KARACHI- A women from Karachi shared the horrible story of being harassed during Tawaf-e-Kabba.
Sabica Khan took it to the social media to reveal the ghastly details of being subjected to the sexual assault at a place where we all want to feel the safest. According to her:
“While performing my Tawaf around the Kaaba after Isha prayer, something really weird happened. It was my 3rd tawaf, and I felt a hand on my waist. I thought it was just an innocent mistake. I completely ignored. Then… I felt it again. It made me feel very uncomfortable. I kept moving. During my 6th tawaf, I suddenly felt something aggressively poking my butt, I froze, unsure of whether it was intentional.”
“I ignored and just kept moving slowly because the crowd was huge. I even tried to turn around but woefully couldn’t. When I reached the Yemeni corner, someone tried to grab and pinch my butt.” She shared and continued, “I decided to stop there. Grabbed his hand and threw it off me *couldn’t move or turn around* I was literally petrified. Couldn’t even escape, so I stood, and turned around as much as I could, to see what’s happening, I turned around but… couldn’t see who it was.”
According to her account, she felt violated and unable to speak. She stayed quite out of shame and the fear that no one would trust her. However, finally found the courage to speak up.
After Sabica shared the most unfortunates incident on Facebook, people who have been through the same started sharing their experiences. Few other women, who wished to keep their identity anonymous, shared:
” I am ashamed to admit that I have experienced that too during tawaf. I wasn’t even safe from the lustful staring of some shaytans. It is so sad that Even the holiest place on earth isn’t safe for women.”
“Women aren’t safe anywhere, I experienced more or less same during tawaf at Huj 2010.”
Author and public speaker, Mona Eltahawy, also took it to the Twitter to share harassment she faced during Hajj.
I have shared my experience of being sexually assaulted during Haj in 1982 when I was 15 in the hope that it will help fellow Muslim women break silence and taboo around their experience of sexual harassment/abuse during Haj/Umra or in sacred spaces. Let’s use #MosqueMeToo https://t.co/uDsZFDolgX
— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) February 6, 2018
I read about #MosqueMeToo. It brought me to horrible memories during Hajj 2010. People think Mecca is the holiest place for Moslems so nobody would not do something bad. Totally wrong.
— Anggi Lagorio (@AnggiAngguni) February 6, 2018
Another Twitter user shared that his mother and sisters went to Hajj and were groped.
Each time my mom and her sisters went to Hajj, they were groped—disgusting ppl w/no morals/“deen”; toxic patriarchy; keep doing what you’re doing, Mona. #MosqueMeToo
— Hassan Saleh (@hass_saleh) February 8, 2018
