The AP reports:
A woman sentenced to prison and a public lashing after being gang-raped has been pardoned by the Saudi monarch in a case that sparked an international outcry, including rare criticism from the United States, the kingdom's top ally. . . .
With the pardon, Abdullah appeared to be aiming to relieve the pressure from the United States without being seen to criticize Saudi Arabia's conservative Islamic legal system, a stronghold of powerful clerics of the strict Wahhabi interpretation of Islam.
The announcement of Abdullah's pardon was published Monday on the front pages of Al-Jazirah newspaper, which is deemed close to the royal family. But it did not appear in any other local media or the state-run news agency _ in an apparent attempt to play down the case at home.
Justice Minister Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Sheik defended the courts, saying the pardon does not mean the king doubted the country's judges, but that he was acting in the "interests of the people." . . .
Amnesty International said the man who was raped received the same sentence as the woman. Al-Jazirah did not mention whether he had been pardoned as well.
The story does not report whether she received her pardon before or after she received the lashes to which she was sentenced.
UPDATE: A commenter notes the Saudi press reports the pardon occurred before any lashes were administered.
Related Posts (on one page):
- Saudi Prince Pardons Rape Victim:
- Where Are Islam's Silent Moderates?
- Justice, Saudi Style:
They're silent because they've seen what happens to moderates who aren't.
Yes, the King may have done it for us. But I still think that it is a good sign, from a very repressive religious regime.
That's according to the Western philosophy. There are philosophies that place as much blame on her because she got herself into a situation where she was raped. For instance, she should not have been outside her house without a male escort - that's the law. It is because she broke this law that she got raped and so she shares the blame.
Western misunderstanding of (some parts) of Islamic law are not going to be beneficial in the long run.
The pardon itself was a huge slap in the face to the Saudi judiciary and Ministry of Justice. The Minister of Justice, a descendant of Abdul Wahhab, had to read it on Saudi TV. This, coming after both the Ministry and several former and sitting judges had defended the enhanced sentence, nudges religious authorities further from the centers of power.
Saudi Arabia has announced a major overhaul of the entire legal system and structure. They've yet to determine whether they will attempt to codify Sharia law, something I think crucial to reform.
It's useful, btw, to remember that the girl was not sentenced for being raped, but for the prior and separate crime (in Saudi Arabia) of khulwa, being in the presence of an unrelated male in a state of seclusion.
This is asinine. There was a storm of criticism from Western feminists. Mustn't let the facts get in the way of a good narrative though.
Why is that "useful"?
Wow.
I find this ambiguous. Just what have we westerners misunderstood? And who is not benefiting from our alleged failure to understand?
As to whether she was to be beaten for being raped or for being outside the house, that's a distinction without a difference.
Can we tell whether young women apprehended while unchaperoned get similar treatment in Saudi Arabia? If we don't have this data, we cannot tell if the distinction actually describes a difference.
yeehaa: would you kindly tell us which American feminists reacted in the way you describe?
Can we tell whether young women apprehended while unchaperoned get similar treatment in Saudi Arabia?
Change to:
Can we tell whether young women apprehended while unchaperoned get treatment similar to this rape victim in Saudi Arabia?
Click here for the link to the blog post. (Note: free access only provided by watching an ad to provide a day pass).
You can also search this blog for more information on the case.
I think we understand it just fine, thank you.
My vague impression -- vague because I don't concern myself much with scoring points about whether people make empty gestures -- is that a number of people all along the political spectrum have criticized both Iran and Saudi Arabia. It may well be true, however, that "leftists," however defined, are more likely to criticize misbehavior of one of our supposed allies as opposed to misbehavior of one of our supposed enemies. Without getting into questions of individual sincerity, which I also don't much care about except if I may have to deal with the people in question, it does seem like a more rational use of time and effort to gripe about people over whom we may have some influence, or with whom we associate ourselves, than it would be to gripe about people we already think ill of and have no influence over. I've noticed that parents tend to care more about the behavior of their own children than about that of others. Damned hypocrites.
That said, whether or not we approve of their value system, it is important that we, at minimum, make an effort to understand it. The key point in all this is the fact that this woman broke the law - it is an unjust law, to be sure, but still a law. In the eyes of Saudi law, she had no right to be where she was and her breaking that law contributed in no small part to the result of her being raped. This does not (and did not!) absolve the rapists but their guilt does not, in turn, absolve her.
For completeness, I will append another disclaimer to the end: I don't approve of the reasoning in the above paragraph - it is abhorrent to me. Disgust is, however, no excuse for ignorance.
What's odd is that such people have copious prestige waiting for them, in the West at least, if and when they speak out publicly and vehemently against utterly horrific incidents like this. It seems to me our society is straining to find moderate voices in Islam.
I would be very interested in reading what these people have to say, and would appreciate links. That is said entirely without snark -- I really would like to get the moderate Islamic perspective on things like this.
True. Perhaps we could spare a little outrage for what happened to this rape victim.
It's not a law I would want my family living under, but why is unjust? Serious question, not snark.
***
just watching666 - there aren't any gays in Iran, remember? Achmindinajad said so.
To me, the absolute equality before the law of the genders is a fundamental moral proposition. This is non-negotiable and I cannot condone any social, cultural or religious more that stands in contradiction to it.
Yeah! Except for the U.S. Military of course. Because when you got to kill some people, morals just get in the way.
We understood the Soviet system, we understood the Nazi system. Not much difference.
Are the Saudis merely 500 years or over 1000 years behind the West? That is what I don't understand.
There is no sign that any domestic movement has the wherewithal to accomplish the latter as Saudi Arabia's bread and circuses political system has bought off the masses.
In short, absent something like the transitions to modernity implemented by Attaturk in Turkey, or in Thailand by its monarch, change seems virtually impossible.