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Please look at the photo below and understand exactly what this is all about for women everywhere.
How does this photo make you feel?
Do you have a mother? That’s what she would look like if one of these savages got their neanderthal paws on her after the slightest perceived offense. Just so you know. It’s almost a sport with these beasts.
Then imagine a misogyny-enabling government that wants to talk to people and break bread with them with No Preconditions. Imagine a party that abandoned you with a sneer.
Thank you Mr. Kristof, for showing a bit of the Truth. You’re the first person to really even bother in a long long time.
Photo: Nicholas D. Kristof, NY Times
“Acid attacks and wife burnings are common in parts of Asia because the victims are the most voiceless in these societies. Naeema Azar, above, was attacked by her husband after they divorced. Her 12-year-old son, Ahmed Shah, looks after her.”
Terrorism in this part of the world usually means bombs exploding or hotels burning, as the latest horrific scenes from Mumbai attest. Yet alongside the brutal public terrorism that fills the television screens, there is an equally cruel form of terrorism that gets almost no attention and thrives as a result: flinging acid on a woman’s face to leave her hideously deformed.
Here in Pakistan, I’ve been investigating such acid attacks, which are commonly used to terrorize and subjugate women and girls in a swath of Asia from Afghanistan through Cambodia (men are almost never attacked with acid). Because women usually don’t matter in this part of the world, their attackers are rarely prosecuted and acid sales are usually not controlled. It’s a kind of terrorism that becomes accepted as part of the background noise in the region.
Read the rest here. Take a deep breath first. You are going to need it. Then ask yourself the last time you heard anyone in USA government denounce or revile these well-known actions that some wish to bring to our shores. George Bush? Condi Rice? Barack Obama? joe Biden? Nancy Pelosi? Howard Dean? Sarah Palin? John McCain? Anybody? I do recall Hillary’s “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” in Bejing, identified as one of the top 100 speeches in America of the 20th Century. How long ago, again?
When was the last time NOW decried these atrocities? Then ask yourself if, after all you have seen and heard during the last election season, whether or not enough of your sons seem to care. Perhaps the Goal here is to just tell us that if we behave we won’t get the Acid Treatment in the future.
Filed under: Fundamentalist Muslims, Human Rights, Middle East, Sharia Law
--Graphic by Freedom Fairy
--Graphic by Dances With Pumas
"This is not culture. This is not custom. This is criminal."
[...] Uppity Note: Say Bernie, how does this getting “Off the necks and backs of people of the word” fit in with this????? [...]
If you do nothing else today, forward the link to the NYT article above to a female Obot. If you have daughters over the age of 12, make them read it. These women need to know what it is they are signing up for. Reason and logic has not worked. It is time for a huge reality check!
Even if you don’t mention Obama when you forward the link, this article need to go viral. This might just be the best wake-up call possible for women.
Thank you Uppity!
The fundamental “battle” between Islamic extremists and the Western World….(why do they hate us?)….is the subjection of women.
Thanks Uppity, it’s something that desperately needs to be addressed. The silence is just deafening.
I did hear Sarah Palin mention the women living under extremism and how it must be addressed. And Cindy McCain has discussed (and worked) for global womens rights. Bush the Disaster, even made a token mention of it, remember “W stands for Women”? He’s been way off base, but at least he’s acknowledged that women are the canary in the coal mine when it comes to oppressive regimes. Iraq even has a mandate demanding gender parity in government, because when women are not empowered, democracy fails.
Hillary has said that womens rights are human rights and during the primaries she did say that stopping atrocities committed against women (and gays) must become an active part of American foreign policy. Perhaps she’ll bring that agenda as SOS?
Obama has never mentioned the women of the world, never. Neither have many Dems, like Pelosi, Biden, Reid. Women are half the human race and to render them invisible is to make a major foreign policy blunder.
I’m no fan of radical Islam or the cultural crap that allows this behavior to continue. But I always remind people that we here at home have some issues to address too. I spent 15 years working in domestic violence, and right here in our own country we also have women who have been mutilated, shot in the face, set on fire, stabbed, beaten to death. Sometimes we tune out all the atrocities happening to women in the US because it’s really just too horriying to deal with. It often becomes easier to focus on those halfway around the world.
Thank you Uppity. Well said. The litmus test–that extremism is always marked by the suppression/oppression of women. A picture can speak a thousand words.
Well, we’re back to reality now. Honestly, the New Agenda should incorporate this sort of horror into their agenda…it’s not about just us here in the US…it’s about all women, everywhere.
I am SO ANGRY…..angrier than when I was way back when….
I’m so glad that you posted this – it is painful and infuriating to read.
MO doesn’t care about these women just her sugar-daddy.
Stress takes toll on Obama, develops chronic facial tic
Michelle said to be distraught over spasms under right eye
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=82364
Thanks for bringing this to the forefront, Uppity. It’s important for everyone to know what a monstrous thing misogyny is but you seem to have taken great pains to avoid the “r” word. Horrible acts like these are done in the name of religion and in this case, Islam. If you have a problem with the way millions of women are treated around the world, you should have a problem with sharia law which condones that sort of cruelty. By extension, you should be against the encroachment of sharia in this country. That means you should be against the use of Saudi petrodollars being used to subvert American education and textbooks.
If you really want to make an issue of how women are treated elsewhere in the world, you might want to make an issue of the things going on in this country that are paving the way for such monstrous acts happening here. It isn’t enough to complain about the obots or the lack of leadership on this issue. All the silent people you mentioned are all subservient to Middle Eastern oil so they dare not say anything to offend.
John McCain and Sarah Palin had the right idea: Drill, baby DRILL! Stop giving our money to the acid throwers. Stop supporting their efforts to spread Islam and sharia here.
Oh, and stop avoiding mentioning the real culprit: Islamic fundamentalism, extremism, and sharia. Come on, tell it like it is.
Ron, I will bypass your rudeness and tell you that I have discussed the encroachment of Sharia law more than just a few times on this blog. So there is no need to accuse me of not telling it like it is. Not by a long shot.
How does this make me feel? ……
awfully terrible for the countless others that will have to endure this cruel crap…maybe her son Ahmed will grow into a loving and caring man….he seems such a genuine and sweet boy caring for his mother….maybe HE can be that voice in this MADNESS and stupidity……so much senseless crap
You might try actually reading someone’s body of work before insulting them. Just saying.
“Perhaps she’ll bring that agenda as SOS?”
So long as nobody stops her, I am sure it’s a goal she has.
Uppity, I had no intention of being rude. I was trying to make a valid point. I don’t care how many times you’ve mentioned the problems with sharia before, to not mention it in this context is a great sin of omission. I have the greatest respect for you and your work but acid throwing and sharia and Islam need to be mentioned in the same breath. Here’s an article that may be of interest:
Not getting the ‘r’ word
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1227702377280&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter
Thanks for the piece, Ron. I understand your point.
Ron,
Not all abusers are Muslim. In India, for instance, it is perfectly acceptable for a man to set his wife on fire. Immolation is accepted there (for men, of course), and most Indians are Hindu.
Christian, Jewish, and Athiest men have been known to do nasty things to women as well. So please don’t try to pretend that Islam is the only problem. Far from it.
What is the one thing that all these practices have in common (besides being committed by men)? Silence,
We cannot afford the luxury of looking the other way politely anymore. It’s time to scream it from the rooftops! Not the “R” word, the “M” word!
I read someplace that a govt (Nigeria) agreed to blind the perpetrator with acid–eye for an eye…did anyone else see this?
I completely agree with Grail Guardian’s comments about publicizing this article among all women above the age of 12 in the US and on the blogosphere. If the Blacks, who form less than 15 percent of the US population, with the aid of White concerned citizens, can bring an end to racism in this country and aparthied in S. Africa, surely 51 percent of the US population can end disgusting and undignified treatment of women in this country and at the same time give aid and comfort to suffering women around the world. I know of no educated woman – and there are tons of them – in India who would not help in this cause.
Let’’s those of us who feel strongly about it take up this project – compile these stories and pictures in the form of a booklet and sell/distribute it among women in this country and elsewhere. I’m a male lawyer and will be the first to volunteer.
PLEASE LET’S DO IT WHILE THERE IS MUCH FOCUS ON THIS SUBJECT.
I just sent a comment on this subject. Hasn’t showed up. I am over 60 yr old lawyer; do not use impolite language or cuss words. Is there a reason for blocking it? Pl respond.
vdave if this is your first post here, you would automatically land in moderation. This is to keep the nutbags away. And sometimes, for some odd WP reason, regulars sometimes land in spam for no godly reason whatsoever, but we live with it and fish them out when we see them.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
deadenders, 12:57 pm Said:
“MO doesn’t care about these women”
It seems pretty clear that Godzilla will use most of her prestige as First Flea Bag to ensure black supremacy and Muslim power here and in Africa. Don’ t expect her to care about the plight of women. Her humanity consisted of turning away sick people from the Chicago hospital she iven somekind of administered to save money, .all the while being paid a six-figure salary to do so.
I Imagine that twitch on barfo’s face will turn off more than one of the women who voted for the ma n of their (wet) dreams. I bet he had the trwirch d/uring the campaign and was given something to temporarily paralyze the area–say, Botox. This might account dor the many observations I’ve been readin about how unhappy he looks_-hard to smile when you’re fCE IS NUMB.
GG,
Ron,
Of course men of all, or no religions, abuse women. But abuse that is both endorsed by local culture and codified in religious law is doubly sanctified. This consecrated hatred is endemic to Islamic subcultures, and the poison is spreading. They and their sahria-justified violence against women–and, Indeed, against post-medieval civilization–is a cancer eating away at the world.
These are very dangerous people who are taught from infancy that it is not only OK, but good, to hate and destroy. Women are treated like enemy combatants. I’ll venture that Islamic Fundamentalism is the greatest threat not only the advancement of women bu/t to the very continuance of life on earth.
Pakistan is nuclear-capable and Iran nearly so: children playing with loaded guns.
And the president-select is very much one of them.
Mary,
I don’t disagree with you or Ron, but if we focus on just the Islamic abuse, how many millions of women will still be tortured? Africa is another example of a place where widespread sexual abuse of women is rampant and unchallenged. I just want to put the focus on the abuse, not so much the enablers. Not that it’s bad to identify them, I just don’t want to forget any of the bastages (as UW would say).
Uppity, great article. And her little boy looks so sweet, he is a picture of real hope.
I also agree that we cannot leave out the fundamentalism (of any religion) that condones and incorporates into law this type of behavior.
Look how long it has taken to get domestic violence to become a real issue of concern. And yttik know this personally having worked in the field for 15 years (grrl, you have ovaries of steel).
Sometimes I wonder if this Islamic fundamentalism was the real reason Obama won. The oil mavens are barely holding onto their own power in their respective countries by a thread. If the Saudis have already made deals with the clerics to impose Sharia law and we get our oil from them, wouldn’t it be reasonable to think that THEY set the terms for our election? What would a female US president tell the world?
Anyways, think Hillary will continue Madelaine Albright’s (Condi’s) tradition and wear a veil?
Thanks, Mary. I understand Grail’s point that misogyny is not limited to any religion but I knew that. The point, as Mary made so well, is that it’s condoned and encouraged by Islam in general and sharia law in particular. Pointing out what Hindu men do is helpful since I didn’t know that.
Many years ago, I mentioned to my wife that women would be the salvation of the world. If they can stand up for their rights globally, they can change the world and make it a far less violent place. They have to insist that men change their behavior but for that to happen, they need support from like-minded men and women.
I was dumbfounded and extremely disappointed in the comments and behavior of so-called New York feminists regarding the treatment of Hillary during the primary campaign. I’m having a hard time understanding where they’re coming from but I think it has to do with their being leftists/Marxists/socialists/communists.
“leftists/Marxists/socialists/communists.’
…and verrrrrrrrrrrrry politically correct.
Terrible so sad too many incidents recently…
Women being used for hate crimes turns my stomach….
Her son looks like a wonderful young man..
OMG too much. Then Mumbai……
Last week I found out my dog groomer shot & killed her 19month old baby girl.
I am devastated… I was with them the other week and feel I should of stolen the baby. ( not that I would but if I knew)
Then I would have been off to jail, with hindsight I would not of cared
My heart is devastated and my mind is spinning….
I may miss posting but will always be reading.
Hugs to you Uppity!
Wow Just. That’s just awful! What on earth possessed her?
well I guess she learned not to go out without the required male escort.
you don’t reason with stupid men when they threaten you.
the way to change those CULTURE issues is to put guns in the hands of women & give them jobs. driving lessons too.
when the assholes get a look at money & power on someone with a set of breasts they’ll think twice before stepping out of line.
there’s some talk of putting women in the Afghan security forces. American & Brit women with the international forces are setting an example, but there aren’t enough of them. a woman in uniform makes an impression in some of those repressive cultures.
if Indian women weren’t so busy processing our mortgages, administering our employee benies, evaluating our mri’s, & providing tec support to our ISP call centers (AT&T), maybe they could take some of those dangerous low paying security jobs like American women do. or even serve in the Indian military!
sometimes you gotta take two of those shit for pay nail breaking jobs to make ends meet. that’s life.
JustMe,
Please take this hug I’ve sent you and wrap yourself in its caring.
Mary
Ron, 5:08 pm Said:
“I was dumbfounded and extremely disappointed in the comments and behavior of so-called New York feminists regarding the treatment of Hillary ”
1. As for most of the Liberal “intellectual” crowd, race trumped everything: loyalty, honor, truth, country, an, of course, gender.
2. This is the crowd for whom abortion is the top plan in th Paaty platform–not energy, the economy, education, medical coverage. They tslk good game about being feminists, but , they bash nd trash Sarah Palin, who has achieved all that the feminists say they want, because she is anti-abortion. And they love barfy because not only is he pro-choice, as is Hillary, but unlike Hillary, he is pro-infanticide. Wow, what a man.
In other words, they’re a bunch of self-righteous, pc, big-mothed bimbos whose brains are between their legs.
You’ll also hear them beginning to murmur about the poor Palestinians and the big bad Israelis.
Mary, on December 1st, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Should read::
2. This is the crowd for whom abortion is the top plank in th Party platform
Grail Guardian, 4:49 pm Said:
“if we focus on just the Islamic abuse, how many millions of women will still be tortured”
Well and truly said, GG. But, if the water table is being systematiclly poisoned by the rampant addition from one source of carcinogens, that source must be reonized and cauterized before it contaminates the entire water supply while we sleep.
I believe you are clairifying for me that we no longer have the luxury of eliminating one symptom at a time. We need to practice something like societal wholistic medicine to save women, children–and my special concern, animal–from suffering.
Gandhi got ita right so many yers ago, You can judge a society by how it treats its weakest members.
This very unfortunate woman’s situation is sooooo sad and painful.
1 – The thought of someone throwing acid in someone’s face
2 – With the intent of scarring/mutilating them for life
3 – Because it is a socially/religiously acceptable
4 – Because he is allowed
5 – Is plainly callous, malicious, calculating, and barbaric.
This ex husband’s sense of entitlement to ruin someone’s life is twisted.
It’s a values thing – human life and respect is just not part of the picture. Those who perpetrate that mentality need to be held accountable and the brainwashing needs to cease.
Ugh, couldn’t read the post without flinching and could barely look at the photo. There are so many of these acid-throwing incidents in Pakistan, and they’re not even prosecuted if the victim isn’t well-heeled (and, even then, prosecution is dubious). A horrific crime for which these guys should be shot dead at dawn and again at dusk.
Mary’s absolutely correct in this observation: ” I’ll venture that Islamic Fundamentalism is the greatest threat not only the advancement of women but to the very continuance of life on earth.”
Not sure Uppity, I think she must off snapped I guess, some say she had depression since the baby was born.
I knew her for over 10yrs and she was wonderful I never saw anything wrong so that is what makes it hard to understand…. Just wished she would of called me as she did when she needed a gift basket.
Too late for me to help now.
Thank you Mary your words mean a great deal it’s hard when your so close and yet so far to help someone.
Yup. You got that right Uppity. Here’s a great post on this subject from a dear friend:
http://www.freedomscost.net/?p=1199
And the next person who calls them “Militants” rather than TERRORISTS will get a personal can o’ whoop a** from me.
Wait until Barky takes office. If you think the misogyny against Hillary was bad? Just wait….
Thank you for posting about this story, Uppity Woman. I decided to write out some actions on how to fight this acid terrorism against women. I hat tipped ya.
http://pumaparty.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5875
Thanks for the post, Uppity.
Yes, sickening control of and violence against women is perpetrated here all the time. I have a friend who is terrified of her husband right now.
But I absolutely do not understand why there was not an uprising of women when Colin Powell came out saying: Why not have a muslim president?
Did no one understand or care what the effects on women’s rights that would have?? Where was NOW? Where were the women in the media? Where were WE?
Here’s that link the article provided for those who want to directly help these women:
http://www.pwaisbd.org/
oh, and as far as Barack decrying these atrocities (or caring about anything that effects women, other than abortion):
Let us not overlook his consistantly patriarchal values, beginning with his Book Title “Dreams of my Father” (the one that ditched him) through to his Chicago boys club, his misogynist male rapper buds, his demeaning behavior toward women including the one woman who cared about him the most: his white grandmother. Remember him calling her racist without it ever even OCCURRING to him that maybe she had been raped or threatened by a man at some point in her life (as many of us have been), maybe she had been sexually abused as a child, maybe she knew women who had been. Maybe those were the reasons for her fear: Maybe it had NOTHING TO DO WITH SKIN COLOR BUT EVERYTHING TO DO WITH GENDER.
and of course she would not have confided that to the young Barry, but as an adult he should have been asking those questions.
It seems pretty clear that Godzilla will use most of her prestige as First Flea Bag
Anti-woman language…just sayin’.
I was at Thanksgiving dinner and all of my supposedly liberal, progressive, women loving, PC friends were saying “I am thankful that Barack Obama is president.” When I brought up the misogyny in the campaign and the misogyny by in the past year, they were shocked. The biggest reply was “I didn’t see that.” I am trying to find the video of all of the awful things that were said about Hilary and her standing up to it all. It was on this blog awhile ago. I want to send it to my friends, so they can see how pervasive it was. The video had the song “Bitch” running through it. Does anyone know where I can get that video? All of the media being so horrible says what I want to say so much better than I could.
Women, that would be ShutthefreudUp’s “Bitch–Mas as hell”.
I prefer this video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adzkyretz6k&NR=1
Look at the question at the end of the video;
Can Amercia afford 8 more years without Hillary?
I guess her SoS appoitment answers that quite nicely!