Caption: Shiite Muslim Saudi women smoke a water pipe in a husseiniya, or prayer hall, in the city of Qatif in the kingdom's Eastern Province.
Earlier this year, a reporting assignment took me to the oil-rich city of Qatif in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, which is predominantly Shiite Muslim and swarming with intelligence officials who keep their eyes peeled for signs of revolt.
Miret and I heard lots of wild stories on that trip to the east, but none lodged itself in our minds like the Girl of Qatif. That's what Arab media had dubbed a young Shiite woman who allegedly was gang-raped and then -- this is the headline-grabbing part -- sentenced to more lashes than some of her assailants. The female activists who showed us around Qatif whispered details of the incident, which they said was just another example of the pitfalls of the kingdom's justice system, especially as it's applied to Shiites.
Saudi judges, who rule according to no law except Islamic jurisprudence taken straight from the Quran, had decided the Girl of Qatif shared in the blame for agreeing to meet a former boyfriend in order to retrieve an old photo of herself. During the meeting, the couple was ambushed by a group of men who raped and beat both of them, according to police and news accounts of the incident.
Four of the seven attackers were sentenced to prison terms that ranged from one to five years, and each man received between 80 to 1,000 lashes. The Girl of Qatif and her male friend each received 90 lashes for "having met in private," Arabic-language media reported. At the time, relatives of the woman vowed to appeal the sentence.
They did, which is why the Girl of Qatif is back in the news this week. Upon appeal, the Saudi Higher Court of Justice doubled the woman's punishment to 200 lashes and added six months in jail. Abdul Rahman al-Lahem, the Girl of Qatif's attorney, was barred from practicing law after authorities confiscated his license.
U.S. First Lady Laura Bush just visited some of the kingdom's most senior sheikhas, or female royals, to discuss breast cancer awareness and other women's health topics. Did the Girl of Qatif come up in their conversations? Probably not. Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt and Jordan, is one of the United States' most reliable allies in the Middle East.
The Girl of Qatif remains silent and unidentified, her prospects for a peaceful future surely ruined. We'll leave the last word to her attorney, who will appear before a disciplinary panel in early December:
"Basic Islamic law states that an appeal shall not harm the person appealing," al-Lahem told the English-language paper Arab News. "Once this rule is ignored, then people who appeal verdicts are only left terrorized. From now on people will be apprehensive to appeal fearing they might be punished or have their sentences doubled. That's exactly what's happened to the rape victim, who only wanted justice."
Thank God for people like lawyer, Abdul Rahman al-Lahem. What happens to him now?
This is a heart wrenching story. Your account is probably the fullest I've seen here in the U.S. Most don't mention that the ex-boyfriend was also punished.
Most here of course are appalled that the victim was punished, but it's based on incomplete information - appearing as if she was punished for being raped.
One person on a blog pointed out that the young woman, who lived in Saudi Arabia all her life, knew the strict, Saudi separation laws and chose to meet privately with a man.
I don't know. The image of women in the Middle East is extremely complex. We see a lot of burqa-covered women and read extreme examples of 'honor killings' or like this Qatif case. Very few Americans take the time to realize that many of the women who where a hijab chose to freely and are very happy with their lives.
It must be even harder for moderate Muslims to read stories like this one than for us.
Posted by: Edie | November 20, 2007 at 09:21 AM
Perfect for a Jerry Springer day show!!
Posted by: Andrew | November 22, 2007 at 12:16 AM
Sad very very sad. I wish some of our leaders in the feminist movement would show their strength by going over there and offering this poor girl their support. It helps nobody to yell about it in the west, they must go there and be one with the women in that land.
Posted by: Christine | November 22, 2007 at 11:09 AM
Just FYI. There have been Muslim organizations here in the U.S. condemning the actions of the jurisprudence (i.e. MAS).
Just thought I'd mention it as Americans are always yelling, 'Where are the moderate Muslims?!" They're there; they just don't get the press.
Posted by: Edie | November 22, 2007 at 12:09 PM
SPREAD THE WORD ! EMAIL The
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342-3800. SPEAK UP NOW!Protest
ruling on Qatif Girl, female
genital mutilation (FGM),
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Posted by: Jane Ames | November 22, 2007 at 02:45 PM
this is a horrible story. imagine the pain she had to go through, being raped by seven men! and now she is going to be whipped 200 times. what kind of justice is that? my heart and prayers go out to this young girl. MAY GOD BE WITH YOU HONEY.
Posted by: yana | November 27, 2007 at 11:39 PM
this is a horrible story. imagine the pain she had to go through, being raped by seven men! and now she is going to be whipped 200 times. what kind of justice is that? my heart and prayers go out to this young girl. MAY GOD BE WITH YOU HONEY.
Posted by: yana | November 27, 2007 at 11:41 PM
I just heard on the news that the girl won't be in prison nor she will get 70 lashes ..thanks to king abdullah !...
thank god I was so happy for her ..she finally got justice !
god bless kind abdullah !
Posted by: Saudi Girl | December 17, 2007 at 05:01 PM
I just heard on the news that the girl won't be in prison nor she will get 70 lashes ..thanks to king abdullah !...
thank god I was so happy for her ..she finally got justice !
god bless kind abdullah !
Posted by: SaudiGril | December 17, 2007 at 05:02 PM
I read this article and just laughed. I really wish I could have spoken with the author directly, but I am humbled and tickeld at such kind words. Thanks! SFC Turner, Brad!
Read more: http://washingtonbureau.typepad.com/nationalsecurity/2008/04/cooking-with-th.html#ixzz0u8axJg4Z
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