Monday, August 20, 2012

Todd Akin and Rape: Dear Mr. Akin, I want you to imagine ...

In a recent interview on rape and abortion, Representative Todd Akin of Missouri, who's the Republic candidate for the Missouri State race, said:
First of all, from what I understand from doctors, (pregnancy from rape) is really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.

"Thing"? What "thing" is he talking about? And how dare he! And what exactly is "legitimate" rape? Is there really such a thing as an illegitimate rape? Does he not know that, as President Obama responded, "rape is rape"? Someone forcibly entering another person, violating their body, attacking their dignity, destroying their life, ruining their sense of confidence, ripping them of their right and freedom to say NO? Naa, it's just a "thing" we're talking about here, and who'd know better than Akin himself how a rape victim can shut the whoooole thing down! Oh, wait a minute - he's never been raped. Heck, he doesn't even know what rape is! Because, obviously, some people do have a right to violate another person's body. I wonder who those people are and when they can have that right. Perhaps a husband forcing himself on a wife? Perhaps an individual abusing his position of authority to force himself on an individual with a lower position? I don't know--I can't imagine when rape can ever be okay. I can't imagine who wouldn't let go once they're told "NO"; I can't imagine who doesn't know that NO really actually does mean NO. You're not wanted inside someone, don't go in, you unwelcomed dirty piece of shit. And, surprise surprise--most rapists are people that the victim knows very well, like a boyfriend, husband, father, uncle, etc. Yes, you read that correct - a husband can rape his wife, and that happens whenever he forces himself on her, like when she's unwilling, uncomfortable, maybe not ready. And so on!!!!

You, Todd Akin, are destroying the life of the mother of the unborn child of rape in order to save the life of that unborn child of rape.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Why the lack of Pukhtun Women's Leadership - Part I

I've been asking Pukhtuns on Twitter and Facebook what they think are some of the major obstacles to Pukhtun women's leadership--i.e., why is there a lack of leadership among Pukhtun women? Why are they threatened and, in some cases (re: Farida Afridi, Malalai Kakar), killed? Why is our society (both men AND women) intimidated by a woman's voice, a woman's leadership, a woman's presence? Why do we feel the need to make the woman feel invisible?

I have my own thoughts on this (peghor (basically, people's talks and taunts, intended solely to offend someone's honor), shame, honor, lack of confidence--I don't think education has much to do with it), which can be accessed via SafeWorldForWomen. But until then, these are some of the responses I've received. More are still welcomed and appreciated!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Pashtun Personality of the Week: Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Non-Violent Soldier of Islam

Update (November 5, 2014)

Dear readers,

Thank you for visiting! I've moved this blog post on Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (also known as Bacha Khan or Badshah Khan) to my new blog over at Wordpress. Please click here to access it.

Thanks!

Monday, August 13, 2012

Hiroshima Tragedy's 67th Anniversary: "Dad, which terrorist group did THAT?"

I think this picture is so telling it deserves its own post. Talk about double standards, hypocrisy, injustice ...  I'll write on the the tragedy of Hiroshima/Nagasaki soon, but for now ... let us just pause to think about this. Go, America. Go. I wonder how the father was able to muster the courage to tell his child, "Son ... that would be America...." with his head hanging in shame, I imagine? ... My heart goes out to all those who have been destroyed in the name of politics (U.S. destroying innocent peoples of other countries), in the name of religion (the case with Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, and other religious violence), white chauvinism (colonialism! The wiping out of entire religions and cultures and races, such as the natives of the Americas and Australia and the enslavement of almost entire races, such as many in Africa), and so many other forms of terrorism and injustices it breaks one's heart to realize what kind of a world we live in ...

Peace to us all, anyway.


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

When Zakir Naik Said Every Muslim Should be a Terrorist

Zakir Naik once said in one of his lectures to a thousands-of-people audience, "If he [Osama bin Laden] is terrorizing the terrorist, if he's terrorizing America, the biggest terrorist, I'm with him. Every Muslim should  be a terrorist! The thing is that if he's terrorizing the terrorist, then he's following Islam." The video I'm citing here is not complete, but it still gives you an idea of what he's talking about and what he's trying to answer: a question on whether Osama bin Laden's terroristic activities are Islamic and acceptable or not, and whether Naik agrees with them (I presume? I forget what the original question was; heard it years ago and totally not willing to go through it again). I'm not going to go into the politics of terrorism, Bin Laden, and U.S. former (good) relations with Bin Laden, but I want to talk about something else here: Naik's ludicrousness in saying that "every Muslim should be a terrorist."

Monday, August 6, 2012

Child Sexual Abuse - Part I: how my Quran teacher sexually abused girls

Dear readers,

Thank you for visiting! I have moved this post on child sexual abuse to my new blog over at wordpress. Please click below to access it. Thank you!

How my Qur’an Teacher Sexually Abused Girls

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