A Pakistani woman opposed her husband’s second marriage so he killed her. Waiting until she fell asleep with their little daughter, he and his sister threw acid on both of them. Sonia, the child, is hospitalized. Her mother, Rozina, lived for a day after being admitted to Bahawalpur Victoria Hospital.
Her case is not unusual.There are not any accurate nationwide figures, though. Between 1994 and 1999 almost 4,000 burn cases were documented. Few of the women survive and those that do live a scarred, pain-filled and diminished existence.
Humaira Awais Shahid, a woman elected to Pakistan's Punjab provincial assembly gives an account of the problem:
| According to my rough estimates, there has been a 200 percent increase in this. The reasons are: because it's a copy-cat crime - every man that finds out about this must say to himself: "This is easy. All I have to do is buy a bottle of acid for Rs. 25 [US $0.45] and just throw it." Now it's being used against men also and children. | |
| Again, there is no clear legislation on this. It's covered by an ordinance known as the Qisas and Diyat Ordinance where the punishment accorded has to be proportionate to the wounds given: you know, a hand for a hand, an eye for an eye. | |
| Now, acid crime victims die very slowly - over eight to ten days, even for those with 80 percent burns. So within those eight days, the perpetrator can just apply for bail and get it and vanish, because the Pakistan Penal Code sections 302 (attempted murder) and 307 (murder) do not apply to it. |
In the late '80s someone wrote a book on domestic violence in America. One chapter was entitled "Because He Can," which was the answer to an inquiry, "Why would a man do this?" What happens in any culture, whether that behavior is strictly lawful or not, is indicative of the overall health of its citizens.
hat tip: Jihad Watch
6 comments:
Good post. Linked.
I remember reading about this practice, which is not limited to Pakistan. In some ways it's beyond comprehension, in others, not at all.
Anyway, I found you from the comments section over at Neo-neocon and I wanted to tell you that, far from finding the image difficult to take, I find it beautiful - look at those smiles. Look at how the women look directly at you, eyes not at all turned down. They've been beaten, brutalized, subjected to things we can't even imagine here, but it's not killed their spirits. That is so clear, even from an image on the web.
Thanks for this.
It's hard to imagine having that much disregard for any life, much less the human life of one who is (in theory at least) your 'other half'.
The Prophet himself set the tone for male/female relations under Islam. This from Robert Spencer writing at FrontPage Magazine.
Mohammed On Women
The Prophet Muhammad originated such legislation. After one successful battle, he told his men, “Go and take any slave girl.” He took one for himself also. One well-attested Islamic tradition records that “the Prophet had suddenly attacked Bani Mustaliq without warning while they were heedless and their cattle were being watered at the places of water. Their fighting men were killed and their women and children were taken as captives; the Prophet got Juwairiya on that day.”[11] Juwairiya bint Harith became the Prophet’s seventh wife.
After his notorious massacre of the Jewish Qurayzah tribe, he did it again. According to his earliest biographer, Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad “went out to the market of Medina (which is still its market today) and dug trenches in it. Then he sent for [the men of Banu Qurayza] and struck off their heads in those trenches as they were brought out to him in batches.” After killing “600 or 700 in all, though some put the figure as high as 800 or 900,” the Prophet of Islam took a woman whom he had just widowed, Rayhana bint Amr, as another concubine.[12] There is no tradition recording the consent of either Juwairiya or Rayhana.
Hey, when you can wield a sword as effectively as the Prophet, you can take what you want. There is a downside however. What goes around, comes around. According to Dante Alighieri, Mahomet is spending eternity in Hell, being repeatedly cleaved from the top of his head to the place where the sun doesn't shine.
In the Inferno
A cask by losing centre-piece or cant
Was never shattered so, as I saw one
Rent from the chin to where one breaketh wind.
Between his legs were hanging down his entrails;
His heart was visible, and the dismal sack
That maketh excrement of what is eaten.
While I was all absorbed in seeing him,
He looked at me, and opened with his hands
His bosom, saying: "See now how I rend me;
How mutilated, see, is Mahomet;
In front of me doth Ali weeping go,
Cleft in the face from forelock unto chin;
And all the others whom thou here beholdest,
Disseminators of scandal and of schism
While living were, and therefore are cleft thus.
A devil is behind here, who doth cleave us
Thus cruelly, unto the falchion's edge
Putting again each one of all this ream,
When we have gone around the doleful road;
By reason that our wounds are closed again
Ere any one in front of him repass.
Perhaps every once-in-a-while, Dante's guide leads a disfigured woman by to throw bit of acid in the direction of the Prophet.
This aint a picture from Pakistan but India.. see the dots on the forehead. And as for the thing about Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.. Learn to respect other religions and learn about them rather than being a little baby and following others who have no sense of respect.
I agree in respect to the picture above being from obviously an Hindu Tradition, NOT of Islam or a muslim women, and this is easily attested by the fact that all three women are wearing a third eye (a red dot) on their forehead. I believe these pictures are probably from an Indian Hindu tradition of burning their dead husband, and often I hear that their family members throw their late wife along with them. I could wrong on the latter statement since I only know from hearing from TV and such media coverage, but definately these women are not of Islamic tradition nor muslims. Please, do not falsify things.
I just wanted to say that i am a muslim woman that also wears the headscarf. I'd like to clarify here that i do it with my own will. If someone was oppressing me to do it, i would have taken it off long ago. I wear it because i believe that i am precious and since i am precious i must cover myself to avoid the degrading stares of men. Isn't this glorifying woman rather than oppressing them?
If you asked me, I'd say woman who wear "short shorts" (may as well call them underwear) and tank tops as everyday attire, are the oppressed ones. They dress only to attract men, displaying their beauty like it's worthless.
This is exactly what i avoid by wearing the headscarf.
Also let me say that all those stories about the Prophet's view on men are INCORRECT. It is very easy for someone to make them up... As a Muslim, i know killing is EXTREMELY wrong and any sort of killing even "honor" ones are sick and despicable. i hope it's clear that in Islam we believe in Peace and NO KILLING.
Before you judge a religion as a whole based on a crazy NON-mulsim man's actions....get to know a muslim yourself. Don't generalize. We don't call Your nuns oppressed now do we?
Learn before you criticize
thank you.
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