Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Giving Away Girls

I Could Scream: Examining the plight of women under Islam
So you complain about American politics? Hey, try Pakistan.

A man running for office there offered his eleven year old daughter as a bribe to his opponent in order to induce him to stand down. This father wanted to run unopposed for election as administrator in a small town a hundred miles or so north of Islamabad.
    "He wished to get elected unopposed ... that's why he also paid him (Noor) Pakistani Rs.200,000 ($3,358)," the official told the newspaper.
In Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal regions and rural Punjab province, girls are also given away in marriage in the settlement of disputes though the custom has been declared illegal by the judiciary.
Meanwhile, tribal elders and politicians have barred women from contesting the elections in some conservative districts of NWFP.
"It doesn't suit our traditions and culture," Ayaz Khan, a provincial cabinet minister, said after signing an agreement banning women's participation in elections as candidate.

Of course it doesn’t “suit” their traditions. Their traditions are tribal, primitive, and fourth world. Women don’t run for office in the fourth world, they run for their lives.

It is difficult not to make comparisons with some of the shenanigans that go on amongst the Progressives in this country. Now there’s a tribal group for you. One has only to watch the head of the DNC to understand primitive and regressed.

But this story from Pakistan this might explain the New York Times bizzare background check on John Roberts’ children. Perhaps they thought he was going to offer one of them in exchange for a Supreme Court position? Great minds think alike and all that.

It is difficult not to make comparisons, but not impossible. In fact, it’s fun.


Hat tip: My Pet Jawa

5 comments:

El Jefe Maximo said...

And we live on the same planet with these people, and they have nukes...and are getting more. Where are some colonialist/imperialists when you need them ?

Dymphna said...

The imperialists dwell in the heart of the evil George and will spring forth when necessary...

..oops, sorry. I've been reading Elias Cannetti.

AbbaGav said...

How did the rest of the world learn to value its girls, even if the process of change was too slow? What step, what secret sauce is missing here? I have three daughters and I just can't fathom this.

I still have this feeling that fighting for Islam's women could be a very successful proxy battle. Islam without access to the slave labor of half its population would have a hard time continuing on its present path. They would at least have to introduce the idea of TV dinners.

(Of course, not every Muslim is like this. But until this behavior is universally condemned, and appears only as an aberration, Islam still has work to do.)

Thanks for bringing this to light, as uncomfortable as it is.

goesh said...

islam is a religion of peace and peace is easier to sustain if half the population has no rights. Do the math - only 50% of the population can argue

Doug said...

Goesh,
Cute.
Think I'll try it on my wife. ;-(