If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.

- George Washington

Friday 11 February 2011

World Press Photo Award 2010




This iconic image of Bibi Aisha. From Wikipedia:
Bibi Aisha is an Afghan woman who has become a willing symbol of the destructiveness of Taliban violence against women. Aisha's father promised her to a Taliban fighter when she was 12 years old to satisfy an obligation, in a practice known as baad. She was married at 14 and abused. At 18, she fled the abuse but was caught. Her father returned her to his in-laws. To discourage kidnapping in the village, they took her into the mountains, cut off her nose and her ears, and left her to die.
She was taken to the States for free reconstructive surgery, and now looks like this:



The nose is prosthetic. Surgery will wait until she has undergone counselling. Her husband was arrested, because mutilation of a bride who leaves home is not permitted under Sharia law.

If they had stoned her to death, that would have been acceptable.

He's unlikely to face any punishment, as she cannot return to testify against him in Afghanistan for fear or reprisals from his family.

And the Archbish advocates acceptance of Sharia law in the UK.

4 comments:

  1. The other Muslim "justice" speciality is the acid attack.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And the US government, "my" government, considers Saudi Arabia (where they also do these types of acts) an ally. Bush even held hands with its king: http://thelonggoodbye.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/bush-holding-hands-with-saudi-royalty.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sometimes the 'needs' of diplomacy make for uncomfortable bedfellows. Look at us in Libya right now - working hard to disarm a dictator that only a few months ago we were arming (and shaking his hand, and getting a matey grin from Blair). I guess sometimes these guys are the 'least bad' option in the region.

    ReplyDelete

Comment is free, according to C P Scott, so go for it. Word verification is turned off for the time being. Play nicely.

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