Thousands of Pakistani women demonstrated yesterday in support of Mukhtar Mai.
Thousands of women rallied in eastern Pakistan on Monday to demand justice and protection for a woman who said she was gang-raped at the direction of a village council, after a court ordered the release of her alleged attackers.Waving signs and chanting, the demonstrators, many of them from nearby villages, joined the rally. Organizer Farzana Bari said more than 3,000 women were at the event.
Some 200 policemen observed the demonstration, which ended peacefully.
In June 2002, Mai said she was raped by four men on the orders of a village council that wanted to punish her family.
Ultimately, it will be the refusal of ordinary people that will change social norms and honor-based violence against women. And it's worth keeping in mind that women aren't the only victims of tribal attitudes:
Mai’s brother was accused of having sex with a woman from a more prominent family, though Mai’s family says the allegations were fabricated to cover up a sexual assault against the boy by several men.
Boys can suffer too.
It's a start, anyway. The Muslim world will not be fixed until its slave classes are free.
This story from Kuwait is also cool. And of course, the Kuwaiti clerical establishment is unhappy about the demonstrations.
Heh. Get used to it.
Funny how a story like this does not get as much publicity as it should. I'm sorry to sound mean but women in that culture need to wake the hell up and realize that they're human beings and not just some jerk's foot rest. Your society is failing because you continue to be submissive. Wake the hell up and fight... it's hard but then again freedom has always come at a heavy and painful price. Plus why not fight? It's more painful to be under someone's control than to be hurt physically because you refuse injustice. There's no room for being weak and minimal in life! Plus... men are weak... scare them an inch and they will run a mile... always have been and always will be.
People should remember that Pakistan, that allows the sort of "justice" this woman sufferd is a precious ally of the United States in the "war on terror". If Pakistanis need to wake up and do something, so do Americans.
D. Hayward,
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Savages are savage; hence the term. Maybe Pakistan will become civilized one day, and maybe demonstrations of this sort will hasten that day. I'm not holding my breath, but I sincerely hope that's true. In the meantime, we're fighting a war. Stalin wasn't a real fun guy, but Hitler was the greater threat. The two-bit dictators we supported during the Cold War weren't teddy bears, but they helped us contain the Soviet threat. Now that the Cold War's over, we can afford to support democracy more than we could while it raged, but we live in a fallen world. Sometimes you have to hold your nose and deal with savages to get what needs doing done. Once it is done, we can worry about bringing the light of civilization to Pakistan.
Everyone in a backwards, uncivilized country needs to remember a thing. And it's the same thing I live by today in the US. I rather die on my feet then live on my knees. Keep fighting and maybe someone else will join you!
You have to keep fighting. Remember "it is better to die on your feet than live on your knees." Someone else will see this and join. Fighting is the only way to win.
I am considering including this modern power woman in my book, Power Women: Lessons From the Ancient World. Mukhtar Mai has done what women all over the world must do. They must face their terrors. They must use whatever justice system has an iota of courage and integrity. They must not hide, for their shame is not theirs; it is their country's. A country that wraps its women in black, hides their faces from "prying eyes," and denies them freedoms accorded men, shout truths about the men and the society.
Victims tell others. They must publicize the names of individuals, tribes, and clans that abuse them. Mai has become an icon, a modern warrior in the present ancient world. The world is watching over Mai and others who suffer abuse from ignorance and arrogance.
As civilized people, we--men and women--must support her cause, help protect women from the traditions of cruelty and savagery. Pakistan, and other countries that abuse their women,will never rise to the level of respect required of civilized societies until they heal their wrongs against women, indeed against their people as a whole.
Dr. P.D. Sargent
Author, educator, speaker
How can i help Mukhtar Mai? She is a brave woman. May God/Allah help her in her struggles.I would love to meet such a woman that can conquer her fears and choose life. I pray God/Allah protects her and her family.