Here’s an update since the following was written … The new law has passed: The New York Times, “Afghan Women Protest New Law on Home Life” (published April 15)…
It seems that Afghanistan is writing a new constitution that makes it legal for men to rape their wives. As reported by the AP in The New York Times, “Afghanistan: Critics Speak Out on ‘Rape Law’ “(April 2), “The law is intended to regulate family life inside Afghanistan’s Shiite population, which makes up about 20 percent of the total Afghan population. It does not affect Sunni Muslims. ‘Unless the wife is ill,’ the law says, ‘the wife is bound to give a positive response to the sexual desires of her husband.’ ”
It doesn’t stop there. The law also places restrictions on when a woman can leave her own home, saying vaguely that she must have “a legitimate purpose.” Women are also forbidden from seeking an education without their husband’s approval.
A follow-up New York Times article, “Karzai Agrees to Review Family Law” (April 4) has Afghani president Hamid Karzai blaming western media for misconstruing the new laws as an infringement upon the basics freedom their constitution protects, citing mistranslations and faulty information gathering. In his defense, he has agreed to have the laws reviewed by his justice minister.
On The New York Times blog (April 6), “New Afgan Law on Women on Hold,” there are more details … “A copy of the unpublished law seen by Reuters states ‘a wife is obliged to fulfill the sexual desires of her husband’ when she is healthy and has to wear make-up if her husband demands it.” And “The English-language version of the German Web site Spiegel Online on Friday that it had obtained a copy of the law “and it is even worse than the initial reports indicate.” According to Spiegel, Article 132 of the new law says that ‘if her husband is not traveling or sick, the wife is required to have sex with him at least every fourth night,’ unless she is ill.”
Obama has spoken out against the new law saying it is “abhorrent,” and “We think that it is very important for us to be sensitive to local culture, but we also think that there are certain basic principles that all nations should uphold, and respect for women and respect for their freedom and integrity is an important principle.”
Two Snoety thoughts:
1) Should you fight over being made to be a sex slave?
In discussing the new Afgani consitution with a male friend, his response was, “Well, Karzai wants to win the election and doesn’t want there to be a civil war between the Shiities and Sunnis.” My response: “A leader must stand for something, and if his constituencies want to kill each other, what better reason than to give basic rights to at least one half of the population who happen to be women. Would you rethink this if it were a male’s rights that were being legally taken away or if your wife, your daughter or you were required to be sex slaves?”
2) Just give those women under the Burqas a gun!
I always said that our military was blowing an opportunity. Rather than send our troops into danger, why not just give those women under the burqas guns and instructions on how to use them. They’d inevitably shoot their husbands themselves. (I’d like to think they wouldn’t be too intimidated to do so.)
Yes, I actually am a non-violent person that thinks most disagreements can be reached through understanding both sides and joint compromise. This, really, is too backward.
Why doesn’t “the media” worldwide make more of this?
Harriett
harriett@snoety.com
