Stray cats and meat

Life in Egypt has not been a walk in the park for me. This is not because I have never lived abroad before. In fact I grew up in many different countries. I married an Egyptian man five years ago and have lived here ever since. People keep asking me what I think of Egypt, and I tell them: of all the countries I've travelled to or lived in, Egypt is by far the most difficult to adjust to. This is because no matter what I do I'm branded. First as a woman, second as an unveiled woman, and third as an American woman (yes I do have blonde hair). All three appear to be unforgiveable marks of evil.

My main complaint about this country is the sheikhs, and what they say about women and men. Men is not the right word perhaps. In Australia, a sheikh recently described the men as stray cats that attack, and women as meat. He was saying something along the lines that if meat (women) goes out in the street, then stray cats (men) will attack. It is not the cats' fault they attacked. It's the meat's fault for putting itself in the street. By this logic, it appears that what our dear and most revered sheikh is saying is that men are completely incapable of any kind of self control whatsoever. Therefore, they shouldn't be held accountable for their actions. Nevermind that the Quran may say that men should avert their eyes from women:

"Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and be modest. That is purer for them. Lo! Allah is aware of what they do."(The Qur'an (Pickthall tr), Sura 24 - The Light)

Who do these sheikhs think they are? I thought it wasn't allowed to interpret the Quran. Am I wrong? Who gave these people the right to abuse their power? All these Egyptian Muslims that blindly follow their sheikhs may partly be to blame(lets save that for another post shall we), but the Sheikhs that they follow are by far the more culpable. They could use their power for good, for leading people towards love and tolerance. Instead they use their power to condone complete lack of self control. They implicitly condone rape, sexual harassment and total disrespect and degradation of women.

Pardon me but isn't that the opposite of what Prophet Muhammad did in His lifetime? Didn't He come to raise women's status from that of donkey and prostitute to something noble and human?

But apparently Islam is no longer about what it's Founder said. No, let's listen to these enlightened sheikhs. Although this sheikh is practicing in Australia, this is exactly the kind of gross sermon that comes out of many sheikhs here in Egypt. In fact it seems to be the general viewpoint of the masses. How else can we explain what happened a couple nights ago in downtown area of Cairo? It didn't seem to matter that some of the women were veiled. Which proves that it doesn't really matter what women wear, they are just packages of meat, and the men are stray cats.

I don't understand how such sheikhs can call themselves of God. I may not be a Muslim myself, but I think I have more respect for who Muhammad was than most of the hate-filled, venom-spouting sheikhs I see around me.