Pakistanis Protest Changes In Rape Laws

[ECH1969]

Thousands of activists of a religious coalition rallied Sunday in the southern Pakistan city of Karachi to condemn the government over amendments in the country's controversial Islamic rape laws.

Pakistan's Parliament recently approved a bill to change the 1979 Hudood Ordinance, a law based on Islamic principles that requires rape victims to produce four witnesses to the crime. But the move has angered many conservative Muslims.

"We will not let Pakistan become secular," the supporters of a coalition of Islamic groups chanted.

Under the new changes, judges would still have the authority to choose whether a rape case should be tried in a criminal court — where the four-witness rule would not apply — or under the old Islamic laws.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/26/world/main2208920.shtml

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. And just how often ARE there 4 witnesses to a rape?!

[Warpy]

5. Obviously, like the case in Saudi Arabia,

when it's a GANG RAPE. How they expect to get the rapists to witness in an Islamic court about that is never said.

Besides, it's so much easier to punish a woman, especially since she's left holding the bag (and the baby) and bears the consequences already.

[pnwmom]

14. If there were 4 good witnesses, why wouldn't they stop the rape?

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

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[The Straight Story]

3. Scratch that place off my list of places I would want to live (nt)

[ECH1969]

8. you got that right

[pnwmom]

15. Or ever visit.

[Hatalles]

19. :-/

I've been to Pakistan four times. It's a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. When I was there, I would walk my grandparents' dog to the beach every evening. Our uncles would take us cousins for horse rides on the sand. There's nothing quite like a warm Karachi sunset.

But nevermind all that. Fuckin' savages. :sarcasm:

[WHEN CRABS ROAR]

4. Give me that old time religion

[Triana]

6. As usual, the MEN who commit the crimes also make the laws...

...and blame the victim. There are usually NO witnesses to rape. The pr*cks know this. Why don't they just legalize rape? There's no difference.

[Recursion]

7. Because they don't view the rape as a crime against the woman

It's a crime against whatever man she is under the authority of. So it stays illegal as long as a man is offended by his wife or daughter losing her "purity". If a woman's husband or father brings a rape case against you under sharia, he does not need 4 witnesses. The women who don't "belong to" a man ( :puke: ) are the ones who get no protection of the law. What the law is meant to protect is security of patrilinearity.

[Triana]

9. In other words rape is legal there

Well, it practically is here, too.

[pnwmom]

16. No comparison.

[gtar100]

10. Maybe we could just sit down and reason with them

**not**


Blinded by religion. How sad that they cannot trust God but instead have to rely on a book to tell them right from wrong.

[davidinalameda]

11. how long before the Pakistani government falls

and another theocracy arises in the region

[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

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[Hekate]

13. Gotta keep those women down.God knows what would happen if they had human rights.

Ew.

Hekate

[Bassic]

17. Fuckwits. nt

[NotGivingUp]

18. assholes! freaking pigs!

[IndianaGreen]

20. Did these men have mothers, or were they hatched somewhere?

The world would be better off without religion, any religion!

[Ferretherder]

21. I agree with you, 100%!

[Cerridwen]

23. A lot of women in that protest, were there?

edit to add: yep, there were - about 800 women in veils there to protest

I can't even wrap my head around that one.