Rape victim gets 200 lashes |
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Israfil
Senior Member Joined: 08 September 2003 Status: Offline Points: 3984 |
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Posted: 22 November 2007 at 12:06am |
Rape victim gets 200 lashes Riyadh - A court in the ultra-conservative kingdom of Saudi Arabia is punishing a female victim of gang rape with 200 lashes and six months in jail, a newspaper reported on Thursday. The 19-year-old woman - whose six armed attackers have been sentenced to jail terms - was initially ordered to undergo 90 lashes for "being in the car of an unrelated male at the time of the rape", the Arab News reported. But in a new verdict issued after Saudi Arabia's Higher Judicial Council ordered a retrial, the court in the eastern town of Al-Qatif more than doubled the number of lashes to 200. A court source told the English-language Arab News that the judges had decided to punish the woman further for "her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media". Saudi Arabia enforces a strict Islamic doctrine known as Wahhabism and forbids unrelated men and women from associating with each other, bans women from driving and forces them to cover head-to-toe in public. Last year, the court sentenced six Saudi men to between one and five years in jail for the rape as well as ordering lashes for the victim, a member of the minority Shi'ite community. But the woman's lawyer Abdul Rahman al-Lahem appealed, arguing that the punishments were too lenient in a country where the offence can carry the death penalty. In the new verdict issued on Wednesday, the Al-Qatif court also toughened the sentences against the six men to between two and nine years in prison. The case has angered members of Saudi Arabia's Shi'ite community. The convicted men are Sunni Muslims, the dominant community in the oil-rich Gulf state. Lahem, also a human rights activist, told AFP on Wednesday that the court had banned him from handling the rape case and withdrew his licence to practise law because he challenged the verdict. He said he has also been summoned by the ministry of justice to appear before a disciplinary committee in December. Lahem said the move might be due to his criticism of some judicial institutions, and "contradicts King Abdullah's quest to introduce reform, especially in the justice system." King Abdullah last month approved a new body of laws regulating the judicial system in Saudi Arabia, which rules on the basis of sharia, or Islamic law. See Article: http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2221631 ,00.html Opinion: Although it is quite clear Saudi Arabia is not a model "Islamic country" it is important enough here that we must unanimously and openly, criticize the use of false "Islamization" of law. I want to know how many of my brethren will pour into the streets yelling and screaming injustice in the same manner as the United States military in Muslim countries repeatedly violate civil liberties? I would suspect not in the same manner. I would suspect my brethren would not react in the same way as the U.S. flag burning Muslims in the extremely conservative Muslim countries. As long as some of our brethren get away with injustice we Muslims will be forever labeled in association with the illogical behavior of others no matter how much we reject it. What are we telling our women and the young girls about this behavior? That, so long as they are alone with men they are as guilty as the ones who violated them? this reeks of injustice and I for one [even if I'm the only Muslim] am totally against ever part of the Saudi government's decision to punish this 19-year old girl. Yes I understand that I'm quite bias here without knowing the entire facts but we all know that such practices are common in these countries, not just Saudi Arabia. In much of the Muslim world with the exception of a few countries women are definitely not seen as equals and this article proves the point. Instead of seeing our women as beautiful equals, the completion of the human, we imprison them and give them 200 lashes just for being the victim of a crime "they should have prevented." After reading this article I'm ashamed to even be associated with them as a Muslim this is pathetic. Edited by Israfil |
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Walid
Groupie Joined: 10 October 2007 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 58 |
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Israfil, Hold on your horses and be proud to your Islam. Though I have no sympathy for this women you should know it was judges discretion to teach a lesson for this women. Having said that, those who gang raped her should be killed/hanged all in real Islamic setting. Their rules on gangs was pathetic and unislamic. I wonder where is other muslim scholars in this blessing land. These judges should be fired or face Islamic ta'zir by failing to deliver justice to terrorist gangs. Alas, the whole thing is fiasco orchastrated by this filthy regime. But the good thing is though western media have a feast on this, they will not shade the real Islam in real Islamic setting. Rubba Darratin Nafia
Walid Edited by Walid |
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abuayisha
Senior Member Muslim Joined: 05 October 1999 Location: Los Angeles Status: Offline Points: 5105 |
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Are you aware of, or have you read any official court transcript on this case? Surely, there is another side to this story, which is essential in order for us to have an informed opinion. Likewise, a working knowledge of Islamic law would certainly be helpful. I am sure that many of our Western court cases leave our Middle Eastern folk baffled and for much of the same reason, that is, not having full details along with a fundamental misunderstanding of the judicial system involved. Filthy regime? Wow, what a broad brushstroke. |
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Israfil
Senior Member Joined: 08 September 2003 Status: Offline Points: 3984 |
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Walid, It certainly has not affected my belief in Islam, but it certain has affected my belief in the Islamic judicial system especially when humans are in control of it. In this situation yes, I acknowledge that there are two sides to every story however since they obviously are not revealing the case openly I can only judge based on what I read. Regardless whether I know much of the case or not, they are punishing someone who was raped in my humble opinion, regardless whether they are alone with a man or not, nobody should be punished if they are the victim of a crime. That to me is a backwards system. Yes there are a lot of flaws in the Western Judicial system, in comparison how Islamic courts rule [mostly by extremely religious men] women have a better chance at a fair trial in a western court of law than a conservative religiously extreme court of law. Even if we had knowledge of Islamic law, that couldn't explain the decision because we don't know the entire case.
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peacemaker
Moderator Group Male Joined: 29 December 2005 Location: Canada Status: Offline Points: 3057 |
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There is already a thread on this event where discussion goes on: |
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Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny?
Qur'an 55:13 |
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abuayisha
Senior Member Muslim Joined: 05 October 1999 Location: Los Angeles Status: Offline Points: 5105 |
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International Herald Reports: �Reports on the story triggered debate about the country's legal system, in which judges have wide discretion in punishing a criminal, rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no defense lawyers is present. The result, critics say, are sentences left to the whim of judges. A rapist, for instance, could receive anywhere from a light or no sentence, to death.� Speaking of whims�.. An article, �Justice Gone Awry? How to Get the �Certainly, the Edited by abuayisha |
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Tom123
Senior Member Joined: 04 July 2007 Location: Gibraltar Status: Offline Points: 186 |
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Great article, Israfil. I agree this is a grave act of injustice, and I commend your clear and firm stand against it.
Cristo Vive! - Tomasz Edited by Tom123 |
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ZEA J
Senior Member Joined: 01 June 2005 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 224 |
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Israfil, this is not an arab justice and is certainly not an islamic one either. Instead of "Good ole Arab justice" you may want to change the topic to something more appropriate. Edited by ZEA J |
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"You will never attain piety and righteousness,(and eventually paradise)until you
spend of that which you love."(Al-Imran:92) |
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