Morning Star

Appeal to the Imams of Lahore

Nothing other than being Christian in a Muslim country, it seems:

Lahore (AsiaNews) – The rape of Christian women in Punjab has become a "common practice" an "outrageous" phenomenon compounded by the fact that "the police protect the guilty" and not the victims. This is the bitter synopsis of Fr Jill John, of the Diocese of Lahore on the last recorded case of sexual violence against a Christian mother. The family calls for justice, but is struggling against a society in which the defenders of the law support the rapists. Even human rights groups like Masihi Life for All Foundation have intervened on the matter, asking government authorities to target the perpetrators of crimes and punish the corrupt and conniving police officers.

Arifa Mushtaq (name changed for security reasons - ed) 32, mother of five was abducted and raped by three Muslims . Her husband Muashtaq Masih a worker at the Kasur sanitation department, in a devastated condition said, "Arifa use to work in a garment factory, on the y evening of 15 September she was coming home from work, she got off the bus, two local Muslims grabbed her from the back. Another armed accomplice came and put a gun on her head."

The woman began to scream ...and the men took Arifa by force to a house and, one by one, they raped her. The family is in shock and even their attempt to report the rape has added insult to injury: the Muslims have threatened her husband, warning him to withdraw the lawsuit. Otherwise, his children will have to go through what his wife has gone through. The police has also protected the perpetrators, putting pressure on Muashtaq Masih.

Fr. Jill John confirms that "the police helps the guilty, with omissions and gaps in the compilation of complaints to favor their freedom." The family of the raped woman, added the priest, are now living in fear while criminals are free to roam the streets of the town. "How much longer - he asks – will we see the children of God suffer? And when will Mushtaq Masih's family get justice?

In order for Islam not to be considered a factor in this crime, the local Muslim must denounce the assailants and the police, stand with the family and remind their flock that such behaviour is reprehensible. If this is done, it will build a bridge between Muslims and Christians and prove that such aggression is not compatible with the Islamic faith. Without such a statement, Christians are left with the impression that such behaviour is acceptible.

Kindly note that Muslims all over the world speak out against negative stereotypes being spread about Islam. It's unfortunate the incidents like this add to the difficulties. Any official statement would be welcome, and of course a joint pursuit of justice would speak volumes. I'm sure the necessary platforms are available.

What is a girl to do?

Child abuse knows no boundaries--every generation, every culture has suffered from this manifestation of human depravity. No religious creed is capable of keeping it at bay, for all creatures are touched by original sin, which darkens the intellect, weakens the will, and confuses the passions. How a culture responds to this despicable behaviour--especially when the abuse is of a sexual nature--is a bellwether of what respect that culture gives to the human person overall.

This Islamic website offers opinions based on shari'a law in response to various dilemmas, and this answer is deeply troubling:

Question: A 14 yr old girl has accused her father of sexually abuse since the age of 9 and also of rape. The mother of the girl says the father has admitted the abuse but not the rape. The father is now flatly denying that anything happened and says the mother has misunderstood what he said. The girl is still adamant that it all took place and by the way the man is on bail. How would this be dealt with according to Islamic law?

Answer [after praise offered to Allah and honour shown to Muhammed]: It is an abominable sin that a father sexually abuses his daughter and it is even more abominable if he rapes her. If he does so with any girl, it is strictly forbidden, let alone him doing so with his own daughter.

However, it is not permissible to accuse the father of rape without evidence. Indeed, the Sharee’ah put some special conditions for proving Zina (fornication or adultery) that are not required in case of other crimes. The crime of Zina is not confirmed except if the fornicator admits it, or with the testimony of four trustworthy men, while the testimony of women is not accepted.

Hence, the statement of this girl or the statement of her mother in itself does not Islamically prove anything against the father, especially that the latter denies it.

Therefore, if this daughter has no evidence to prove that her accusations are true, she should not have claimed that she was raped by her father and she should not have taken him to the court. But if what she says is true, then she has the right to ask for protection from him even by taking him to the court so that he would not continue committing this evil or practice more sinful acts with her. In this case, she would claim his dissoluteness and her fear of his evil so that she will be kept apart from him.

Allaah Knows best.

Thus the child is trapped. She is impugned as a witness because she is a girl, and her charges cannot be substantiated by four witnesses. This is due to a particular incident in the life of Aisha, favourite wife of Muhammed, who was accused of dallying with another man. Since Muhammed preferred to believe her protestations of innocence, he demanded that those charging her with adultery prove it with four witnesses -- which they could not do. To this day, all women in Muslim countries are affected by this incident -- which freed Aisha but burdened all the others by impeding their ability to bring legitimate assailants to justice.

Consider how very hard it is for children to find the courage to speak out against abusive family members. This is further compounded by other family members who are bound by the fear against speaking on their behalf. This poor child has to deal not only with ongoing incest and a mother who betrays the well-being of her own child, but also with religious authorities who shame her for bringing unsubstantiated charges.

It is small consolation that the same authority rendering the verdict expresses repulsion at the thought of a father harming his daughter in such a way, because the shari'a code of justice to which he refers has established a nearly impossible standard of proof for victims -- which every potential abuser knows very well.

Finally, to end this pronouncement with "Allah knows best" is a twist of a very deep knife. 

“And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of things that cause sin! Such things must come, but woe to the one through whom they come! ... See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father” (Matthew, 18: 5-7, 10).

Rape as a weapon of war

Throughout history, rape has  been used as a means of spreading terror during conflicts. Horrific, but nothing new. It should also be noted that the honour cultures in the Middle East preceded Islam but, unfortunately, long association with that faith has done nothing to undermine the honour-based mindset. Rather, it coexists comfortably with Islamic religious tenets. Thus, when confronted with the rape in this region, we find this violent and misguided response by one family:

A Libyan father killed his three daughters after they were raped by Gaddafi's troops to lift the shame on his family, a human rights group said today.

The girls, aged 15, 17 and 18 were allegedly assaulted by soldiers at a school in the town of Tomina, near the war-shattered city of Misrata, during a two-month siege.

When they returned home, their father slit their throats in a so-called honour killing, according to Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).

To be clear, there is another Muslim response:

But PHR also noted that 'some in Tomina have stood up against this practice, including a well-known sheik who has publicly advocated for raped women and girls to be seen as brave and bringing honour to their families.'

Please note that this also filters the rapes through the "honour" lens, which the Imam cannot abandon -- he can only attempt to redefine the parameters. Rape is neither honourable nor dishonourable (unless one wants to argue that it degrades the aggressor). As Augustine wrote in his Confessions, chastity is "a virtue of the mind, and is not lost by rape." (He wrote that in defense of the pious virgins who suffered a similar fate during the sack of Rome -- for they feared that they were going to be held accountable for the "breaking" of their vows.)

[Jesus] summoned the crowd again and said to them, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile (Mark, 7:14-15).

Rape is simply a vile and depraved act that cannot elevate or devalue those who suffer. It's a tragedy, and the only response should be compassion.

Mary, most Pure, intercede for your beloved children!

Egyptian crisis

Barnabas Aid points out the growing problem:

The problem of the forced conversion of Christian girls, who are then married to Muslim men, is a long-standing one in Egypt. But it has intensified since the January Revolution, with the number of Christian girls affected said to be soaring, amid wider efforts to Islamise the country. One church leader in Cairo estimates that at least 21 young girls have disappeared from his parish since the revolution, while another said that “more than two to three girls disappear everyday in Giza alone”. He added, “The cases that are brought to public attention are few compared to what the numbers actually are.”

The problem is not unique to Egypt; it is also common in Pakistan, and there have been consistent reports of its occurring in India and Sri Lanka. A Christian girl who has been forced to marry a Muslim man faces a virtually hopeless future, held captive by a family who treat her as nothing more than a slave. In Pakistan and Egypt, the woman’s name and identity is changed, with her Christian religious status being replaced with Islam on her identity card.

Please read the whole piece, keeping in mind the fundamental differences between the Islamic and Christian views of marriage. Christian marriage is the freely contracted exclusive union between one man and one woman, founded on mutual respect in order to build a stable and lasting home. The fact that Muslim marriages allow polygamy, unilateral divorce, and fundamental inequality between a husband and his wives makes a stable and respectful home impossible, while making it difficult for a woman to give her heart completely to her husband. Furthermore, when the cultural elements concerning honour are added, rape or any sexual activity on the part of the girl/woman limit her options, forcing her into very bad situations.