Why dost thou lash that whore?
So…let’s see how religion and piety inspire people to be kind to their fellow humans.
President Pervez Musharraf has opened a new and especially bitter confrontation with radical Islam by trying to rewrite Pakistan’s controversial rape laws. These place an almost impossible burden of proof on women by compelling them to produce four “pious” male witnesses to prove rape or risk being convicted of adultery and face 100 lashes or death by stoning.
So…these laws make it impossible for a woman to charge anyone with rape. Why, one wonders? What did Allah have in mind with that? That…women are such liars and sluts that they deserve to be raped except on the rare occasions when there are four pious males in the room when a fifth gets a crazy impulse to rape a woman? Is that it? Well, apparently.
A powerful militant Muslim lobby regards this code as sacred and based on Koranic texts and sharia law…Gen Musharraf’s allies in parliament sparked the fury of the militant opposition by introducing a Women Protection Bill. This would remove the requirement for four male witnesses to prove rape and set 16 as the age of consent for sex with girls. When this measure came before parliament, Islamic radicals responded by tearing up copies of the bill and storming out. “This bill is against the Holy Koran,” said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the leader of the militant opposition. “We reject it and will try to block it in any possible manner.” Other MPs chanted “death to Musharraf” and “Allah is great.”
Do they ever think, these militant types? If so, what do they think about? Do they ever think about why Allah who is great would makes such a law? Do they ever wonder why they want men who rape women to have impunity? Are they so confident that all women are whores and liars (their own daughters, sisters, mothers?) that they deserve to be raped with impunity, and stoned or lashed to death if they charge someone with rape and can’t persuade the four pious witnesses to testify?
I don’t know, but I wonder.
Hey – don’t get all upset; make some gently ironic jokes about it and it’ll work itself out.
Ian B Gibson – my first response to your comment is revulsion. My second is a search for irony or useful illumination. My third is again revulsion. Perhaps you will elucidate your meaning?
They are religious beleivers.
Mike,
I think Ian was referencing Scruton;
‘…it is from a posture of irony that every real negotiation, every offer of peace, every acceptance of the other, begins. The way forward, it seems to me, is to encourage the re-emergence of an ironical Islam,…’
Which was an earlier topic.
Naah, G. Tingey, religion here is only a thin cover for rather more earthly purposes.
These militant types think all too well. They want to continue open season on women. It’s that simple, and that brutal.
Medieval Scandinavia was theocratic, patriarchical and generally unpleasant as any state at the time – yet rape was prosecuted and punished by decapitation. Granted, the penalty for adultery was arguably worse, but still.
So it’s not even theocracy, or backwardness as such. Or even Islam as such, as India sports such quaint traditions as bride-burning and “sati”. But _why_ then are countries such as India, Iran, Pakistan locked in a kind of Sadeian fantasy virtually unknown to the rest of the world?
‘virtually unknown to the rest of the world?’
Are you kidding? There is virtually a war against women in Guatemala and other parts of South America. Highest rate of women murdered by partner is South Africa. Honour killings are legal in Haiti and, until relatively recently, in much of South America and parts of Europe.
I agree we should ask what it is that creates a state which effectively sanctions homicidal mysogyny. Is geography the best place to start?
Didn’t know that about Haiti (and it seems, not just Haiti). Thanks.
I don’t believe geography is a good place to start. What is, beats me at this moment.
Thanks Don, irony about irony.. obviously one layer too deep for me.