Saving The Girl Of Qatif

[Terri]

By Linda Chavez
December 7, 2007

President Bush seemed at a loss for words this week when he was asked during a press conference if he would use his influence to help a Saudi rape victim who has drawn international attention. The young woman was raped 14 times by seven men and now faces her own imprisonment and 200 lashes in a sentence imposed by a Saudi court.

So what was the victim's "crime"? She happened to be in the company of a man who was not a close relative when she was attacked.

The president hemmed and hawed: "My first thoughts were these: What happens if this happened to my daughter? How would I react? And I would have been -- I would have been -- I'd have been very emotional, of course. I'd have been angry at those who committed the crime, and I'd be angry at a state that didn't support the victim."

More (http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/lchavez/2007/lc_12071.shtml)

[thomas]

Never mind President Bush, where the &^%$ is NOW? Oh! I'm sorry, it's not about abortion is it? They're all a bunch of hypocrits!
The Old Chief

[pnyikos]

Bush doesn't even have to get as aggressive about it as Chavez suggests. It would be enough to say, Look, I realize the woman broke a law of your country, but, can you be compassionate and consider that she has already been punished far worse than the 200 lashes she is faced with? Surely as head of state of Saudi Arabia, you have the power to commute her sentence to the moral equivalent of "time served". Please do so as soon as possible.

Then, if the answer is No, he could use the approach Chavez recommends.

But, ah, he'd first have to pardon Ramos and Compean if he doesn't want to come off like a hypocrite. And that, for some reason, is something he just doesn't want to do even in the face of bipartisan pressure. And maybe it is his guilty conscience over the whole stinking affair that keeps him from doing the right thing for the girl of Qatif.

[qrayjack]

And Hillary is doing what to save this girl?

[RW]

Yup, religion of peace.....

[qrayjack]

Lovely people. Just really lovely people, and where are the 'good Muslims' that the left keeps yammering about? Mighty quiet on these matters, aren't they?

And here's how the politically correct left of America honors such behavior:

THE STAMP (http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catal ogId=10152&storeId=10001&categoryId=17901&productId=32803&langId=-1)

[Taquoshi]

First of all, the House of Saud has a great deal to answer for because where were most the of 9/11 hijackers from???? Don't be fooled. These people are not necessarily our friends or even our allies.

Secondly, this woman's rape normally would not have made their radar. After all, it is a woman. Now if something happens to Omar's goat, well, that's news. But a woman??? Especially one that was with an unrelated male?? That's all anyone needs to know. Next!!!!

Somehow or other, the Western news agencies picked up this story against all odds. If the President was going to mention it to the King, it might not be a good idea to broadcast the fact because a request of clemency is asking the King to violate Muslim law. This has been done already with the British teacher in Sudan who was sentenced to 40 lashes because she allowed her students to name a teddy bear Mohammed. The woman was secretively whisked out of the country to prevent further uproar, but the deal was brokered by two Muslim British peers. While I firmly believe that the Sudanese school secretary should be publically punished for starting the entire episode by lying about parents complaining and thus bringing shame to Islam by the negative international attention, it also showed that Islamic leaders could be persuaded by Western opinion to break with Shari'a law - a very bad precedent. And to add insult to injury, it was over a...(cough, cough)....infidel Western woman.

So publicly beating on the drum to have President Bush confront the King regarding this may not have been the best move. It may have brought the spotlight onto a shadowy corner where the King may be boxed in by Shari'a law. The U.S. also has to be careful that we don't present a situation where other countries feel we will interfere with every legal case they have.

Personally, do I think that the President should speak to the King about this issue?? Absolutely. But I would be very, very cautious about stirring up too much publicity about it so the King is not forced into a corner because that might cause him to refuse to help the girl simply to save face. After all, that is what Islamic society is all about, shame and honor.

[Charie]

Linda is all for hammer and tongs except when it comes to protecting our borders. She wants the prez to shake all the rest of the countries until they rattle, even if it could bring on an international incident, but she's very happy where he stands on illegal immigration.

[qrayjack]

To my thinking, it is not up to President Bush to involve himself in this. It is, however, our responsibility to register our extreme dissapproval.

[Paulmarkar]

What??!! and start a Holy war with the Wahabbists or what ever they call their sect of radical Islam. :rolleyes: It is internal law and as such it is repugnant but none of our business. How angry are some of us when a foreign country complains about our laws on capital punishment, or building a border fence for that matter.

[qrayjack]

There is a considerable difference. We don't have people whipped and we don't punish a woman when she is raped. I'm just speaking in terms of common humanity. We do have the death penalty and I for one am for it. Execute a killer and he will not kill again. Other countries can do as they please, and I can give my opinion, which doesn't mean taking to the streets and protesting. Some women's rights groups, if they believe what the label implies, might consider doing so.

[candles]

To my thinking, it is not up to President Bush to involve himself in this. It is, however, our responsibility to register our extreme dissapproval.I totally agree with you, gray. We do not want to get the impression we are telling the world how to handle they laws.

[STEELMAN]

IMO, every country has a right to it's sovereignty and we should not interfere with their way of doing things as we don't like other countries trying to tell us how the cow eats the cabbage.

The only time we have the right to intervene is if our security is challenged.

[Paulmarkar]

Qray said: There is a considerable difference. We don't have people whipped and we don't punish a woman when she is raped. No we put innocent border agents in solitary confinement for 10 or 11 years for doing their jobs. She wasn't convicted for being raped but because she was with a man who wasn't her close relative which is against their law. Yeah it's s*cks and is foul and stupid beyond belief in this country but it's their law.

[greg]

It is, however, our responsibility to register our extreme dissapproval.Right on, qrayjack!!

Saudi king 'pardons rape victim' (Saudi women are subject to strict sex segregation laws): The Saudi king has pardoned a female rape victim sentenced to jail and 200 lashes for being alone with a man raped in the same attack, reports say. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7147632.stm) The "Qatif girl" case caused an international outcry with widespread criticism of the Saudi justice system.

The international outcry over this may have persuaded Saudi King Abdullah to 'pardon' the girl.

And Hillary is doing what to save this girl?Or any other "liberal" Democrat, or any "feminist" organization. All phonies if they didn't speak up publicly such that one of us hears about it in no uncertain terms, and therefore deserving of getting fired from office, not hired in the first place, or ignored by the American public as being irrelevant to women's rights.

What??!! and start a Holy war with the Wahabbists or what ever they call their sect of radical Islam.I am assuming that you're kidding, unless you've not heard of 9-11.