Reading this article
should be a major wake up call to the rest of the world. It is extremely
inhumane that women are being treated like this anywhere, let alone that it has
become the norm in Afghanistan. Throughout history men have been viewed as
superior to women, such as one of the 5 Confucian social relationships, but
this type of abuse is extremely unacceptable.
In class we talked about
how it is important when looking at other cultures to do so without
ethnocentrism playing a part in what we think of them. We also agreed that there
are some human standards that must be preserved in all situations, and I think
that this story takes a bounding leap into the territory of unacceptable.
The article explains how
beheadings like this have been justified by claiming adultery, or “for failing [the] obligation [of] a woman”
(Levs). How far does this abuse have to go until the rest of the world decides
it is horrible enough that they intervene to make it stop? How can religion or
culture ever be used to justify an event so discriminatory and unjust as
beheading your own daughter-in-law because she won’t become a prostitute?
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/18/afghan-woman-beheads-daughter-in-law-for-refusing-prostitution-police-say/?hpt=wo_c2
After reading the article, I was deeply saddened and also confused. It's definitely not the first time we have heard of this kind of news, but beheading your OWN daughter-in-law? I can't make sense of that. Like you mentioned, such injustice was present in history. Just start looking at the rulers of the empires we have studied - Louis XIV, Kangxi, Suleiman. Men were the ones that could hold a high position in the society. This was the case hundreds of years ago and is still the case in some parts of the world today.
ReplyDeleteI think women certainly have more rights than ever before. For example, one amendment in the US Constitution gives women the right to vote. But those who live in developing countries such as Afghanistan are not so lucky. I feel a sense of anger because I want to blame someone. But the truth is, there isn't one person responsible for this. In response to your question, I believe that people do realize the significance of this issue. There just needs to be more actions taken. In the article below, Colombian authorities tried yet failed to stop sexual violence against women. So what exactly can we do to stop the discrimination?
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/colombian-authorities-fail-stop-or-punish-sexual-violence-against-women-2012-10-04
I completely agree with Marissa about how men have been treated as much more superior than women and that this is both unfair and wrong. Men and women are both human and made equally. Women have just as much importance as men does. Women can't survive without men and men can't survive without women. So why can't we all just be treated equally?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do believe that now, this issue has been a lot better than before and women have a higher status in our society.
I believe that the discrimination we still sometimes rarely see is from the past generations passed on to the next generation. People hear things in their lives and react strongly against it and this may cause the discrimination we see. Although there is difinitely not that much anymore. Especially in the areas we live in.
After reading this article, I felt strongly against it because myself being a girl, I would never want to be forced into doing something I do not want to do and get horribly punished for refusing. This event is not the first time a young woman is targeted for her gender and I think this should stop. Why can't we all just live peacfully together? Only in a perfect world.
http://www.ktsm.com/news/female-divorcees-targeted-prostitution-case
its discusting what some people do
ReplyDeleteWhat surprises me is that the murder was committed by another woman. It's completely possible that her mother-in-law would also be forced into prostitution, or killed because of her gender at some point. So, why would she be alright with punishing someone who has gone through exactly what she could have? The mother-in-law is condoning and willfully going along with the injustice going on, and although you can't really blame her, because a large part of her reasons behind her actions - or even all of them - are due to the society she was raised in.
ReplyDeleteIt just astonishes me that someone would be willing to murder a woman not only related to her, but who had experienced prejudices and senseless violence that could have happened to the mother-in-law any day.
I am absolutely disgusted. It's hard to believe that in America a big part of the election is focused on woman's rights and making the workplace equal between both sexes; where as in Afghanistan these nightmarish things are taking place. To think this thirteen year-old girl has already been raped, tortured, and locked away in a basement for months breaks my heart. What makes me even more upset is that Sahar Gul's story is not a special case, this is happening to the majority of woman in the country. I also agree that I was shocked that the murder was committed by another woman, the victims mother in law! I understand that in each cultures history (that I know of), there was a long struggle for woman's rights, but this is atrocious. I hope this story get's a lot of attention so someday, girls in Afghan won't have to grow up so quickly.
ReplyDelete-Janelle Franklin G Block
This article is a heart breaking reality shock that is much too present in society today, even if America has made progress enstilling equal rights and humane justice within our country, there are so many parts of the world that hold horrors like these. This child was considered property of a man and his family. The fact that these people felt the right to torture her, or force this girl to have sex with her innapropriately older "husband" is beyond unacceptable. The mother-in-law's involvement of the torture and killing of the young woman is not surprisng to me. Although the mother in law is also a woman facing the same obstacles as her victim, instead of making said mother feel compassionate to her daughter in law, or even feeling it be okay due to cultural standards, perhaps this crime was committed out of fear for her own safety. This woman too could have gone though the same horrors of the tragic case this young girl experienced. Perhaps she killed this child out of fear for her own safety. This does not make it acceptable or even slightly understandable in my opinion, however, that may have been a key reason for the actions this elder woman committed. As terrible as the entire prostitution concept and cause is, I find it even worse that this entire situation happened because the young wife was percieved as property of someone else. This family found it to be their right to do whatever they wanted to this young girl because they owned her. Possessions should be innanamet. The atrocity of this situation all comes back to the young wive's loss of all power whe n submitting to a marriage, which seems to be in this case, and many others, just another word for "rightful" ownership.
ReplyDelete