The recent uprising in Iran has been labeled by some as the “lipstick revolution.” While the spontaneous rebellion following the Iranian elections has quieted over the past week, it was apparent that many of the malcontents taking to the street were young women. Indeed, the icon of these street protests was Neda (or “voice”), the young Iranian woman that was gunned down and whose gruesome death was seen over the internet across the globe. My last post questioned why Western feminists have been so silent in the face of a regime and religion that so tramples on women’s rights.
It was timely that I saw the recently released film “The Stoning of Soraya M.” last weekend, and I highly recommend it. The movie is about a young Iranian woman who is unfairly accused of adultery and framed by her husband, a no-account scoundrel that wishes to unload his earnest, hardworking wife for floozies. In the West, an unscrupulous oaf can do this simply—by divorcing, dividing family property and paying the requisite maintenance and child support. It may be unpleasant for the woman, but she will get on with life.
But under Sharia law, it is another matter. In the film, the husband is able to arrange the stoning of his wife by co-opting a false witness, manipulating Sharia law and the local mullah. This is permitted to occur as a consequence of misogynist religious doctrine, the welding of law and religion, and the unchecked power of local religious leaders. The final scene is jarring—a graphic barbaric and brutal execution of a beautiful young woman in which her father, sons, and husband, along with the rest of the community all partake.
Although the actual incident upon which the film was based took place in the mid 1980’s, stoning continues to be a staple enforcement mechanism for sexual mores in the Islamic world. In a widely publicized case last year a 13 year old rape victim was stoned to death when her family reported the rape and she was accused of adultery.
In a sad coincidence, The Stoning of Soraya M. was released within 30 days of the slaying of Neda. That a segment of this culture society uses violence and threat of violence in a most barbaric way to prevent women from exercising their sexual freedom, shoots them for expressing themselves politically and beats them for not adhering to the Islamic dress code is astonishing to me. And, as I observed in my last post, what is more astonishing is the silence from Western feminists. And I also remind you that this is a culture that President Obama is tripping over himself to engage and show respect. The oppression of women by societies like Iran’s is on par with how blacks were treated in the deep South in the 50’s or in South Africa under apartheid. Why is the world so tolerant of it?
It was timely that I saw the recently released film “The Stoning of Soraya M.” last weekend, and I highly recommend it. The movie is about a young Iranian woman who is unfairly accused of adultery and framed by her husband, a no-account scoundrel that wishes to unload his earnest, hardworking wife for floozies. In the West, an unscrupulous oaf can do this simply—by divorcing, dividing family property and paying the requisite maintenance and child support. It may be unpleasant for the woman, but she will get on with life.
But under Sharia law, it is another matter. In the film, the husband is able to arrange the stoning of his wife by co-opting a false witness, manipulating Sharia law and the local mullah. This is permitted to occur as a consequence of misogynist religious doctrine, the welding of law and religion, and the unchecked power of local religious leaders. The final scene is jarring—a graphic barbaric and brutal execution of a beautiful young woman in which her father, sons, and husband, along with the rest of the community all partake.
Although the actual incident upon which the film was based took place in the mid 1980’s, stoning continues to be a staple enforcement mechanism for sexual mores in the Islamic world. In a widely publicized case last year a 13 year old rape victim was stoned to death when her family reported the rape and she was accused of adultery.
In a sad coincidence, The Stoning of Soraya M. was released within 30 days of the slaying of Neda. That a segment of this culture society uses violence and threat of violence in a most barbaric way to prevent women from exercising their sexual freedom, shoots them for expressing themselves politically and beats them for not adhering to the Islamic dress code is astonishing to me. And, as I observed in my last post, what is more astonishing is the silence from Western feminists. And I also remind you that this is a culture that President Obama is tripping over himself to engage and show respect. The oppression of women by societies like Iran’s is on par with how blacks were treated in the deep South in the 50’s or in South Africa under apartheid. Why is the world so tolerant of it?
