Women activists in Saudi Arabia are protesting the recent ruling that sentenced a gang-rape victim to 200 lashes and six months in jail for being in a car with a man who wasn't her relative.
Activist Wajiha al-Hweider said "[T]here is injustice against women in courts. It is a bitter situation that Saudi women have to endure...The kingdom is in an embarrassing position. King (Abdullah) should step in and stop this farce."
Hatoon al-Fassi, another women's rights activist, said, "It is good that the case has taken an international dimension. It is shameful that such a case could have stayed unspoken of...This is a ruling that has treated the victim as a culprit." She added, "Such logic is so distant from Islam. It is the result of a male-chauvinist reasoning."
And to add insult to injury:
Hweider highlighted the humiliation faced by women inside the courtroom, saying that a judge, who is always a clergyman, addresses only her male guardian."The woman does not have the right to represent herself in a court. She enters the court covered entirely in black. Some judges do not even allow her to speak," she said. (Emphasis added)
Sigh. In speaking out against the ruling, Senator Hillary Clinton brought up the Beijing Platform for Action, adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women: "In 1995, I went to Beijing and said, 'It is time for us to say here in Beijing, and for the world to hear, that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights.' We have made some progress since then. But we have not made enough." Indeed.
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Sigh! My heart just grew three sizes for Hillary. :)
Thank goodness people there are speaking up aswell. This isn't a case that should be left silent.
im glad that you are showing the activism that is going on in saudi.
i think its really easy for people in the states to sometimes think that saudi women are so oppressed that their strength is not acknowledged.
but obviously they are aware of the injustices occurring in their own country and they are doing awesome things (with potentially horrible consequences) to fight against those injustices.
I hope they can save that woman. And her boyfriend, who apparently is also getting flogged.
good on these women for standing up to this disgusting and rediculous ruling! i sincerely hope they manage to quash this sentence, and hope this will mark the beginning of change in saudi arabia. yeah its a lot to hope for-but who knows :)
If we're going to do a shout out to Hillary Clinton for her comments, I think it's also important to note that Barack Obama was actually the first presidential candidate to speak out against this ridiculous ruling: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/19/AR2007111900868_pf.html
My daily newspaper says that this photo's actually from India, which I think is interesting-- it's good to know people from all around the world are protesting this.
Are there any protests going on in the United States? Because there totally should be.
I am sure a bunch of people would cry 'Islamophobia' if there are any protests around here.
Ugh it's so terrible. Hopefully their society will stop hiding behind their religion some day, and treat these women with the respect that they deserve.
http://www.rantsnraves.org/showthread.php?t=3090 (registration required)
Here is a much worse story from another (now ex) muslim woman detailing abuse over years and 2 generations. The surprising part is that it didn't happen in Saudi Arabia, or Iran or any of the countries we typically associate with this. It happened in the good old UK. She describes much better than I ever could why religion is to blame for events like this. The saddest part is that, the British Child Protection system always returned her to her abusive dad, despite severe, documented physical abuse. She said the only way that makes sense was that the guy said he would complain that the judge was racist if the decision wasn't made to accommodate him and the judge was scared of the repercussions of that. I am partly posting it here because sh is trying to get support for other trapped women, and herself (since her life is in danger). If any of the readers here are from Britain, and are better aware of how she could protect herself and her kids, you could possibly aid her.
I realize the above post may be considered spam as it links to another board, if the moderators think it is, delete it.
What can we do? I mean, there have been cases in the past where activists have intervened somehow, or gotten women better representation, or something to mitigate heinous sentences along these lines. Is there a NGO that is working on this? Is there something that we can actually do, or is this woman doomed now? It's great that women are holding up signs and protesting, but what can we *actually* do to help this woman? Is there anything?
seriously! any upcoming protests going on around the UN (outside the Saudi residence!)? I'll be there in a heartbeat.
In the meantime I did thank Senator Clinton:
http://clinton.senate.gov/contact/
I am glad these women are standing up against this ruling!!!!!!
"I am sure a bunch of people would cry 'Islamophobia' if there are any protests around here."
Yeah, but see, if you criticise these things too much you play right into the hands of the bush regime who will use that as a justification for their wars against islamic people. So we can't really protest this. We just gotta let it go and be quiet about it.
mostuniquename - I don't think that's a very fair comment. *Of course* we should be protesting about outrages like this one, and I'm very happy to see women both in Saudi Arabia and the US speaking out against it. But I just don't think incidents like this should be used to attack Islam as a whole.
The problem is not Islam, which is not inherently any worse than any other religion; the problem is the specifically misogynistic culture and law system of Saudi Arabia.
It's entirely right to be outraged, but we should make sure our outrage has the right target.
I agree that we need to protest. I lived in Saudi arabia (as I mentioned in the intial article) for most of my life, and the fact that we have access to platforms to voice the injustice on behalf of those less fortunate in oppressive countries should never be overlooked nor undermined. I always felt I could have killed to start a march back there, but the outcome for taking a stand there is beyond comprehension. You get locked up for everything, regardless of even your age. The funny thing is male guardians don't matter once you're behind bars - you're fucking humiliated and the system is so fucked up you almost feel the need to constantly be attached to the hip by a man.
Don't forget every society makes the people - these women are fearful and silent because society and outdated tradition has an upper hand over human rights in such a disgusting country.
I am in a rush so I haven't checked if anyone else the US administrations response to her sentence? Or lack there of, I should say? The BBC at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7112999.stm reports that the US "declined to condemn to sentence, but did call it 'astonishing'".
It appears the administration is holding back from criticizing a "key" ally, while devalueing women throughout the world!
I have significant doubts she was having an adulterous relationship. For one, why didn't they bring this up sooner? I have to wonder if they forced her to confess or face something even worse.
Even if she was having an affair, that certainly does not mean she deserves to be punished. And its not just the differences in our cultures, the males there get away with affairs and much more without any censure at all.
Does anyone have any more information on this claim by Saudi Arabia? Can it be demonstrated as a ploy to preserve face?
- Miles Webster
I found a link to an Arab news site with more information on the Saudi claims of moral crimes. http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=104020&d=27&m=11&y=2007
The lawyer representing her intends to file a defamation lawsuit against the court. The woman, her husband (or husband to be according to the article?), and the lawyer all deny she has made any such admission.
It appears the court is trying to deflect criticism by making false accusations.
- Miles Webster
Hello,
I was just wondering if anyone knows what happened to the men convicted of the rape. Were they even convicted? What was the sentence meted out to them?
-anin