caldrail's Blog

Ha! You didn't notice that some lass in Saudi Arabia got a hundred lashes for being raped!!! She appealed the verdict, and got a hundred more for her trouble!!! Sounds fair to me??? Reminds me of my teachers.

No, I didn't see that, but I'm aware that women in some moslem societies get a raw deal. Two hundred lashes is a very harsh sentence though. British soldiers of the American War of Independence era were named 'Bloodybacks' for the punishments meted out for even minor transgressions. According to my information, one hundred lashes was potentially fatal, and wasn't always delivered in one session.

 

There are some interesting points in that womans fate however. Notice that she's held responsible and therefore guilty, that a woman of good character and common sense would not have been raped in the first place, and that she must have in some way tempted the man to wrong-doing. I would be curious to know what happened to the man, how important he was in Saudi society, or how influential the families concerned were.

 

It does seem to me that Saudi opnion is that women are inherently 'bad' and need to be contained as a threat to societies well-being, which if I remember right is a very old and traditional viewpoint common to the middle east. There are some nasty or duplicitous women around (I've bumped into one or two in my time) but isn't this a case of being tarred with a brush?

There are some interesting points in that womans fate however. Notice that she's held responsible and therefore guilty, that a woman of good character and common sense would not have been raped in the first place, and that she must have in some way tempted the man to wrong-doing. I would be curious to know what happened to the man, how important he was in Saudi society, or how influential the families concerned were.

 

IIRC, she got into a car with someone who wasn't her brother, father, or husband (I want to say in-law, but that doesn't count)...this is a no-no in many areas with either Sharia laws or that practice a very strict sense of Islamic law. As the rules go, if you're a woman, you must be among other women, or you can be with your husband (if married), your brother or your father. That's it...it doesn't matter who the male is, you can't be 'alone' with him if he doesn't fall under the above categories. If you do...well, whatever happens is your fault, since you broke the rules--you asked for trouble.

 

If one holds that a society's laws are a reflection of their views, beliefs, and their sense of justice (whatever that may entail), these types of laws speak volumes. I find it fascinating.

There are some interesting points in that womans fate however. Notice that she's held responsible and therefore guilty, that a woman of good character and common sense would not have been raped in the first place, and that she must have in some way tempted the man to wrong-doing. I would be curious to know what happened to the man, how important he was in Saudi society, or how influential the families concerned were.

 

[i think that the 'men' got a few slaps in the face. Years ago, in US courts, judges generally felt that the rapee was mostly responsible. Well, if the rapee wasn't 'somebody'.]

 

Upon reflection, the judges weren't really bad guys, after all, they could have meted out stoning or beheading.

 

Now, insofar as woemans are generally concerned, it is my well considered opinion that they should be thrashed once a day with a stick no thicker than the man's thumb, in accordance with the English Common Law. They should also be whipped once a day on general principle. [i'm dead!]

 

Here, in the US recently, a gaggle of gorgeous teachers have been hauled before the assizes for 'raping' some of their male students! Heck, where were they when I was going to school? My whole class would have volunteered and not snitched to the gendarmes.

Yep, that sort of thing happens in merry England too. As kids, we were hugely amused to learn that a certain blonde teacher had unwittingly gotten off with a student. Mind you, I don't think she was particularly worried judging by the big smirk on her face. The woman was shameless. However, I doubt too many of us would have volunteered for that sort of detention with her. I think in most cases the female teachers are well aware of the effect they have over hormone laden lads and treat it with reasonable caution, but every so often, human chemistry interferes... and... another paycheck to a jouirnalist.