Recently, Pakistan shocked the world by surrendering the Swat Valley to Islamic extremists and allowing the huge area to be placed under Sharia law. Now, a video (shown below) has emerged of what this means, particularly for women. The video shows a teenage girl being flogged for an improper relationship as she begs for mercy.
At one point in this video the flogger actually hits the man holding down the victim — apparently for his failure to control the victim.
The woman is wearing a burka and is shown screaming and begging for mercy as a crowd of largely silent men look on. One of the men holding her is her brother.
What is astonishing is that the Pakistani government –which just cut this deal with the extremists — has announced shock and called for an investigation after worldwide outrage.
Nevertheless, Muslim Khan, a Taliban spokesman, defended the punishment as appropriate under Islamic law, but said it should have been applied by a pre-pubescent boy in a private setting. “She had to be punished. The punishment administered by local Taliban was in our knowledge and they did the right thing, but the method was wrong.” Thank God for legal standards.
We are giving billions to Pakistan and Afghanistan in maintaining such medieval systems of brutality. The Obama Administration insists that we do not have to agree with their laws to act in our interest. However, what does it say about us that we are willing maintain such brutal repression of women to gain advantage for ourselves?
For the video and story, click here
“Where is the feminist outrage directed at our government for standing by and giving tacit approval?”
The same place it’s always been, buried on the back pages, or a short clip after the weather. It never gets airplay, because many of “the powers that be” over here don’t really give a shit about women’s rights either. And the years of Limbaugh et al. calling all women who exercise their right to speak in public and to vote “Feminazis” has bullied large numbers of women into keeping their mouths shut. Then mainstream media puts pablum like “The View” on television and holds it up to the world as if to say, “oh look, they’re so cute when they try to have opinions!”
to seamus,
don’t need to watch the video…one is released when needed…about the kids being caned for graffetti…don’t remember
being against the death penalty and the loud music is loud base that shacks ones’ house and one can’t hear their own tv or radio…but a ticket will do…
but u really changed the subject from the idea of the constitution is against cruel and unusual punishment…anthing the taliban does qualifies as that…
and again one of these videos is put out on a regular basis…
ravin
Wow. Watched the video. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be given the press. Barbaric ass-holes? Yeah, pretty much. However, I remember how wonderful everyone in the States seemed to think it was 10-15 years ago when some highschool kids (one American) in Malaysia or some place were going to get caned for graffetti.
I think we all go nuts when the crime seems to hit closer to home. I know people who are against the death penalty but want people to forfeit their cars for driving around with loud music. Crazy mixed-up foreigners.
personal trainer austin tx:
NOW has been critical of the current Administration for its kid glove approach to religious misogynists. Here’s a column for your consideration. I found it in about 10 seconds because I wanted to know the truth. What about you?
http://www.now.org/news/note/032009.html
i read in a AP report that she had relations with her father in law…i’m sure that she really wanted it!!!
second…it is sadistic
and no…the US shouldn’t be allowing anything like that in order to try and win in Afghansitan
third…it is a lack of humanity that causes this situation and similar ones in the US and elsewhere
Where is the feminist outrage directed at our government for standing by and giving tacit approval?
MikeS:
whatever you do in the privacy of your person is your business. No arguments there, unless as you say it is not agreed to by both parties.
Bron,
I think it is definitive. All of the gay people I’ve known and been friends with knew it about themselves before puberty.
I think that much of the science too is pretty definitive. The fact is though, even if it was a matter of choice what business does society have in telling people they can’t have sex in the way it turns them on. To me the only involvement that society should have with people’s sexuality is in the case of abuse, or lack of consent (either by age or by force).
One of the things that tipped me off about this was the case from the early 60’s, or late 50’s, where an unpopular local disk jockey was sentenced to 2 years in prison for sodomy, after police broke his door down while he was having oral sex with his girlfriend. I think you would agree society has no place in regulating sexuality based on religious norms.
I got a few of those as a kid, not 30 lashes though.
I think I saw a book under her Burka.
MikeS:
is that definitive on the gays? The last thing I read said they think that during some part of the prenancy if a male fetus dosent get enough testosterone it can lead to being gay. The reverse for women. I have read also that some gays are that way due to emotional trauma as young children or they just identify with the wrong sex.
I agree with you though, we cant have this type of thing going on and being supported by the US.
“The Obama Administration insists that we do not have to agree with their laws to act in our interest.” Supporting the abridgment of human rights is seldom in our interest IMO, if it doesn’t come back to bite us in the short term it probably will in the long term.
I have always believed that we must respect all cultures and learn from their experiences and wisdom. Cultural/religious neutrality, however, I have come to believe has its’ limits. The rights of equality for all women must come before cultural and religious norms. This cannot be negotiable, nor can those peoples who disrespect woman’s rights be tolerated. The same also must be said of homosexuality, which is determined by one’s birth and is not a matter of choice. As complex as the answers may be we humans can no longer allow cultural and religious bigotry to remain in the interests of allowing cultural diversity. Those who perpetrate abridging woman’s or homosexuals rights can not hide behind their traditions or their false beliefs.
A lot has changed in SWAT since 2002.
Here are a few pictures I took in May of 2002.
The picture of the cop attempting to explain that life is just an Oliver Stone conspiracy was taken at the Landakai checkpoint; or the entry point to SWAT.
http://recordingdevice.tripod.com/
N.B. Sharia law did not apply; strictly Pashtun tribal code and Pakistani law.
“However, what does it say about us that we are willing maintain such brutal repression of women to gain advantage for ourselves?”
************
It says we’re utilitarians of the first order. By the way, the ‘happiness” we’re concerned about is ours, and obviously not her’s.