British tourists raped in Jordan
The news agencies are reporting that two British women were raped last Saturday in fields near to the Jordan-Israel border. The women, who had been studying Arabic in Damascus, were on a short visit to Jordan and were visiting the Jordan valley and Dead Sea:
An investigation found the two female students could not find transport back to Amman after visits to the Jordan Valley and the nearby Dead Sea.
The women accepted an invitation from a Jordanian woman to spend the night at her house, a judicial official said. He said four drunk men sought to enter the house by force to kidnap the Britons.
The Jordanian woman sneaked them out a back door accompanied by her brother and his friend, the official added. On the road, the brother and his friend allegedly raped the Britons and dumped them in the vegetable grove.
The two women were studying Arabic at Damascus University, Syria, and came to Jordan for a visit during the Muslim festival of Eid.
Two men have been charged with the rape and could be executed if convicted; police are looking for two other suspects. Any of the sisters (or other women for that matter) travelling in Jordan should take good care until these men are caught (the description gives the impression that these women are indeed Muslims - does anyone have any info?).
Comments
Salaam 'Alaikum
A few things.
The Herald Story only mentions Western women. The reality is that there have been a number of attempted attacks on Jordanian women as well in the past few months -- with taxi drivers carrying lady passengers in areas on the edge of the city / near villages. Do Jordanian women not rank here?
Second, it underscores the need for all women, especially women who are not with native Jordanians and / or do not have full command of the language to know where they are going, to know when they have to leave, and to have a plan if they're stuck (or as much of one as you can have). But you know -- this is true anywhere in the world, including Merry Olde England, I'm afraid. There aren't many places in the world women can be out at night and feel completely safe from the predatory violence of some men.
The Herald says the men could face death. Jordanian newspapers say they face a max of 22 years in prison. Jordanian reports also say that the men (the four drunk men) were banging on the doors of the Jordanian woman's home for three hours. Why didn't the Jo woman and her husband call the police in all that time? I hope more answers are forthcoming.
Posted by: UmmZaid | October 17, 2007 5:31 PM
The [Glasgow] Herald is a British paper, so, yes, UmmZaid, Jordanian women don't rank, or not as highly as british women.
Posted by: Thersites | October 18, 2007 10:35 AM