AFTERWARDS, SHE TRIED TO COMMIT SUICIDE

Today, March 8, marks International Women's Day. The mainstream media, including the New York Times and the BBC, have – true to form--completely ignored the news that "A Saudi woman who was kidnapped at knifepoint, gang-raped and then beaten by her brother has been sentenced to 90 lashes – for meeting a man who was not a relative."

The sentencing earlier this week has been reported by AFP and in Arab media, including the Khaleej Times (published in the United Arab Emirates) and the Saudi Gazette. But as far as I can tell the only Western mainstream media outlets to have covered the story are Fox News and the Scotsman (a Scottish newspaper). This is despite the fact that most Western media subscribe to AFP.

The 19-year-old Saudi woman was abducted by a gang of men wielding kitchen knives who took her to a farm where she was raped 14 times by her captors. Five men were arrested for the rape and given jail terms ranging from 10 months to five years by a panel of judges in the eastern Saudi city of Qatif, near the teenager's hometown.

But the judges also decided to sentence the young woman, identified only as "G," to 90 lashes. "G" was told by one of the judges that she was lucky not to have been given jail time. She said yesterday that she would appeal against her sentence.

The woman told the Saudi Gazette that she tried to commit suicide because of her ordeal and was beaten by her younger brother because the rape had brought shame on their family.

Unrelated men and women are forbidden from interacting in public in Saudi Arabia, which strictly enforces Islamic Sharia law of a kind many European Muslims say they would like to introduce in countries like Britain and France.

* On the official International Women's Day website, there is nothing about Saudi Arabia, just publicity for the 'Lighting candles for Women in Palestinian society" event.

* For more on Saudi Arabia see the dispatch "Saudi police ban the sale of cats and dogs (& Gaddafi's son: Pope must convert)" (Sept. 21, 2006) www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/000782.html, in which two of the notes were on a six-year-old girl burned to death in an "honor" killing in Birmingham, England, and a horrific 12-day gang rape of a mother and daughter in Pakistan as punishment for the daughter wanting to go to college.

Saudi gang-rape victim gets 90 lashes for International Women’s Day

that's just lovely... I'm gonna go yank out a few nuthairs to get that out of my head...

that's some savage shit there...

This further confirms my opinion that we should invade saudi arabia and shoot every member of the royal family and every wahabbi cleric. They are the source of 99% of the worlds terrorist literature and are responsible for the current rise in islamic extremism. Do not make me out to be a neo conservative republican for saying this as i am actually a fairly liberal democrat who believed the war in iraq to be a horrible blunder from the start. I just think that Saudi Arabia, as source and catalyst of Al Qaeda and almost all sunni muslim terrorists, deserves to be punished just as much as said murderers and terrorists. Also Saudi Arabia's human rights record makes Iran's look like sweden's. The saudi's still practice slavery and for that alone I say they deserve to hang. As for people worried about oil, fuck oil as using more of it will just send us to some "mad max" style hell.

Evil Samurai wrote:
This further confirms my opinion that we should invade saudi arabia and shoot every member of the royal family and every wahabbi cleric. They are the source of 99% of the worlds terrorist literature and are responsible for the current rise in islamic extremism. Do not make me out to be a neo conservative republican for saying this as i am actually a fairly liberal democrat who believed the war in iraq to be a horrible blunder from the start. I just think that Saudi Arabia, as source and catalyst of Al Qaeda and almost all sunni muslim terrorists, deserves to be punished just as much as said murderers and terrorists. Also Saudi Arabia's human rights record makes Iran's look like sweden's. The saudi's still practice slavery and for that alone I say they deserve to hang. As for people worried about oil, fuck oil as using more of it will just send us to some "mad max" style hell.

that's why 18 year olds can't be president

Man that is horrible. I think there's also mistreatment to women in India (it might be the middle east as well). When a guy's advances are rejected, they will get some battery acid and toss it at the girl's face. Thereby disfiguring her for life so no one will want them. It's like "if I can't have her, no one will". The crappy thing is, those women are shunned from society and the guys don't get any kind of punishment. Real bullshit. Is it too much for the United Nations to step in and put a stop to these barbaric treatment to women and children???

The nations of the middle east are some of the most brutally oppressive in the world and deserve condemenation and scorn from every rational human being who values human lives and rights. Women are literally property in every majority arab .. islam nation, yet Women's rights groups vehemently oppose overthrowing one of the most murderous dictators of the region, Saddam Hussein. The problem isnt Iraq, or Iran, or Saudi Arabia, it is the whole of the middle east, Arab .. Islamic culture needs to go through its reformation just like christianity did, it's culturally stagnatted for the last 1, 000 years.

I recommend everyone who cares about the world they live in watch this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WLoasfOLpQM

If Saudi Arabia wasn't so daym rich and paying off the American gov't, we would do something about that shit.

And all you religious zealots don't give me shit about religious tolerance and freedom.

When the fuck are you people gonna realize that you can't get away with EVERYTHING just because it's done in the name of religion.

Religious people are so stupid. Anyone who needs some doctrine to tell them the difference between right and wrong, good and evil is seriously retarded.

Evil Samurai wrote:
This further confirms my opinion that we should invade saudi arabia and shoot every member of the royal family and every wahabbi cleric. They are the source of 99% of the worlds terrorist literature and are responsible for the current rise in islamic extremism. Do not make me out to be a neo conservative republican for saying this as i am actually a fairly liberal democrat who believed the war in iraq to be a horrible blunder from the start. I just think that Saudi Arabia, as source and catalyst of Al Qaeda and almost all sunni muslim terrorists, deserves to be punished just as much as said murderers and terrorists. Also Saudi Arabia's human rights record makes Iran's look like sweden's. The saudi's still practice slavery and for that alone I say they deserve to hang. As for people worried about oil, fuck oil as using more of it will just send us to some "mad max" style hell.

I concur completely. Well said Evil Sumarai!!

Sadly, if we were to run out of oil (and the so-called 'American Oil Reserve' will not last more than a few months) it will be total chaos beyond mad max. Still, maybe that will be the catalyst to stop holding hands with these mofo's and just taking their land. Not a very moral thought or intent I know; however, thinking about the ridiculous beliefs and customs these people have just disgusts me.

I loathe how the Middle East treats women!!!! >:(

bad karma for Saudi prince

Caroline Nguyen wrote:
If Saudi Arabia wasn't so daym rich and paying off the American gov't, we would do something about that shit.

And all you religious zealots don't give me shit about religious tolerance and freedom.

When the fuck are you people gonna realize that you can't get away with EVERYTHING just because it's done in the name of religion.

Religious people are so stupid. Anyone who needs some doctrine to tell them the difference between right and wrong, good and evil is seriously retarded.

I was someone who disliked religious people who push their beliefs on other people. I was agnostic for a looooooong time. I learned about a lot of eastern and western religions. And yes, religious fanaticism can lead to a road of destruction. As the old saying goes "Religion has doomed more people than it has saved". I was resistant to every single attempt to drag me to church. But as I have said, I read a lot of religious texts and know a lot about different religions. And there are very good lessons that are taught in it. Religion is not a bad thing, its how people interpret it that is the cause of conflicts. I've always felt like I didn't know any of religion because I did not participate. And you know what? I went to church. And yeah, there were a couple of them that seemed cult-ish... but when you find a good one, you will come to learn that they are not telling you to live your life by the book. They only want to give you guidance. So I've been going ever since. And one day I might commit to Christianity. Although I don't think I'll be pushing it down anyone's throat.

I believe that no one in life can tell someone what to do. Everyone you meet in life are merely there to give guidance. You ultimately decide your fate.

As for having to be told what is right or wrong. Sometimes it's hard to figure out. The classic example: A man is caught stealing food for his family. Is he wrong or right?

~Blade~ wrote:

Evil Samurai wrote:
This further confirms my opinion that we should invade saudi arabia and shoot every member of the royal family and every wahabbi cleric. They are the source of 99% of the worlds terrorist literature and are responsible for the current rise in islamic extremism. Do not make me out to be a neo conservative republican for saying this as i am actually a fairly liberal democrat who believed the war in iraq to be a horrible blunder from the start. I just think that Saudi Arabia, as source and catalyst of Al Qaeda and almost all sunni muslim terrorists, deserves to be punished just as much as said murderers and terrorists. Also Saudi Arabia's human rights record makes Iran's look like sweden's. The saudi's still practice slavery and for that alone I say they deserve to hang. As for people worried about oil, fuck oil as using more of it will just send us to some "mad max" style hell.

I concur completely. Well said Evil Sumarai!!

Sadly, if we were to run out of oil (and the so-called 'American Oil Reserve' will not last more than a few months) it will be total chaos beyond mad max. Still, maybe that will be the catalyst to stop holding hands with these mofo's and just taking their land. Not a very moral thought or intent I know; however, thinking about the ridiculous beliefs and customs these people have just disgusts me.

I loathe how the Middle East treats women!!!! >:(

I think they found a huge ginormous pocket of oil in the gulf of mexico. It's enough to make up energy independent. But I think there's a lot of protest and red tape to get through before we can even access it. So it'll be a while. I'm glad I'm not overweight. I'll be able to bike to work!

Haywood Jablomi wrote:

Caroline Nguyen wrote:
If Saudi Arabia wasn't so daym rich and paying off the American gov't, we would do something about that shit.

And all you religious zealots don't give me shit about religious tolerance and freedom.

When the fuck are you people gonna realize that you can't get away with EVERYTHING just because it's done in the name of religion.

Religious people are so stupid. Anyone who needs some doctrine to tell them the difference between right and wrong, good and evil is seriously retarded.

I was someone who disliked religious people who push their beliefs on other people. I was agnostic for a looooooong time. I learned about a lot of eastern and western religions. And yes, religious fanaticism can lead to a road of destruction. As the old saying goes "Religion has doomed more people than it has saved". I was resistant to every single attempt to drag me to church. But as I have said, I read a lot of religious texts and know a lot about different religions. And there are very good lessons that are taught in it. Religion is not a bad thing, its how people interpret it that is the cause of conflicts. I've always felt like I didn't know any of religion because I did not participate. And you know what? I went to church. And yeah, there were a couple of them that seemed cult-ish... but when you find a good one, you will come to learn that they are not telling you to live your life by the book. They only want to give you guidance. So I've been going ever since. And one day I might commit to Christianity. Although I don't think I'll be pushing it down anyone's throat.

I believe that no one in life can tell someone what to do. Everyone you meet in life are merely there to give guidance. You ultimately decide your fate.

As for having to be told what is right or wrong. Sometimes it's hard to figure out. The classic example: A man is caught stealing food for his family. Is he wrong or right?

but why does anyone need anyone to tell themselves what to do? why can't we just think rationally and decide ourselves?

i think religious people are morally inferior to non-religious people because they lack a moral compass and require external guidance.

atheists know right and wrong on our own.

isn't that ironic?

Caroline Nguyen wrote:
If Saudi Arabia wasn't so daym rich and paying off the American gov't, we would do something about that shit.

And all you religious zealots don't give me shit about religious tolerance and freedom.

When the fuck are you people gonna realize that you can't get away with EVERYTHING just because it's done in the name of religion.

Religious people are so stupid. Anyone who needs some doctrine to tell them the difference between right and wrong, good and evil is seriously retarded.

Well said Caroline!