Thursday, November 16, 2006
Media constantly Misreports Abuse of Women in Islamic Countries
-By Warner Todd Huston
I can only assume that the media is walking on eggshells, fearing that Muslims will claim "racism" or blame them for "intolerance" when it comes to properly identifying abuse of women in the Islamic world. Why else would they shy away from identifying such abuse as a common occurrence endemic in Islam?
Rarely, in fact, does one see a story on abuse of women in Muslim countries connected to Islam in any way. It is almost always presented as some incidental or isolated occurrence, not connected with the culture or religion that spawns it.
A recent AP report is a perfect example, but it certainly isn't the only one. In this report, for instance, neither the words "Islam" nor "Muslim" appear anywhere in the story. (The word "Islamic" appears twice but only as a description of Hammas) Nowhere in the story is the abuse the story details realized as entirely typical of Muslim countries. The common denominator is right before their faces yet they refuse to identify it, refuse even to entertain the thought.
This gist of the report is typical of much of this type of reportage. No mention that these kinds of killings and abuses are entirely common in Muslim countries with this fact masked in the story by being described merely as "tradition and discriminatory laws" as if they are isolated instances or merely unenlightened practices.
Nowhere in that report is the question asked of exactly why "police, courts and government agencies" fail "to treat violence such as rape and beatings as a crime" in the Palestinian territories. But, this story could easily be repeated in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, even the Philippines and Indonesia in the areas heavily populated by Muslims. Such violence also shows its ugly face in western nations where Muslims have immigrated. France, Canada, England, even the USA has seen instances of abuse rise as the level of Muslim immigrants climbs. England has seen the rate of "honor killings" go up exponentially, but they are so afraid of their immigrant Muslim population that they refuse to even keep statistics. A few years ago they did, though, reopen over 100 cases of murder thought to be "honor killings".
Yet, the AP report merely mentions these crimes as those "backed by tradition and discriminatory laws". Where those "traditions" and "laws" come from, they do not elaborate upon and this is a singular failure of reporting repeated by nearly every attempt to discuss the issue. The abuses and crimes are roundly criticized, of course, but Islam is never mentioned as a root cause.
Unfortunately for women the world over, Islam has institutionalized abuse of women into their religion and culture. Here are just some of the abuses that all too commonly occurs to women all across the Muslim world (and where ever Muslims immigrate):
Female circumcision -- the brutal removal of the female sexual organs forced upon young girls
"Honor" killings -- The common practice of murdering girls who were supposedly raped or have somehow "dishonored" their family by wanting to date a boy not approved of by the family
Beatings -- women are routinely beaten by husbands and other male family members and there is not one legal thing they can do to stop it
Inability to vote or even drive -- In many Islamic countries, women are not full members of society in many Islamic countries they are not allowed to go to school, either
The veil, burkah, etc. -- Women are beaten if seen without these oppressive coverings
Stoning -- for supposed moral lapses, women are stoned to death, a slow and horrible fate
Rape -- women are at the mercy of any male in Muslim countries. In many instances, women cannot even bring a man to justice for rape unless she has three or four other men who will vouch in court that the rape even occurred
Women are considered second-class citizens in the Muslim world. Maybe even worse, they are considered not better than beasts of burden, chattel to be used solely for producing offspring. It's about time that western news outlets link the obvious facts together, that Islam and abuse of women are one and the same. Ignoring this salient fact gives the root causes of this abuse the cover it needs to be ignored by the very people that need to have it presented to them in the cold, hard light of truth. The Western Media's refusal to recognize the elephant in the room does nothing to help eliminate the very abuses they claim to despise when discussing them in their own societies, nor does it help Islam to realize its failings and take steps to reform itself.
Sadly, the Media is more interested in furthering its idea of multiculturalism than in ending the horrible abuses women in the Islamic world face on a day-to-day basis. And because of that, women face oppression, rape, constant beatings and murder at the hands of Muslims every day while those who claim to "care" for them in the west sit idly by, more concerned over their petty trends and fads for PCism than in advancing freedom and liberty.
On a side note, it is even worse that the so-called women’s "rights" groups in the west remain silent on the abuse women get in the Muslim world. These western women’s groups are far worse than the cowards in the MSM who won’t raise a harsh word against Islam.
Women’s "rights" groups are far more worried about encouraging women not to have children or get married, calling them both akin to slavery, to worry about women who truly are getting their rights oppressed.
Both the MSM and Western women in the west should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring the plight of women in the Muslim world.
I can only assume that the media is walking on eggshells, fearing that Muslims will claim "racism" or blame them for "intolerance" when it comes to properly identifying abuse of women in the Islamic world. Why else would they shy away from identifying such abuse as a common occurrence endemic in Islam?
Rarely, in fact, does one see a story on abuse of women in Muslim countries connected to Islam in any way. It is almost always presented as some incidental or isolated occurrence, not connected with the culture or religion that spawns it.
A recent AP report is a perfect example, but it certainly isn't the only one. In this report, for instance, neither the words "Islam" nor "Muslim" appear anywhere in the story. (The word "Islamic" appears twice but only as a description of Hammas) Nowhere in the story is the abuse the story details realized as entirely typical of Muslim countries. The common denominator is right before their faces yet they refuse to identify it, refuse even to entertain the thought.
Report: Palestinian women victims of violence
West Bank - A new report presents an alarming picture of the abuse of women in the Palestinian territories, with police, courts and government agencies failing to treat violence such as rape and beatings as a crime.
Human Rights Watch cited practices such as rape victims being forced to marry assailants and light sentences for men who kill female relatives suspected of adultery. In a report released Tuesday, the rights group said families, tribal leaders and authorities, backed by tradition and discriminatory laws, often sacrifice victims' interests for "family honor."
This gist of the report is typical of much of this type of reportage. No mention that these kinds of killings and abuses are entirely common in Muslim countries with this fact masked in the story by being described merely as "tradition and discriminatory laws" as if they are isolated instances or merely unenlightened practices.
Nowhere in that report is the question asked of exactly why "police, courts and government agencies" fail "to treat violence such as rape and beatings as a crime" in the Palestinian territories. But, this story could easily be repeated in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Iran, even the Philippines and Indonesia in the areas heavily populated by Muslims. Such violence also shows its ugly face in western nations where Muslims have immigrated. France, Canada, England, even the USA has seen instances of abuse rise as the level of Muslim immigrants climbs. England has seen the rate of "honor killings" go up exponentially, but they are so afraid of their immigrant Muslim population that they refuse to even keep statistics. A few years ago they did, though, reopen over 100 cases of murder thought to be "honor killings".
Yet, the AP report merely mentions these crimes as those "backed by tradition and discriminatory laws". Where those "traditions" and "laws" come from, they do not elaborate upon and this is a singular failure of reporting repeated by nearly every attempt to discuss the issue. The abuses and crimes are roundly criticized, of course, but Islam is never mentioned as a root cause.
Unfortunately for women the world over, Islam has institutionalized abuse of women into their religion and culture. Here are just some of the abuses that all too commonly occurs to women all across the Muslim world (and where ever Muslims immigrate):
Female circumcision -- the brutal removal of the female sexual organs forced upon young girls
"Honor" killings -- The common practice of murdering girls who were supposedly raped or have somehow "dishonored" their family by wanting to date a boy not approved of by the family
Beatings -- women are routinely beaten by husbands and other male family members and there is not one legal thing they can do to stop it
Inability to vote or even drive -- In many Islamic countries, women are not full members of society in many Islamic countries they are not allowed to go to school, either
The veil, burkah, etc. -- Women are beaten if seen without these oppressive coverings
Stoning -- for supposed moral lapses, women are stoned to death, a slow and horrible fate
Rape -- women are at the mercy of any male in Muslim countries. In many instances, women cannot even bring a man to justice for rape unless she has three or four other men who will vouch in court that the rape even occurred
Women are considered second-class citizens in the Muslim world. Maybe even worse, they are considered not better than beasts of burden, chattel to be used solely for producing offspring. It's about time that western news outlets link the obvious facts together, that Islam and abuse of women are one and the same. Ignoring this salient fact gives the root causes of this abuse the cover it needs to be ignored by the very people that need to have it presented to them in the cold, hard light of truth. The Western Media's refusal to recognize the elephant in the room does nothing to help eliminate the very abuses they claim to despise when discussing them in their own societies, nor does it help Islam to realize its failings and take steps to reform itself.
Sadly, the Media is more interested in furthering its idea of multiculturalism than in ending the horrible abuses women in the Islamic world face on a day-to-day basis. And because of that, women face oppression, rape, constant beatings and murder at the hands of Muslims every day while those who claim to "care" for them in the west sit idly by, more concerned over their petty trends and fads for PCism than in advancing freedom and liberty.
On a side note, it is even worse that the so-called women’s "rights" groups in the west remain silent on the abuse women get in the Muslim world. These western women’s groups are far worse than the cowards in the MSM who won’t raise a harsh word against Islam.
Women’s "rights" groups are far more worried about encouraging women not to have children or get married, calling them both akin to slavery, to worry about women who truly are getting their rights oppressed.
Both the MSM and Western women in the west should be ashamed of themselves for ignoring the plight of women in the Muslim world.
# posted by Publius @ 11/16/2006 09:04:00 AM 
|
