tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post115576284397046458..comments2023-12-23T05:39:28.481-05:00Comments on Culture for All: Great Muslims Part IIIRed Tulipshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03546144713477594777noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post-65053621562837686252007-02-16T13:42:00.000-05:002007-02-16T13:42:00.000-05:00While it's important to shed light on the fact tha...While it's important to shed light on the fact that her country tried to keep her from going abroad and tarnishing their image, I think it should also be noted that her story was not told the same way round the world. The American version was "somewhat "different from the facts. To see analysis of the true story as compared to the American media version, dare I post an excerpt from an Islamica Magazine article? (sorry for length but i think it's worth the time and space)<BR/><BR/> Case in Point: The Mukhtaran Mai Incident, from First Facts to Western Spin<BR/><BR/>Last season’s attempt to package another Victim narrative was the U.S. media’s handling of Mukhtaran Mai’s story. What happened to her is horrible: A woman was gang-raped in a remote Pakistani village by members of a feudal clique that bullied the local populace. Her father tried to get into the house where the crime was being committed and later threw his shirt around her and walked her home; the village imam expressed outrage about the crime from his pulpit; a Pakistani journalist publicized her cause. They and other Muslims helped her to bring the perpetrators to justice, and death sentences were meted out thanks to shariah’s capital punishment for rape. Because a higher court took into consideration the legal checks and balances built into the country’s judicial system, the death sentences were overruled and lesser sentences imposed, causing many in the Pakistani society, including feminists and other supporters of women’s rights, to stir public debate about the handling of her case and the injustice of the lighter sentences. She was awarded punitive damages and with the money, opened a girls’ school in her hometown, surviving the horrific ordeal with her dignity and strength of soul.<BR/><BR/>A New York Times columnist broke the story to U.S. readers in September 2004. In his version, the woman had no supporters in her family, there was no concerned mullah on her side, and her entire society only wanted her to commit suicide. Readers were told that Mai’s entire village watched her walk home “naked” and did nothing to assist her. The columnist did not acknowledge his fellow journalist whose work helped bring Mai’s cause to the public, or if he did, an editor must have dropped the reference. The support of Mai’s father and other family members and the advocacy role played by the small-town imam were also left out. A photo that accompanied one early Internet report of the story showed only a veiled Muslim woman with her head bowed, weeping. Mukhtaran Bibi’s strength was left out of the story, and she was turned into a mute marionette needing Western rescue. Her faith was left out. The positive role of shariah — yes, shariah — in punishing the rapists was left out. The existence of many people in the Pakistani society who were outraged at what happened to her was left out, as was any mention of the fact that there are laws against rape in Pakistan and a judicial system that is willing to enforce them within the limits of rules of law, which exist in the U.S. and should exist in any democracy.<BR/><BR/>Thank God for alternative media such as Islamica, whose interview with Mai set the record straight on some of those missing elements. It was incomprehensible, if you only read the Western story, how Mukhtaran Bibi had the fortitude to found a girls’ school with her reparations, how townspeople in a culture that values modesty would watch a rape victim walk home naked, or why she would want to continue living in her country after her trip abroad, if it is such a dungeon for women. My office-next-door neighbor, a white American feminist theory professor, came to me questioning the story as reported in the Times, saying “something seems to be missing here,” asking intelligent questions, and seeking alternative media sources.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post-1155863356684496172006-08-17T21:09:00.000-04:002006-08-17T21:09:00.000-04:00Probably because the various leadership of the var...Probably because the various leadership of the various Feminist movements are also neck deep in groups like Code Pink and ANSWER.<BR/><BR/>The next question is why are Homosexual groups in San Francisco demonstrating in support of Sharia based terrorists and religious genociders?<BR/><BR/>GONE<BR/>SHOOTING,<BR/>RAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post-1155764984182416762006-08-16T17:49:00.000-04:002006-08-16T17:49:00.000-04:00Are the memoirs going to be released in English?Yo...Are the memoirs going to be released in English?<BR/><BR/>You might find this a worthwhile read;<BR/><BR/>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2092-2309812,00.htmlJasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02570533262697579725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post-1155764496632563682006-08-16T17:41:00.000-04:002006-08-16T17:41:00.000-04:00Jason:Well, she was named "Woman of the Year" by G...Jason:<BR/><BR/>Well, she was named "Woman of the Year" by Glamour Magazine, so she has gotten some backing.<BR/><BR/>Still, I don't know what I would have done in her shoes. Her courage is phenomenal. I am glad she is writing her memoirs, because her memoirs are something I would love to read.Red Tulipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03546144713477594777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post-1155764405988895462006-08-16T17:40:00.000-04:002006-08-16T17:40:00.000-04:00You welcome.Why the feminists in this stupid count...You welcome.<BR/><BR/>Why the feminists in this stupid country can't get behind someone like that is beyond me.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02570533262697579725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post-1155763999306152482006-08-16T17:33:00.000-04:002006-08-16T17:33:00.000-04:00Jason,Thanks! I think her story is very important...Jason,<BR/><BR/>Thanks! I think her story is very important and incredibly inspirational.Red Tulipshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03546144713477594777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22462867.post-1155763218214371772006-08-16T17:20:00.000-04:002006-08-16T17:20:00.000-04:00Im totally linking to this on my blog.Im totally linking to this on my blog.Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02570533262697579725noreply@blogger.com