90 Lashes
Islamic Law sucks.A 19-year-old Saudi woman who was kidnapped, beaten and gang raped by seven men who then took photos of their victim and threatened to kill her, was sentenced under the country's Islamic-based law to 90 lashes for the "crime" of being alone with a man not related to her.Does that make it better or worse?
The woman is appealing to Saudi King Abdullah to intervene in the controversial case.
"I ask the king to consider me as one of his own daughters and have mercy on me and set me free from the 90 lashes," the woman said in an emotional interview published Monday in the Saudi Gazette.
"I was shocked at the verdict. I couldn't believe my ears. Ninety lashes! Ninety lashes!" the woman, identified only as "G," told the English-language newspaper.
Five months after the harsh judgment, her sentence has yet to be carried out, "G" said she waits in fear every day for the phone call telling her to submit to authorities to carry out her punishment.
Lashes are usually spread over several days. About 50 lashes are given at a time.
Labels: general interest, politics, WTF
posted by scalpel at 5:38 PM
22 Comments:
Evil. Pure evil.
What did the gang rapists get - a slap on the hand?
It's not evil; it's ignorance (...which is pretty much the human currency of evil).
Good for her taking the issue public, and I hope the king does the right thing.
This is a shining example of why I really don't want to live in a theocracy, thanks very much.
Women don't really have a place in strict Muslim society. The punishment metted out to a woman reflects moreso on a woman's family; crazy but weird, I know. Women are completely insignificant compared to the perceived purity of the family's name, and they have to pay the price for that.
Having read the Qur'an from a Western perspective, I do wonder how extremists manage to construe such an anti-women perspective. If you compare the Qur'an to the Old Testament (roughly a same time and cultural period) -- the Qur'an is infinitely more superior in regards to womens' rights.
Sigmund Freud, "Men are more moral than they think and far more immoral than they can imagine." This is about as immoral as it gets.
MJ
Every time I hear something like this, I always have to remind myself that it's real and not some kind of sick joke. -_-;
How do sane people hear this and NOT go "Wait a second, that's just f**ked up?!" There have to be at least a significant minority of sane people over there somewhere, right?
I've never traveled to any middle eastern country, but I know a lot of people here in NYC who come from them... They seem normal.. O.o
And people think that Islamic fundamentalism doesn't need to be defeated???????? They are freaking full of Satan.
As much as I absolutely deplore the barbaric sort of things like this I hear on a routine basis, I have a hard time feeling *too* superior, knowing that there are still 400 or so people held at Gitmo for their fifth year, in super-max type conditions, many of whom were innocent bastards sold to the Americans for the bounty. Yeah, maybe there are a few bad guys there, but quite frankly, that's never really been established, has it?
I suppose I can take solace knowing that it's only my government I have to be ashamed of. It's gotta be pretty tough to be a moderate muslim knowing bastards like these are the public face of their religion and culture.
I fail to understand how the anonymous commenter can be allowed off his medication if he thinks that the Gitmo internees are all or mostly innocent victims.
Well, that's their culture and I have to respect that. That's also why I'm happy to remain here in the USA, thank you very much.
Treating women that way may very well be their "culture" but that doesn't mean I have to respect it. I acknowledge that they do it - but I certainly don't respect them for it.
I live in a very prominent East Indian area; in fact I'm probably the only white, single girl in a 5 block radius. In one month 4 women were killed, either by their husbands or by unknowns in surrounding areas (the city itself is prominently East Indian). There's also been NUMEROUS cases of women showing up at hospitals in the lower mainland, who are East Indian, and who have been beaten severely.
In October, during the month that 4 women were killed, a meeting was held and there were women there who said if their husband's knew or found out they were participating in the meeting, they'd be beaten. One woman mentioned that her husband broke her jaw 4 times and threw her down the stairs infront of her children.
But hey - that's THEIR culture. Should I respect it?
No. I do not respect it and I do not respect them.
"It's their culture" is not an excuse to turn a blind eye to the abuse that goes on. "It's their culture" is just not a good excuse.
I don't care if it's their "culture". It's wrong. I won't respect them. I don't respect them and I do not respect their "culture". I love a lot of different cultures, but abuse against women simply because we're women is just plain wrong. It's disgusting.
It needs to stop and frankly, as unpopular as this is going to sound, I wouldn't be bothered if all the men in their "culture" who abused women and treated them like chattel were suddenly blown up.
Scalpel, I'm sorry for sounding so abrasive. This topic gets to me as I have a few friends who have lived through their "culture"; one was forced to be the 6th wife of a man 40 years her senior, was raped by her brothers, beaten by her husband and his other wives, made to sleep with dogs, eat with dogs, chained, and tortured before she was finally able to escape. And all that is not uncommon.
A good book to read on the topic is "Princess" by Jean Sasson. It touches you. Deeply.
Super Steno Girl: Well said.
This woman was tortured and now is going to be tortured more. That is not culture, that's evil.
And I'll bet the gang rapists got a slap on the wrist.
Belief that all cultures are equally valid and equally worthy of preservation = evil.
And if you think "well that's just their culture," then please feel free to move your sorry stupid ass somewhere where you get beaten severely for the "sin" of having been kidnapped, terrorized and gang raped.
Good Lord. This is unspeakable. A further 90 lashes after all that? Oh no, that's not pouring a truckload of salt on the wound at all, no.
I don't think all Muslim countries adopt this law...in fact from what little I know of the Quran, I thought that it held women's rights in high regard (like Hannah said). I had no idea stuff like this was still happening. I hope the king gives those responsible a royal smackdown.
Oh btw, Scalpel, I love your blog. Your style of writing's pleasant to read. I've added you to my blogroll. Hope you don't mind the heading I've given you :)
Angrymedic -
The Qur'an's teaching on women is definitely interesting. Essentially, women are considered property; women are usually considered subservient to men in most cases. (Two women = one man in legal proceedings.) This is culturally typical of when the Qur'an was written, however. Yet the Qur'an also states that a woman has certain rights in regard to divorce/child custody/marriage. Mohammad commanded that men and women be taught equally; and it was Mohammad's daughter who, in the early days, took over for her deceased father. (Obviously, the Judeo-Christian belief of the inferiority of women does in some part stem from Eve and original sin -- which is *not* recogized in the Qu'ran, although it does cover most of the Old Testament.)
http://www.islamfortoday.com/shatteringillusions.htm
is a good essay that balances both sides of the issue.
Here in the USA people were allowed outright ownership of other people as recently as 150 years ago and it was only about fifty years ago when we started to grant basic rights to people of color. I know that's all before most of yours time but it's only a hiccup in the continuum so I don't really feel that we're that much better than the followers of Islam.
I'm not saying that people shouldn't be prosecuted to the full extent of the law if they bring these practices here. Also, did you ever wonder why they are so eager to immigrate to western countries? Could it be, oh I don't know, because their own societies are fucked up beyond repair? Of course, they want to bring their own traditions with them. Go figure.
Until the Muslim world decides to treat themselves with humanity and respect, they will never treat anyone with humanity or respect.
Their society has to change in a fundamental (ha!) way before we'll see any progress on their penchant for violence against women or even us, the unholy infidels.
And I agree, the Quran's teachings have been twisted beyond recognition.
But as one anon said, it wasn't all that long ago that we were committing atrocities of our own, but I would bring the dates up a bit. As recently as the 70s/80s women reporting rape to the police were ridiculed and ignored.
At least we show some capacity to learn and change. I'm not so sure that's possible in the Muslim world.
M
You can click on the link for the whole story.
Five of the rapists were arrested and given jail terms ranging from 10 months to five years. The prosecutor had asked for the death penalty for the men.
William F. Buckley put it the best when referring to this colossally stupic PC attiutde of "respecting" barbaric customs:
Cannabalism for cannibals! Political Correctness for everyone else!
OK - sorry I missed that there was some punishment for the perps. Some of them may see some jail time. Also sorry that my answer was so angry. I have seen what the brutality of gang rape does to a woman's body and soul and I can't make excuses for the evil worthless bastards who do this.
So one may get lashes and the others may get prison. Meanwhile, the kind of brutal beating proposed for this woman puts her at risk for rhabdomyalsis, kidney failure, disfigurement, major bleeding and death.
To see what a woman who got 50 lashes looked like 20 days
after her assault/punishment, here is a web site for you: http://www.homa.org/Details.asp?ContentID=2137352747&TOCID=2083225413
The sizable hematomas are still visible 20 days later. Disgusting.
Remember our 19 year-old is going to get 90 lashes.
I'm saying a prayer for her and wishing we could do something more.
Yikes! Seeing as how the ruling suggests women have control over when and where they are gang raped, remind me to be sure I only get gang raped in a country not under Islamic law.
hannah: the quran is circa 700AD, which is long after both the OT and the NT.
This is really sick. I have no words to describe how sad it makes me. How can we go to bed without thinking about people who are disgraced like that? Another thing is that nobody seems to care about the guy who was also raped. He was raped and senteced to the same punishment as the woman. Does anybody care about him? Was he "pardoned" as well?
Post a Comment
<< Home