So the Afghan woman who was imprisoned by Karzai's government for being raped, and then told by Karzai that she'd be released on the grounds that she married her rapist, is now being told she is free to marry whomever she wants.Thanks, Mr. Karzai. That's really big-hearted of you. This is the government our government put in place, and is keeping alive with tons of American and NATO money.
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Makes you wonder how a government we had no influence over would treat her. Think Taliban. This is tricky stuff. Such sexism in Afghanistan is a lot older than the Karzai government. The US, with no desire to actually take the place over has to treat the Afghanis like a sovereign government and allow some sort of local autonomy over their choice of leadership. Karzai is (barely) hanging on to control of the country, and is for the most part willing to work with the US. He even intervened in this woman's case, though I'm sure he had no interest, probably due to pressure from US public opinion. He may well take heat from Afghan public opinion for this decision, which will be seen by some (many?) in Afghanistan as kowtowing to the US, not respecting their own culture/tradition/Islam.
Big Q: What is happening to the rape victims in Afghanistan we are not hearing about? I truly doubt she is the only one.
All good points, Mike. I agree we shouldn't lay our cultural assumptions on other countries. It's just really, really hard for me to look at some of what is done to people, women in this case, under the guise of so-called culture/tradition/practice and perceive it as anything other than an egregious crime, by ANY reasonable standard of human behavior.
It would seem cultures that treat women like human beings wouldn't allow things like this to happen. I believe this kind of behavior is allowed to continue precisely BECAUSE it's cloaked in the guise of culture or religious tradition, and therefore people are afraid to express opinions about it for fear of offending others.
But I'm talking about basic human rights, really outside the scope of gender equality or religion. One human should not be allowed/encouraged to treat another human that way, period. Someone rapes you, then you're imprisoned for being forcibly raped, then you "get" to marry the person who violated you? And the government is OK with that? There's not something basically f-ed up with that on a deep human level?
Of course, it's also equally risky to paint the whole situation with one broad brush. So yeah, that's what I get for getting mad, I guess, which is why today's post was prefaced "Don't get me started!" Something in my tea today, probably. Anyway, thanks for your input and I appreciate you urging a thoughtful approach.
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