And now for a romantic interlude in the otherwise dangerous realm of Afghan social morays vis-a-vis the Taliban. A young couple whose families disapproved of their union ran off to get married. Married, mind. Not live together outside wedlock or anything so dramatic, but married. The result? They were shot outside their mosque after a tribunal of mullahs condemned them. Here is the story.
It is difficult seeing this to remember that this sort of thing is really not consistent with mainstream Islam. But, just as with certain splinter groups of so-called christian sects, the Qu’ran is continually used to justify the persecution of women.
Yes, women. Even though the young man was also killed, it is fairly clear that the main issue the Taliban and other groups like it embrace is the control of women. They bar them from school, they bar them from conversation, they bar them from public view, they bar them. All, it seems, they want from women is to be sex slaves for the males selected to possess them and anything—anything—that threatens that is condemned and, as usual, the women pay the price overwhelmingly. There are other issues covered by strict Sharia Law, but we hear little about that, probably because a lot of it is also covered by more tolerant, liberal interpretations of the law. The dividing line is over the women. It is over giving women a voice, a choice, any freedom at all to say no, and defenders of this who deny that it is a mysoginist pathology seem either to not Get It or are lacking any comprehension that women are people.
To be clear, as I stated, christian groups do this, too. Maybe they don’t kill them in the street, but that’s only because in the West, the police really will arrest them for that.
To paraphrase James Carville, “It’s all about the women, stupid.”
There is no compromising on this, as far as I’m concerned. To allow this is to make all of us a little less human.
Care to back up yur assertion about those splinter Christian sects that treat women as property or worse.
Granted there are male chauvinists around everywhere, but I know of no organized attempts by "Christians" to use the Bible (ie the New Testament) as a justification for forcine women into submission.
Well, we could start with the several break-away Mormon sects in Southern Utah and northern Texas. David Koresh ran a harem. There's that group in the Appalachians (I believe Erich did a post on them a couple years back) who raise their little girls to be rather whorish wives for much older men.
If you in fact know of no organized groups who "use the Bible as justification for forcing women into submission" I suspect you're not paying attention.
But to be clear, I agree that this is basically chauvinistic behavior in the guise of fundamentalism. Nevertheless, the scriptual passages are there to be used and without a healthy skepticism toward religius authority, all manner of nasty crap can be justified.
bu..bu..but! They're not TRUE Christians.
Karl
Care to explain why you choose to disregard the Old Testament in your comment – do you disavow that important and sizable segment of your holy book?
How then do you reconcile that with your stance on so many issues (per your commentary on this site), including support for 'creationism' which is mentioned nowhere except the old testament?
You're not cherry picking, are you? That would be bearing false witness, wouldn't it? (or are the commandments optional, too, since they don't exist in the NT, either?)
I saw this yesterday. Time has not mellowed my reaction.
This is dogmatic misogyny in action. I feel most strongly for the brainwashed women who believe they are ‘protected’ by such men and such religion. Perhaps they are, in the same way sheep or cattle are ‘protected’.
I wish I were more eloquent, because I simply don’t have the words to describe how I really feel about this. I’m numb with horror that this is not only ‘acceptable’ but ‘normal’ to a significant fraction of the world.
Back in my college days, a friend of mine had a job offer to intern as a lab technician in Saudi Arabia. He was given a packet that included a short course on Sharia Law. I recall some of the highlights.
Single women are not allowed near adult men unless accompanied by a male relative. They must cover their hair and faces. The same rules apply to married women except maried women do not have to cover their faces.
Under Sharia law, theft is punished by amputation of the right hand. slander may be punished by cutting out the tongue. Sex crimes are punishable by public execution.
Sex crimes includes Adultery, possession of pornography, and many more. (the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition qualifies as pornography)
A man may divorce his wife by telling her “I divorce you” three times in his native language and in front of witnesses. One divorced he not allowed to remarry her until she has married another man and obtained a divorce from him. To be with her after a divorce is considered adultery, for both of them.
Gambling is forbidden. Gambling devices are forbidden also.
Alcoholic beverages are forbidden. Hashish is not.
It is forbidden to charge interest on loans.
CBCNews reports on recent protests by Afghan women: