Comments on: Somalia: Executing rape victims

By: Robin Sparks

Robin Sparks — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:27:03 +0000

Please don’t forget that an 8-yr-old boy who witnessed the stoning of the 13-yr-old rape victim was also shot to death by the militia because he attempted to intervene on the girl’s behalf. For some reason, I only saw his part in this sad story reported in “The Week”. Bottom line: You have to wonder just who this country cares about…

By: Old Pickler

Old Pickler — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 12:39:31 +0000

Since when was it the duty of Muslim “authorities” to answer for each and every public act of any Muslims anywhere in the world?

It isn’t their duty to condemn this murderous act, but it would be the right thing to do. And if it isn’t Islamic, all the more reason to speak out so that there are no more “misunderstandings”.

By: Umm Salihah

Umm Salihah — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 11:55:30 +0000

Assalam-alaikam, Aside from the problems of getting facts straight and reliable or verifiable sources, I cannot understand how any version of shariah or any interpretaion of any brand of Islam can lead to such punishment. The heart of a muslim is not supposed to be hardened. What does this say about the deen or humanity of a person/people who could do such a thing.

Whatever the victims age, as other sisters have pointed out in numerous blogs, the Muslim world unfortunately has a real problem in the way it deals with rape.

By: Abu Noor Al-Irlandee

Abu Noor Al-Irlandee — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 00:42:03 +0000

Jazzak Allaahu Khayr for this post Yusuf.

I agree that it is difficult to figure out how to comment on such a report. The report by AI is extremely horrifying, yet it is hard without additional information to understand at all what really happened. Certainly, it makes one feel extremely helpless at the realization that despite all the ways in which technology and communication have made the world smaller, there are still many situations in which it is extremely difficult to get enough information to even think in an intelligent way, let alone comment on, what goes on in different parts of our ummah.

Allaahul-Musta’an.

By: ummzeno

ummzeno — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:19:46 +0000

I think it depends on the status of the individual rather than the status of the person they commit the act with. So if an unmarried person has intercourse with a married person then they could receive different penalties.

By: Thersites

Thersites — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:45:20 +0000

It is adultery if one of the partners in a sexual act is married. Even if she was twenty three years old, married and adulterous, many people would think killing the girl or woman- let alone torturing her to death by stoning- vile and contemptible. Similat sentences for similar “crimes” were imposed by sharia courts in Nigeria and Pakistan. There the state intervened to prevent the sentences being carried out. In Somalia there is no effective state to intervene.

By: Abu Umar

Abu Umar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 17:41:26 +0000

If this is indeed the case then it should be condemned. At the same time, we should seek verification, as many of these Western organizations have agendas of their own.

By: ummzeno

ummzeno — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:59:17 +0000

I listened to the report on the Radio 4 news and it described how the girl protested that she didn’t accept this punishment, and how she was buried up to her neck and stoned. It also mentioned that some people among the crowd were saying “this is not shariah”. Assuming that the report is accurate and the girl was 13 and unmarried, I do feel there is a responsibility on the ulema to make it clear to the Somalis (the perpetrators and those who witnessed or heard about it) that this is completely wrong and unjust according to Islam. How else can ignorance be defeated? As an aside, can you tell me where you found the mention of rape in the law books and hadeeth collections? I haven’t come across it myself and would be grateful for a pointer.

By: Ali Abdullah

Ali Abdullah — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:02:30 +0000

The biggest problem is that Somalia is a zone of anarchy with no law of any sort!