Via NYT, though I’ve reporduced the entirety of the report:
A woman was stoned to death for adultery on Monday in an Islamist-controlled region of Somalia. Somali human rights officials said the woman, 23, had been raped, but the Islamist authorities determined that she was guilty of adultery. She was buried up to her neck and stoned after a crowd of thousands gathered at a soccer field in the town of Kismayu, which is controlled by the Shabab, a radical Islamist group.
Filed under: International: Sub-Saharan Africa, Sexual Violence, international, religion, religion: Islam, violence
Sadly, this does not surprise me.
Based on a lot of your writing, you guys (whoever you are) might find “Infidel” by Ayaan Hirsi-Ali a very interesting book.
People wonder why I consider religion to be bullshit. I wonder how they are so blind.
Um, OUCH, Kel. Do you really think all people of faith approve of stoning rape victims? There are a LOT of people–myself included–who understand these kind of actions to be completely unacceptable, a crime against God and humanity. We condemn these kinds of actions and beliefs not in spite of our faith, but because of it. We are feminists because of our faith. We reject war, torture, poverty, racism, and homophobia because of our faith. I wonder, do you consider our beliefs to be, as you put it, “bullshit”?
I’m curious to know what your experiences with religion and faith are. Have you ever tried asking someone from the UCC (United Church of Christ) what their position of homosexuality is? Or try taking a look at the postitions of the ELCA on poverty, women’s ordination, and immigration on their website. Try googling “Reconciling in Christ” or “Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services”and see what comes up. Ever heard of Tony Campolo, Jim Wallis, Martin Luther King Jr., or Archbishop Desmond Tutu? I’m asking these question NOT to try to turn you you into a Christian, but to open your eyes to what I, and many others, stand for. I willing to bet that you have more in common with us than you might think.
YES, there are a lot of extremely blind people who use their religion to legitimate some of the worst kinds of hate immaginable. There are also a lot of us who are VERY different from the kinds of people who stone rape victims. And then there are also people who are blind enough to think that religion is just one monolithic thing that can be judged on the basis of the actions of a few. Trying to judge a diverse group on the basis of a few is prejudice, plain and simple.
Nicely stated, Junia! I completely agree with what you had to say.