Islamic Justice
Jodi Bieber's powerful photo portrait of Afghan teenager Bibi Aisha, which was featured on the August cover of Time magazine, has won the World Press Photo award for 2010. Bibi fled an arranged marriage, due to her husband's violence. The Taliban caught up with her and decided on her fate according to Sharia law. Her brother-in-law held her down while her husband sliced off her nose and ears. She was then discarded. Aid workers and the American military rescued her. She is now receiving reconstructive surgery in the USA. Click the title link for The Telegraph slide show of winners.
If you're a Muslim girl in the UK threatened by a forced marriage, telephone Honour Network helpline: 0800 5999 247.
posted by Unknown @ 11.2.11
4 comments
4 Comments:
This is so revolting.
Absolutely. That's Sharia law for you. A pretty girl disfigured because she ran away from a violent husband she'd been forced to marry.
In Pakistan, police are investigating two cases of women being whipped to death for allegeged marital infidelity, one of whom was a rape victim.
In Iran a case is still ongoing of a woman sentenced to be buried up to her neck and be stoned to death.
Public beheadings and amputations are routine in Soudi Arabia.
Yet there are Muslim idiots who call for Sharia law to be established in the UK. And forced marriages happen here. Many of these girls are under the age of consent. That's why I added a helpline number to my post.
Have you read what happened to that Muslim girl who acted in a Harry Potter movie? Her brother was jailed for attacking her when he discovered she had a Sikh boyfriend. Multiculturism?
And note that Lloyds TSB has adopted one aspect of Sharia law: it offers free banking to Muslims.
What makes Jodi's photo so compelling is that she gives the victim dignity and shows how attractive she still is, despite her disfigurement.
Hi Coxsoft Art,
I understand your sentiments, and where you are coming from. But as a Muslim myself, I cannot help but feel that perhaps the idea that revolts you isn't the Syariah law or the religion itself, but the lack of humanity and common sense that certain cultures have adopted. Honour killings, forced marriages and acid attacks (especially prevalent in the Hindu communities in India) are prime examples of extremely barbaric customs and practices that are archaic and tribal, and not necessarily Islamic.
The issue here is that the world has been exposed to those who insist on reverting to the 'fundamentals'(and by that I really mean, twisting lines and Islamic ideas to see fit!) of Islam, which I assure you, has NOTHING to do with killing a woman or denying her rights. As a Muslim woman living in Malaysia, which practices both Syariah and civil law, I can assure you that the idea of true equality regardless of race, gender and wealth are the core values that Islam promotes. I am sorry that you are exposed to those who choose what they will in the Quran to suit and provide 'sound evidence' to make their arguments valid. But the fact here is, these customs aren't promoted by Muslims at all.
Contrary to popular belief, Muslims don't go around blowing ourselves up in the name of jihad. That word has been used out of context to describe the Muslim world too many times, explaining this would seem too redundant for you.
I do agree that these acts are absolutely revolting. Unfortunately, there are those who exist in the Muslim world who live in strict, patriarchal societies who cannot seem to rid themselves of such disgusting customs. It is then our job, as women and men, regardless of religion and nationality, to educate those who have not truly come to terms with the notion of human rights.
Honour killings have always been something that has been close to my heart, because as a Muslim girl, I could have been born in one of those societies, and have been stripped of rights to live and even exist harmoniously with the world. It is scary that even women prescribe to these absurd notions. A mother killed her own daughter in a lawyer's office, after her daughter begged for her support to obtain a divorce from her abusive husband. She walked away without remorse. It gets hard to understand why people act and think the way they do. But as a Muslim woman, I have faith that these are the people who have lost the common thread that makes up this religion.
Again, I urge you to look beyond what you think are 'archaic' Syariah laws, because chances are, these man-made gods twisted holy words to make themselves seem powerful. Islam means the submission of humankind to a Higher Power, and not women to men.
God bless.
Hi, sawwaa!
Thank you for your thoughful comment.
Our fundamental difference is that humanity should be subservient to a "Higher Power". This is the stance of all religions, and it is open to abuse by powerful men who claim to know what God wants.
I reject that notion. As an atheist, I regard people and our planet and its wildlife as more important than any imaginary god.
Post a Comment
<< Home