Lost his temper, you see.… Read the rest
All entries by this author
Somehow
Dec 14th, 2007 12:14 pm | By Ophelia BensonBlind fingers-in-ears lalalala denial is interesting to see. It is not so because it cannot be so because it would be bad if it were so therefore it is not so; do you understand.
Violence against women is sadly a global human rights issue and occurs within all communities, regardless of race, class, culture and faith. It is troubling when this occurs in some communities because the media are quick to focus the story on “issues in the community” that have led to Aqsa’s slaying. The story becomes about how some communities have a greater tolerance for violence against women.
Funny old media, focusing on what appears to be the grim reality of what led to Aqsa’s murder; they … Read the rest
Why We Must Continue Writing for Freedom 
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Many women around the world risk their lives to reveal what they know about violence against women.… Read the rest
Nigel Warburton and Tom Hurka on The Grasshopper
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
It’s both philosophically profound and a literary masterpiece.… Read the rest
An Imam Explains
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘This girl, she refused to stay at home and there was the feeling that she was going in the wrong direction.’… Read the rest
Denial in Action
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Not true that ‘the incidence of violence and murder of women is somehow greater in these “other” communities.’… Read the rest
Life in Polygamy
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
“Living ‘the law’ was like torture. It went beyond self-sacrifice to the point of totally rejecting self.” … Read the rest
Tarek Fatah Asks a Question
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘How many more Muslim girls have to die before the liberal intelligentsia says the hijab is a symbol of oppression?’… Read the rest
Teenage Rebellion
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Parents who don’t want daughters to wear hijab get upset too. Yes but do they kill the daughters?… Read the rest
Academic Freedom and Evolution
Dec 14th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘It is not indoctrination for professors of biology to require students to understand principles of evolution.’… Read the rest
70th Anniversary of Nanjing Massacre
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Some in Japan claim the massacre was fabricated or exaggerated.… Read the rest
Review of Chris Mooney’s Storm World
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Nuanced account of major areas of disagreement over possible effects of global warming on hurricanes. … Read the rest
Abuse at Christian Brothers Facility in Galway
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
Report outlined harrowing allegations of assault; 21 residents claimed they were raped and beaten. … Read the rest
Who killed Aqsa Parvez?
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
A medieval ethos that treats women as nonpersons, unable to decide for themselves.… Read the rest
Farzana Hassan on Saudi Rape Victim
Dec 13th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The Saudi justice system renders women voiceless: non-persons without freedom and socially marginalized… Read the rest
Never forget Aqsa Parvez
Dec 13th, 2007 | By Homa ArjomandAqsa Parvez is another victim of honor killing, She, too has been tried and sentenced to death by her family’s belief, for not honoring the backward culture and traditions which are promoted and guarded by religious movements in particular the Islamist movement globally. Amongst all other girls and women who have been victims of honor killing, Aqsa Parvez, a sixteen-year-old, studying in grade 11 at a high school in Mississauga, Ontario – as well as Heshu from England, Fadima from Sweden and Hutun from Germany – were murdered in so called Islamic communities in Western countries, for not honoring the inhuman tradition. These victims had the desire to live in a modern society, and all wished to determine their own … Read the rest
Pesky family spats
Dec 13th, 2007 10:46 am | By Ophelia BensonOkay now let’s not get excited here. These things happen. Teenagers rebel, parents get cross, the fur flies, doors slam, windows shatter. It happens in the best of families – Christian, atheist, Buddhist, Scientologist, Free Silverist, you name it. It’s a terrible shame, but it doesn’t mean anything – it’s just like a spot of bad weather.
It’s a bitterly sad story, and if, indeed, her father killed her, nothing can excuse that. Aqsa might well have defied family values and parental rules, but nothing she did warranted death. Harsh words, perhaps, and even grounding, but there can be no tolerance for such violence.
Oh good – glad to know that killing a daughter for defying family values is … Read the rest
Fainting in coils
Dec 12th, 2007 6:01 pm | By Ophelia BensonI don’t see eye to eye with Ali Eteraz here.
[T]he fact that Muslims around the world insist “Islam means peace” is evidence that a vast number of Muslims do not think that Islam means violence.
No…the fact that (many) Muslims insist that Islam means peace is evidence that many Muslims want to think that Islam means peace, and therefore they 1) simply insist that it does and 2) explain away anything that would cast doubt on that thought, either by saying that violence is extremist and aberrant or by saying that what looks to the uncomprehending like violence is actually peace. In short, they rationalize, as people often do about their chosen religion. It’s a mistake to take … Read the rest
How Canada Let Aqsa Parvez Down
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
The hijab marks those wearing it as chattel, leashed to their fathers and brothers like a dog collar. … Read the rest
Death Penalty for Failure to Submit
Dec 12th, 2007 |
Filed by Ophelia Benson
‘She wanted to live her life the way she wanted to, not the way her parents wanted her to.’… Read the rest
