One Clear Dot

In the Middle East there are far too many nations that will punish the victim of a horrific crime, rather than those who committed the crime. Or, at least that is how I see it when a woman who was gang raped in Saudi Arabia is forced to undergo punishment by the government.

The question is: Who is the criminal in this crime?

Here in the United States, when a woman is unwillingly subjected to sex, especially by a homoerotic mob of men, the victim is the female and the men who forced themselves on her are the ones who will be tried and convicted.

Not so in Saudi Arabia.

A 19-year-old rape victim in Saudi Arabia was sentences last year to 90 lashes for meeting with an unrelated male. At the time, she was simply meeting a former male friend to pick up some photos. Seven men abducted her and her friend and preceded to gang-rape them both.

The rapists received sentences ranging from 10 months to five years in prison.

The victim’s attorney pressed the issue, insisting that due to the nature of the crime there is a fatwa (edict under Islamic law) that classifies such a crime Hiraba (sinful violent crime). The attorney argued that the sentences for the seven men should be death.

So, what did the courts do? They increased the sentences for the men to two to nine years. BUT, they changed the victim’s sentence from 90 lashes to six months in prison and 200 lashes. Her attorney was also stripped of his license to practice law.

Why? Because, they did not like “her attempt to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media”.

Saudi Arabia takes such great pains to try and convince the West that they are forward thinking, modern and fair. Yet, women still must adhere to a strict dress code, cannot vote, cannot drive, and they have to obtain a man’s permission to travel or have surgery. The country lives in the dark ages, and they do so proudly.

I thank God every day I am not a woman living in the Middle East.

Posted on November 17th, 2007 by onecleardot
Filed under: The Way People Think