist. So deal with it.
This woman got beaten and sexually assaulted for hours because of your bullshit feminist ideology. Why don't you go there yourself and have a stick shoved up your vagina and your anus before you lecture the rest of us about reality?
"That, to me, is akin to saying that a curvaceous woman who wears a figure-hugging dress in public is basically asking to be sexually assaulted because men just can't control themselves. "
ReplyDeleteOh Fuck you Ida. A million times over. The fact is that women are vulnerable to sexual attack. DEAL WITH IT. Men are bigger and stronger than we are, and can beat us up and rape us. The only thing that stops them, in fact, is something called civilization, which is something that Egyptian men don't have. Oh, they have their own civilization, but it's not one that respects women's liberation.
You don't dangle raw meat in front of a bunch of deranged, enraged tigers.
That's what Lara Logan did, and she suffered the consequences.
As would a curvaceous woman who take a walk in the 'hood in revealing clothing.
Not every woman is as lucky as you are: to live around safely gelded middle class men and fags.
Actually, I don't think you are a woman anyway. I think you are a gay guy pretending to be a woman.
@Sophia, that first paragraph is staggeringly ignorant.
ReplyDeleteThe last paragraph is a doozy too, though. It's pretty hard to choose which portion of your comment is the most ridiculous.
I'm comfortable with and proud of my feminist idealogy, thanks.
"You don't dangle raw meat in front of a bunch of deranged, enraged tigers."
ReplyDeleteAgain: staggeringly ignorant. Way to equate women with raw meat, by the way.
"Not every woman is as lucky as you are: to live around safely gelded middle class men and fags."
Well, not only are you batshit cray-cray, but you're also a bigot! Nice.
"Actually, I don't think you are a woman anyway. I think you are a gay guy pretending to be a woman."
It's the internet, dear. You can think whatever you want.
I've been accused of being a gay guy trapped in a woman's body, though.
Unlike you, I don't have an obvious hatred for gay men, so I don't take that as an insult. *shrugs*
Lara Logan is an incredible journalist. It is horrible to think that she shouldn't be able to report a story based on her gender. I look forward to watching her for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteI'm not making fun of rape but no one has bother to questioned the validity of Lara's story.
ReplyDeleteShe was raped by 200 men in an hour!
200 Men!?! She did a headcount...and timed it.
Then a group of local national females closed ranks around her...
These women broke through 200 men to protect Laura ????
Or did they come to her aid after the ordeal???
And 20 MEN of the Army came and got Lara???
No streching of the truth at all.
I think that you have to be smart in how assignments are handed out. I do not think she should have been on the street like that. The danger was too great. in my opinion. It has nothing to do with her competence or bravery. It was a dangerous situation and you can always count on people to act barbaric when there is no chance of being caught,
ReplyDeletethank you all for your comments. It was interesting reading the different persectives put out- for all to see.
ReplyDeleteI think saying you would be ashamed to be called an American alongside me, is to say you aren't American yourself. To not respect the viewpoint of another is ignorant...isn't it?
I love this blog- the honesty is refreshing.
If being an 'American' means standing by and condoning you (and other americans) dehumanize and encourage that kind of behavior then I guess you're right, Im not the kind of American you are.
ReplyDeleteAnd thank god for that
"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." You can't fight hate with hate, only with love and forgiveness. Obviously there are plenty of Americans who are just as awful as any member of the Taliban.
ReplyDeleteAmerica: Fuck, yeah!
ReplyDelete...No j/k Canada FTW!
"Just curious" - why don't you try to live up to your name and actually read up on the facts of what happened to her instead of misinterpreting what Enty said.
ReplyDelete"If it were them being raped and killed by terrorists and seeing what savages they are first hand, then maybe they'd feel differently."
ReplyDeleteDo you feel differently about the American soldiers who have been raping and killing? I'm assuming "yes." Because they aren't "savages," they're "patriots."
Wow, what ignorance I see here. Double standards. Hypocracy, prejudice.
ReplyDeleteAll I really have to say is thank you to Jasmine for her eloquence. I am totally in your corner on this. Anyhow who thinks they should cheer for pissing on dead bodies is a real head case.
Sophia, your grasp of the mentality of rape is shockingly pathetic. Men don't rape because they are sexually attracted. They rape as a means of exercising power over someone. That is why straight men rape men in prison, for instance. Lara Logan was raped by 200 men because they saw an opportunity to exert power over her. Perhaps to "show her her place," or to make her suffer because they have suffered. I don't know their individual reasons, but I can assure you that no man rapes anyone because he wants to express sexual attraction.
ReplyDeleteAnd for Christine to equate peeing on the dead bodies of killed soldiers with "patriotism" makes me sick. Patriotism is about loving one's country enough to stand up for what is right and decent. There is nothing honorable in the least about peeing on dead soldiers, let alone your suggestion of shitting on them. You have the right to your opinion--thanks to millions of soldiers throughout history who have believed in the decency of other people and in the rights of all people to be free--and I have to violently disagree with your opinion. As I have the right to do.
I'm Team Ida, Jasmine, Maja, Moosh all the way.
where did I say I thought peeing on someone was patriotic?
ReplyDeleteI did not. I said it did not bother me that they peed on TERRORISTS.
Love is all that matters.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter who your God is. Be merciful. We don't walk in anyone's shoes but our own, and be thankful to your God for sparing you the shoes of the taliban.
I dont remember who this is in reply to, but its way off topic.
We need to give Lara our love and the media needs to move on from her tragedy.
Again, love is ALL that matters
PS- Taliban terrorists have not been upgraded to SOLDIERS. they are terrorists, and nothing less.
ReplyDeleteThere is no Taliban "Army" fighting for a legit Country is there? NO there isn't.
PISS ON THEM- not the countrys they rape and the schools they burn, not the young girls they refuse to let be schooled...
I refuse to answer in order to avoid further arguments.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, you are absolutely right. I am thinking of Lara Logan, surrounding her in my mind with the comfort and safety of love. Thank you for reminding us that love is all that matters in the end.
Christine, I'm hoping you're a troll, because if you're really that ignorant and lacking in empathy, it's scary to me.
ReplyDeleteLara Logan can recover. This is exactly what PTSD therapy helps. It is amazing what normal humans can come back from. I'm looking forward to the day when men can be respectful to all humans, creatures and the earth. A day when those men, who are usually physically stronger than women, don't allow abuse to happen to anyone, anything at any time. I think it will be a long wait.
ReplyDeleteNot a troll- why should I be knocked for expressing my thoughts?
ReplyDeleteAre we truly be Americans by calling someone a troll for a simple and quite realistic thought? Why is it bad to express hatred for a group of people who have sold their own, raped, burned, bombed and murdered their own for the reward of "72 virgins"?
Give me a break- Lara Logan has the right to report and I have the right to speak my mind.
Again- I never said it was patriotic to piss on anyone- and whoever wrote that owes me an apology.
Christine...you are completely entitled to your opinion, and just because others may not agree with you...it's too bad. I personally chuckled when I heard about the soldiers peeing on the Taliban terrorists. No, it wasn't very patriotic, but to me it was funny. Having been in NYC on 9/11 and losing a dear one, I have no sympathy for the Taliban. I'm not PC and I don't agree and say what everyone wants to hear. Oh well...to each his own.
ReplyDeleteChristine and Diane: ignorant twats the two of you.
ReplyDeleteJasmine: eloquently and classily put. My hat is off.
I would be horrified to see one of our soldiers' bodies defiled by people in places where we are considered the enemy.
ReplyDeleteFor those of your who agree with this being done to members of Taliban/enemy, it open the door to justify it being done to our men and women too.
Remember we are the enemy to the Taliban, just as they are the enemy here. We can be proud to be American and against terrorism, domestic and foreign, without falling into the dehumanization we claim we object to by other governments.
Just....wow at this thread. There are some cold, dark people who comment here on the weekends.
ReplyDeleteThe hatred of small-minded bigots and assholes is what makes America great.
ReplyDeleteIt's just too bad that those soldiers were not anally raping those corpses, so that Christine et al. could really be proud of them.
It doesn't just happen in Egypt.
ReplyDeletehttp://jezebel.com/5878537/why-i-punched-a-stranger
wow @snakeoilseller- where did you come up with that?
ReplyDeleteIt is almost hilarious how dense the responses are- is anyone here under the impression that there are "good" Taliban out there? Are those the ones that blow up their fellow Iraqis? Or are they the ones that blow up schools that teach girls? Which are the ones that are burning Yemen from one end to the other? Which are the ones taking over Northern Africa?
As I posted above- my daughter has spent considerable time in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, and Iraq- she even had her own Girl Scout type troop that she asked we send her pencils- so she could share them with the girls in Iraq. And no, she was not military....
Would love to hear how many posters here have real exerience to share about the Middle East.
"why should I be knocked for expressing my thoughts?"
ReplyDeleteBecause your thoughts are ignorant and hateful. Yes, you have a right to express them, and I have a right to say how detestable I think they are.
I also hate the Taliban, but pissing on them is not going to solve anything, it's just going to make things worse. If your daughter continues to travel in the Middle East, I hope you realize these soldiers' actions have put her in much greater danger.
Well said, La Pachuquita. We cannot demand from others what we do not require of ourselves.
ReplyDelete