Sunday February 17, 2013, 3:25 pm
February 6, 2013, 6:04 pm
Egyptian Prime Minister Criticized for Soliloquy on ‘Ignorant’ Mothers
By LIAM STACK

Last Updated, Thursday, 1:21 p.m. With angry protesters challenging the Egyptian government's grip on strategic cities of the Suez Canal, the army chief warning of the potential "collapse of the state," violent sexual assault plaguing demonstrations in Tahrir Square and more than 50 deaths in the latest round of street clashes, the nation's prime minister spoke this week on state television about a social problem that few people saw coming: unclean breasts.

In rambling remarks broadcast on the state broadcaster Nile TV, Prime Minister Hisham Qandil turned his attention to the problem of diarrhea among infants in the Egyptian countryside. Specifically, he said: "I am certain, I don't know, but am certain, that there are villages in Egypt in the 21st century where children get diarrhea" because "the mother nurses them and out of ignorance does not undertake personal hygiene of her breasts."

He said that in rural areas, "there is no water and there is no sanitary sewer drainage." Mr. Qandil also made a confusing reference to sexual assault, saying that in many villages "the men go to the mosque" while "the women go to the fields and they get raped."

Mr. Qandil, an agricultural engineer and former water minister, spoke about villages that he said he had visited in the rural province of Beni Suef, 70 miles south of Cairo, the capital. Video of the remarks posted on YouTube shows that several male and female listeners appeared uncomfortable as the prime minister spoke.

On Thursday, Bloomberg News reported that a group of Beni Suef residents responded to Mr. Qandil's comments by filing a legal complaint for libel and slander against the Prime Minister:

The claim against Prime Minister Hisham Qandil alleges he slandered and insulted the city's female residents by saying they did not pay enough attention to personal hygiene, resulting in infants coming down with diarrhoea.

The remarks have also sparked controversy online and in Egypt's raucous Arabic-language media. On Monday night, a talk show host on the independent Tahrir television network, Dina Abdel Fattah, asked her viewers, "Can you imagine, an Egyptian prime minister addressing a topic like that, while we have martyrs in the street, we have people being killed every day, we have entire provinces in a state of unrest?"

On Twitter, several people agreed that it was odd for the prime minister to broach this subject in the midst of Egypt's political crises. Others were shocked that Mr. Qandil, who holds a Ph.D. from North Carolina State University, would argue that women's personal hygiene could cause diarrhea.

Qandil, a PhD holder in agriculture, who knows abt toxic, polluted water in delta & blames "unclean" breastfeeding to a diarrhea epidemic

- Gigi Ibrahim (@Gsquare86) 5 Feb 13

In a mind-boggling yet strangely familiar break from reality,Egypt PM Qandil blamed country's rural diarrhea epidemic on women's breasts #PT

- Rasha Abdulla (@RashaAbdulla) 6 Feb 13

In the United States, medical consensus says that breast-feeding is beneficial for babies, and few studies appear to have been done on the effect of a mother's personal hygiene on infant digestion. According to a pamphlet produced by the Office of Women's Health at the United States Department of Health and Human Services, breast milk is "liquid gold," rich in nutrients and antibodies, with "just the right amount of fat, sugar, water and protein" to help babies grow.

Sunday February 17, 2013, 4:10 pm
Beg your pardon, Mr Quandil ? I wonder what-if any-response will there be/was there? from Mursi..-?
This is unbelievable..

Sunday February 17, 2013, 4:28 pm
You cannot currently send a star to Angelika because you have done so within the last week

Monday February 18, 2013, 10:47 am
the mohammedan woman is "a tilth (field) to be plowed" and "like domestic animals, having nothing for themselves".

dairy farmers have to keep cows' udders and teats clean so it only stands to reason that human udders and teats need to be clean too before they get milked. dude is just applying logic here, right?

but why is it always the woman's fault?

Monday February 18, 2013, 12:16 pm
It is quite possible that the women do clean their breasts, if they are allowed to. It could be that they are not allowed to eat properly so that passes through to the baby causing the problems. Let's be fair, even in properly educated families babies can be ill.

It's the ignorant male whittering on about something he obviously has no idea about that is excessively offensive especially as it is probably the man's fault anyway. That's not a guess, the Muslim man makes sure he's alright Jack but the women have to make do.

Monday February 18, 2013, 12:38 pm
If there is no water and no sanitary conditions in the country how do the people even wash No good degrading anyone if you dont even have water They cant wash without water so that must be difficult but why are nt they doing something about it instead of just saying it on TV. Actions speak louder than words

Noted Thank you

Monday February 18, 2013, 3:17 pm
You cannot currently send a star to Carol because you have done so within the last week.

Monday February 18, 2013, 3:27 pm
This is another personal attack on women in that area IMO...their mentality of it being the fault of the woman for the babies getting diarrhea from not cleaning her breasts is about like men blaming women in those areas for having girl babies when it is the result of THEIR sperm that decides whether the infant will be a boy or a girl. He is reaching into something he has no credible sources of information to base this decision on!

Monday February 18, 2013, 3:29 pm
At least he's being criticized!

Monday February 18, 2013, 3:49 pm
Just about what you'd expect from one of Morsi's henchmen.

Monday February 18, 2013, 4:05 pm
You cannot currently send a star to pam because you have done so within the last week.

Monday February 18, 2013, 7:23 pm
Growing up in America, we have our own ignorant people, who we refer to as “Hillbillies.” We have often been quoted as saying, “ ... oh, and they have babies! It is terrifying!”

Up until I started studying up on Islamization, I thought that I had already met most of the ignorant individuals on the earth. Obviously, I was terribly wrong!

I am sure the diarrhea has everything to do with contaminated water. I heard Egypt is filthy, not necessarily because of the ignorance of mind, however, because of the influence of Islam.
I was told the only clean hygiene verses of the Koran went something like this, “grab a handful of sand from the desert, rub your hands together before rubbing the sand granules over your face,” and I was paraphrasing!!!

The conditions that the article was referring to in the rural areas may actually lead to a Cholera epidemic. This is only an opinion. However, I am sure Cholera is nothing new to the region!!!

Cholera is an infection in the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse, watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by the feces (waste product) of an infected person, including one with no apparent symptoms. The severity of the diarrhea and vomiting can lead to rapid dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, and death in some cases. The primary treatment is oral rehydration therapy, typically with oral rehydration solution, to replace water and electrolytes. If this is not tolerated or does not provide improvement fast enough, intravenous fluids can also be used. Antibacterial drugs are beneficial in those with severe disease to shorten its duration and severity. Worldwide, it affects 3–5 million people and causes 100,000–130,000 deaths a year as of 2010. Cholera was one of the earliest infections to be studied by epidemiological methods.

Of course, what do I know?