If you want to go back in time and experience life in the Middle Ages, just visit Saudi Arabia and see
how they treat women. It's abominable. Nothing illustrates it better than the case of the rape victim who's been sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison. A group of seven men raped her, one by one, and now the Saudi justice system is taking its turn.
The case, which has sparked media scrutiny of the Saudi legal system, centers on a married woman. The 19-year-old and an unrelated man were abducted, and she was raped by a group of seven men more than a year ago, according to Abdulrahman al-Lahim, the attorney who represented her in court.
The woman was originally sentenced in October 2006 to 90 lashes. But that sentence was more than doubled to 200 lashes and six months in prison by the Qatif General Court, because she spoke to the media about the case, a court source told Middle Eastern daily newspaper Arab News.
Al-Lahim told CNN his law license was revoked last week by a judge because he spoke to the Saudi-controlled media about the case. [Link]
She was sentenced to the original 90 lashes, it appears, because she met a man she wasn't related to, which is against Saudi law. In most countries, people wouldn't even think of lashing a dog or other animal, but in Saudi Arabia, it's business as usual. How bad is it over there? People who get lashed feel utterly lucky, saying to themselves, "At least they're not beheading me."
White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend, who announced her resignation Monday, called the case "absolutely reprehensible" but told CNN's "American Morning" the Saudis deserve credit for their assistance in battling terrorism. "This case is separate and apart from that, and I just don't think there's any explaining it or justifying it," she added. [Link]
No, they don't deserve any credit for battling terrorism, not when they're committing atrocities against their own citizens. What they really deserve is an embargo. Better yet, appoint Rosie O'Donnell as the new ambassador to Saudi Arabia. That'll teach 'em.
Under law in Saudi Arabia, women are subject to numerous restrictions, including a strict dress code, a prohibition against driving and a requirement that they get a man's permission to travel or have surgery. Women are also not allowed to testify in court unless it is about a private matter that was not observed by a man, and they are not allowed to vote. [Link]
But on the bright side, women are allowed to decide for themselves how much salt to add to the Tabbouleh.
The Saudi government recently has taken some steps toward bettering the situation of women in the kingdom, including the establishment earlier this year of special courts to handle domestic abuse cases, adoption of a new labor law that addresses working women's rights and creation of a human rights commission. [Link]
Members of the human rights commission get only 70 lashes when they talk to the media.
Photo by Mujib.
