I understood the lashes were to be for meeting a man, not punishment for rape. My remark about her being lucky was a reference to the beating her brother gave her for dishonoring the family - murder is common in such cases.
I would bet a years pay (if I were a better) that the sentence will removed by the mercy of the court for one of dozens of legal mercies that are allowed.
I've known many people who have worked in SA over the last few decades and their legal system is not big on mercy, but rather big on "chop-chop".
Below is an essay which sees the treatment of women a key indicator of the health of Islamic civilization. I know SA is only one country (possibly the worst for women) but conversations I've had over the years with women from relatively liberal places like Malaysia indicate women aren't treated equally in fact even there.
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The Canary In The Coal Mine Of Islamic Civilization
Steven M. Warshawsky
It is often said that Jews are the canary in the coal mine of western civilization. When they start to be abused and mistreated, it is a sign that a poisonous atmosphere has developed that threatens to engulf all of society.
Well, women are the canary in the coal mine of lslamic civilization. And they are choking and dying across the Muslim world.
The most recent story, from Saudi Arabia, involves a 19-year-old woman who was kidnapped, beaten, and gang-raped by 7 men -- and then sentenced by a court to 90 lashes for the crime of being alone with a man not related to her.
This is utterly barbaric. Yet it is consistent with Islamic law (sharia) as practiced by the leading Sunni Muslim nation, the world's largest oil exporter, and America's "ally" in the Middle East. Equally revolting acts of sharia tyranny against women occur in Iran, Afghanistan, and throughout the Muslim world.
I submit that the single most important indicator of whether the Muslim world will be able to co-exist peacefully with the West is how they treat their women. So long as the Muslim world follows a religious code that reflects such a deep fear and hatred of women, it never will be able to embrace the core values and principles upon which a free, democratic society is based: the dignity of the individual, freedom of conscience, political and economic liberty, the principles of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity, representative government, and non-violent transitions of power.
When the Muslim world stops abusing and mistreating its women, we'll know they're ready for peaceful co-existence with the West. Until that day, we'd better keep our eyes open and our powder dry.
smwarshawsky@hotmail.com
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