Appearance Trumps Justice

Achelois:

Tainting a Muslim man’s name is serious crime, more serious than molestation itself. Either the victim is to pretend for the rest of their lives that the abuse never happened or suffer in silence. A friend was raped by her husband for seven long years but she suffered in silence because the husband was a deeply ‘religious’ man and her mother made her believe that there is no rape in marriage. Then last year the boy of someone we know was saved from being raped in the basement of a mosque. It took great courage for his parents to report the assault to the police because of threats of ostracisation from other Muslim families.

Sexual abuse takes place everywhere and the Muslim world is no exception. Let’s accept it.

Two major, intertwined issues stand in the way.

1. Self-criticism

Muslims often complain about "too much" freedom and the sexual openness of the West. How often does one see Muslims railing against the total lack of freedom and the sexual apartheid in Saudi Arabia or Iran?

Open criticism is often reserved for the infidels. Physical and sexual abuse, marital rape, STDs -- all these things are found all over the world but many Muslims keep silent or, worse, try to deny their existence in the Islamic sphere. Instead of help, punishment and treatment respectively, too many Muslims wish to put up an untainted show.

It's often said in a different language but the meaning is the same: "We don't want to give the kafir any ammunition." The shattered victims attempt to construct their lives whereas the evil men continue to destroy more. Justice is sacrificed on the altar of appearance.

2. Individualism

Religion is the core identity of a Muslim. To publicly point out a flaw of a Muslim is somehow equivalent to sniping at Islam.

For example, the abuse of a child by a gym teacher or a biology teacher in no way discredits exercise or science but Islamic societies can't seem to separate the two. This is why the abuse of children by Quran or Islamic studies teachers rarely results in any punishment for the vile perpetrator.

Related: On this subject, Amy Berg made Deliver Us From Evil. Any chance we'll see an Islamic version of that movie soon?

Comments

[Cafe Alpha]

My impression from some of the tracts I've read is that criticism of a Muslim is, except under some circumstances, considered a sin or a crime.

Note that in the west, the rule is against "libel" (in writing) and "slander" (in speech) where what is considered wrong is to make false accusations against someone. If you can prove what you say, in our society, then there's no crime.

So the concepts don't transfer at all. People from Muslim lands often use the words 'slander' and 'libel' as if they meant the crime of criticism, missing the fact that what matters, here, is truthfulness.

It reminds me of reading middle eastern newspapers. Accusations that have been proven false are repeated year after year. The truth of an accusation seems irrelevant. People are more clannish than principled - it matters who you support, not what. Every fight is personal, and it's group against group. Once again deeds and principles don't seem to matter.

[Cafe Alpha]

That said, people in the US are getting more clannish about our political parties.

And I think, that as propaganda from middle eastern powers soaks into our rebellious fringe groups, the bad example of their ways of thinking and arguing also sink in. We're learning to be less fair, less logical, and more bigoted I think.

I hope there's some positive learning going in the other direction.