16-year-old girl whipped for being raped

If you thought that sounded atrocious enough, the details and specifics only make things even worse. In the end, though, considering the circumstances, as horrible and disgusting as this story may be, it can’t honestly be called “shocking” or “outrageous” – for, those words convey the sense that it was surprising, or unexpected. Which, considering this happened under Islamic rule, this is anything but.

Rape victim receives 101 lashes for becoming pregnant

A 16-year-old girl who was raped in Bangladesh has been given 101 lashes for conceiving during the assault.

The girl's father was also fined and warned the family would be branded outcasts from their village if he did not pay.

According to human rights activists, the girl, who was quickly married after the attack, was divorced weeks later after medical tests revealed she was pregnant.

The girl was raped by a 20-year-old villager in Brahmanbaria district in April last year.

Bangladesh's Daily Star newspaper reported that she was so ashamed following the attack that she did not lodge a complaint.

Her rape emerged after her pregnancy test and Muslim elders in the village issued a fatwa insisting that the girl be kept in isolation until her family agreed to corporal punishment.

Her rapist was pardoned by the elders. She told the newspaper the rapist had "spoiled" her life.

"I want justice," she said.

Of course, she will never get it, and neither will anyone who lives in such wretched swamps of cruelty, oppression and religion-sanctioned evil. There’s hardly a point in describing the injustices and horrors in stories such as this one; it’s only important to share them far and wide to raise awareness, to educate, and to show people just what sorts of insanity and inhumanity are still going strong in some parts of the world, particularly in areas consumed (almost literally) by the iron fist of religion and tyrannical theocracy.

As Jen at Blag Hag says, there is a time for politeness and respect when dealing with other religions and cultures, but happenings such as this one effectively render such types of measures both pointless and, quite frankly, inappropriate. The right way – the only way – to deal with such monstrosity is to be as vocal as we can and decry such acts that simply cannot be tolerated in any society, especially in this modern age.

Of course, as with any stories of this sort, you can expect the usual apologists to start squawking about how this isn’t Islam’s fault, or how these people misrepresent Islam and its teachings, or how it’s just a local mindset, and yadda yadda yadda – fuck that. Anyone who honestly thinks that religion has nothing to do with this, or that it would’ve happened anyway, or that a fucking child can be raped and impregnated, and then be punished so cruelly for being the victim of a vicious act to begin with whilst the perpetrator himself walks away freely, and that Islam and its mindset and beliefs weren’t used in such a revolting story, is either unbelievably naive, or is an absolute moron.

(via Blag Hag)