Quick Hit: Afghan man gets 20 years for talking about women's rights
From the Associated Press: "An Afghan appeals court overturned a death sentence Tuesday for a journalism student accused of blasphemy for asking questions in class about women's rights under Islam. But the judges still sentenced him to 20 years in prison."
Make sure to read the whole story.
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A reduction in sentence?
I guess thats what you call progress.
Holy shit.
I am literally speechless.
20 years is insane. I am deeply sad for his family and deeply disappointed in Afghanistan's judicial system. At least in Iran you can talk about it (but not make petitions about equal rights).
The system must be worried if they're willing to kill a man over an article that he didn't even write.
Is there anything we can do to help this man? Forgive me for being naive. I just want people who speak out for women to be supported by women.
TinkTheTank - I was just thinking the same thing. He's very brave for speaking out about these issues under such an oppressive government; I don't know what we can do for him, but I read that part of the reason that they lowered his sentence was because of a petition to save him, and the international attention that it brought.
Perhaps another petition to free him would be the best way to help. Does anybody know whether such a petition is already circulating? If not, we need to start one.
I agree. This story is horrendous.
Here's one on a petition online, but it doesnt seem very official.
http://www.petitiononline.com/af8f6912/petition.html
Here is a link that contains the email addresses of Afghan government officials/branches. Worth a shot right?
http://www.rawa.org/events/parwiz_e.htm
Science is about unanswered questions. Religion is about unquestioned answers.
The problem here really is that the student was asking questions which is totally inappropriate when religion is concerned.
Try asking the following questions to believers in god:
- Does god exist?
- If god exist, is he really as good as you assume he is (considering all natural and man-made misery)?
- If god exist, does life after death exist?
- Even if god does not exist, can life after death still exist?
- Did god created man at his own image or did man created god at his own image?
I don't think we can blame Afghanistan for this sentence when we have a president who thinks that god (supposedly good) told him to go to provoking, directly or indirectly, the death of thousands of children.
Without religion, the world would indeed be a better place.
The previous to last paragraph of my last comment is missing the word 'war', one should read:
I don't think we can blame Afghanistan for this sentence when we have a president who thinks that god (supposedly good) told him to go to war provoking, directly or indirectly, the death of thousands of children.