Rape victim sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in jail

MuslimSister —

Salaam

A judge in Saudi Arabia has ordered a victim of gang rape to receive 200 lashes - more than double her original sentence for being alone with a man who was not a relative - after she appealed against the lenient sentences given to the men who attacked her. He also jailed her for six months

The 21-year-old woman, who was 19 at the time of the attack and is known by the Saudi media as "the girl from Qatif", was raped 14 times by a gang of seven. Although her attackers were found guilty and sentenced to between 10 months and five years last year, she was simultaneously sentenced to 90 lashes as punishment for riding in a car with a man who was not a relative

By appealing against this decision, the judge ruled on Wednesday, she was attempting to "aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/saudi/story/0,,2212583,00.html

Has anyone been following this story?

Last I heard, one of the rapests was an ex of hers..her sentence was increased after she complained.....and also the US government are in a uproar about the decision

Wasalaam

Forum

You — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 18:27

She also admitted having an affair with one of the rapists, which is illegal under Saudi law.

Her sentence was increased after she attempted to use the media to subvert justice.

I can't see anything wrong with the sentencing (apart from being lenient on the rapists - but their terms were doubled under appeal).

MuslimSister — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 18:29

She had a relationship with one of the guys before marriage - and apparently they hadnt even met face to face, it was just a phone thing.

So just cos she was involved with one of the guys - she deserves being brutally gang raped and then punished for being raped?

You — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 18:33

Being raped does not make one immune to punishment for other (linked) illegal activity.

Just like getting hit by a car will not stop the inland Revenue going after someone for tax evasion.

She was punished for having an affair, not for being raped. The rapists were punished for raping.

Two different sentences for two different crimes.

Or should the Saudi's repeal their laws around adultery?

(it can be argues that the rape sentences were a little on the weak side... but I am no lawyer and have no idea what Saudi (or any other) law says about that.)

MuslimSister — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 18:39

She was gang raped for hours - dont you think she was 'punished' enough for breaking saudi law regarding being alone with a non mahram?

Is it unfair to ask for a bit of compassion in such a situation?

I also dont know what the punishment for rape in Saudi is - however, common sense dictates that there should a difference between punishment for rape punishment for being along with a non meharam.

Two different crimes deserve two very different punishments.

You — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 18:46

That was not a "legal" punishment. A drunk driver who crashes into a brick wall will not get off from a possible prison sentence with the plea. "I lost both my legs. Is that not punishment enough?"

I am not arguing against compassion. By all means let her off. It does not make any difference to me and I agree that she has been through a lot.

But what happened was following the law and legally I don't think it can be faulted. She is not being punished for getting raped which is the line a lot of media is trying to spout.

There are many things that Saudi does wrong and should be called out for, but this issue is being called out for all the wrong reasons.

As for differences in sentencing - there are. the rapists have much longer terms. 10 years compared to six months. (no idea if they also get lashes. I would suspect so.)

MuslimSister — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 18:56

[quote="You"]

But what happened was following the law and legally I don't think it can be faulted. [/quote]

One of the main faults with this issue is that the rapist and and the victim have been treated the same.

And cos this has happened one cant really blame the west for attacking 'shariah law' as they'll be thinking "she was raped and then recieved the same punishment as the rapists"

According to a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ the punishment for rape is death.

You — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 19:01

[quote="MuslimSister"]One of the main faults with this issue is that the rapist and and the victim have been treated the same.[/quote]

But how was it the same? different lengths of sentence. If that is made to be the same, then all criminals in the UK get the same sentence whether they stole some money, sold drugs, raped or murdered people.

If you simplify the issue too much, the simplification is just plain wrong. The newspapers want catchy headlines. They do not agree that having an affair is wrong. they have no issue with making an issue out of this.

[quote]According to a hadith of the Prophet ﷺ the punishment for rape is death.[/quote]

It would be interesting to know why they did not get this sentence. (fwiw, that would be the top limit of sentencing, not the bottom. But the reasoning for why they never got the top limit would be interesting to see.)

Naz — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 20:46

My bro was telling me about this yesterday and the first thought that came to my head was that theres two sides to every story, the women must have been in the wrong somehow and what do you know i was right.

She has been spotted with a man who is not her relative (we here in Britian live in a secular society but even if a girl is spotted speaking to a guy ppl are gossiping and making assumptions, now imagine what it must be like in saudi where women cant even drive and work). Maybe the other guys thought she was up for it and fancied their chances with her.

why are ppl so quick to defend the "victim". In rape cases no victim is blameless.

MuslimSister — Sat, 1 Dec 2007 - 21:38

[quote="Naz"] In rape cases no victim is blameless.[/quote]

???

5,000 kids under the age of 16 are raped in England and wales every year.

842 children rang the NSPCC last year claiming that they were raped by their father.

And, 95% of sexual crimes commited against children go unreported.

I know a child who was sexually abused by her father for five years since she was 8.

I even taught a kid who had severe behaviour problems - only cos she was sexually abused by her parents when she was a baby!

Was the 8year old girl to blame for 'exciting' her father? Was the baby to blame for the fact that her dad was sick in the head?

To say that 'no rape victim is blameless' is a load of BS.

MuslimBro — Sun, 2 Dec 2007 - 00:07

Actually she was punished for "violating laws on segregation of the sexes".

She wasn't punished for adultery (which she confessed later to), which I find surprising as this is a much more serious offence.

IMO the rapists got away with a very lenient sentence.

MuslimBro — Sun, 2 Dec 2007 - 00:14

[quote="Funzo"]Think about it if she didnt engage with the man she never would have been raped by them, so she was partly to blame for her own undoing.[/quote]
Actually she wasn't raped by her 'boyfriend'.

She and her companion (who was a male) were BOTH raped by several (unknown) men.

yashmaki — Sun, 2 Dec 2007 - 00:35

i can't believe you guys are blaming the victim for being raped?

yes her crime was committing adultery, but thats a separate crime from the gang rape which was committed against her. its very easy to sit here and say yes she deserved it coz she was committing zina anyway, so whts shes a whore she deserved to be raped is that what you're saying, cozthats how its coming across?

Thats such a despicable view no one deserves to be raped, and no one asks to be raped either, ragardless of dress, manners, and infidelity (which are factors) at the end of the day the perpetrators are responsible for the crime,no one forced them to do it. yet in saudi it seems as if the male dominated courts give favour to the male criminals always.

Saudi has never implemented sharia law the way Allah intended,the way they apply sharia makes a mockery of our faith In the past great pious scholars would run a thousand miles, and even be imprisoned rather than take on the task of being a judge, but these days it seems as if semi pious men are running to these positions when they don't have the qualifications or piety to be entrusted with the task. Thus you have cases like the one above,sadly it didn'tshock me one bit when i read it in papers i skimmed through it like hundreds of others in the past

yashmaki — Sun, 2 Dec 2007 - 00:47

well im not an adulterer, but im sure anyone who has done this sort of thing doesn't expect to be gang raped. i reckon in saudi women who commit adultery are looked upon as fair game, all men may aswell have a go with her coz she was "easy" with one man. I may be wrong, but how many men in saudi commit adultery do they get treated in the same manner? are they looked upon as whores as this woman clearly was, thats why she was gang raped. They couldn't control their sexual desires, they couldn't get married like any decent muslims would have so instead they attacked this woman its sick no excuses for it,may God punish them.