So not only are they going to stone this woman to death, but they are going to flog her for someone else's photo in the paper.

[HecateQueenOfWitches]

Can't see another thread on this in here, so apols if I missed it.

here

So. This widow will be stoned to death for apparently being with men after the death of her husband plus she will be flogged because a photo appeared in a newspaper claiming it was her - without a headscarf - except it turned out not to be her anyway.

Dear god they are really out to get her.

Why does this country hate women so much.

Why do so many countries hate women so much when they'd be royally fucked without them!

[RamblingRosa]

It's such a horrendous case. Of course the "adultress" must be stoned to death but the adulterer gets off scot free.
I read an article about this recently and it was citing other Iranian women on death row for adultery and some of them were teenagers :(

[StealthPolarBear]

bloody hell

[postingforafriend]

I saw this in the papers yesterday. is there anything we can do, any petitions or anything? I feel so powerless and crap when I read these sorts of articles, how is it possible that things like this are allowed to happen? What about UN resolutions and human rights and things?

[flibbertigibbert]

This is awful.

There was a small protest in Trafalgar Square a few weeks ago and I signed a petition. It doesn't feel like it's nearly enough though.

"What about UN resolutions and human rights and things?"

Clearly such things don't apply to women .

[postingforafriend]

Well you've got to wonder haven't you filbberti.

I read the other day about the stoning in iran - that men and women are executed this way. They are buried in the ground and if they can escape they are free. The men are buried up to their waists, the women are buried up to their necks.

It's like something from the middle ages, and so explicit in how it feels about women.

[Beachcomber]

I just get a bit speechless about this kind of atrocity. The hate is palpable.

[Sakura]

It's all a build up, you'll see. This is not about women. Soon we'll get sightings of weapons of mass destruction over there.
Fucking horrible about this woman, but even more fucking horrible that she is being used by the western powers to incite hatred against Iran.
Iran is next on the list for invasion. This woman is just a pawn.

[Sakura]

Oh, and if there was no oil in Iran, this woman wouldn't even make the news here

[ISNT]

I was about to say how cynical you were sakura, but then took a moment to think of all the women around the world having god only knows what done to them, and how it's hardly ever reported, and reailised that you probably have a point.

[Sakura]

Yes ISNT, there are so many things going on, have been going on for years which don't even get a mention.
But as soon as politics are involved and women can be used in some way, suddenly these things get reported.

[Sakura]

TheButterfly, be careful. The men at the top of our government are using this woman as pawns to stir up anti-Iranian sentiment before they invade.
FUcking horrible situation.

If IRan knows the West are against them they might execute her on principle, just to show that they won't be pushed around.

[colditz]

If they are going to exicite someone 'on principle' they deserve to be invaded.

[Sammyuni]

The problem with that colditz is that it is not the people at the top that suffer the most it is the common people that do.

This situation needs to be handled delicately a lot of countries in that area 'hate' the west and will gladly take the opposite action to what the 'west' wants.

[TheBossofMe]

I'm not sure I understand the point, Sakura, should we ignore what's happening to this woman because the rights of the west not to be duped trump the right of a woman not to be stoned?

[Sakura]

colditz, why not invade everyone else then? YOu should definitely invade Saudi, where women aren't allowed to drive or leave the house. OR are you only going to invade the countries with oil who don't tow your party line?

THeBossofMe, Firstly, is it true about this woman? I'm going to contact my Iranian friend and find out.
Secondly, Iran should definitely be condemned for this. But what aboutthe people the US has tortured unecessarily, and is continuing to torture. Who is going to invade the US to put a stop to it? Or are human rights abuses okay when your "side" is the one carrying them out?

What I mean is, you should be aware that women are being used as pawns here. If IRan had no oil nobody on this thread would even know about this woman.

[Sakura]

I mean if they flat out lied about weapons of mass destruction in order to invade Iraq, killing Dr Kelly who tried to expose them, then it's not too far-fetched to suggest that this story might have been overblown in a Chinese whispers type of way by the time it's reached the Western media.

[TheBossofMe]

Well, I'm working on the assumption that its true and we should protest against it until I hear otherwise. But let me know what your Iranian friend says.

[colditz]

Who is this 'you'?

I don't have the power to invade anyone, but if I did rule the world, the first thing I would do is clear some space in America and offer it to any woman who wants to leave extremist religious regimes (of any religion)

And if the countries won't allow the women to leave, I would invade and forcibly evacuate anyone who wants to go.

But that is pie in the sky. I am a 30 year old support worker, not grand high poobah of the universe.

[TheBossofMe]

Both Amnesty and Human Rights Watch have been commenting on this case, so I;m still working under the assumption that its true rather than the frankly slightly paranoid assumption that this is all just a ruse to prepare for an invasion!

[Sakura]

The accusation of paranoia is only true when it's warranted. Are you saying the government didn't lie about weapons of mass destruction? Are you saying they didn'T invest lots of money into fooling the British public, using PR and the media, and convincing them these fabrications were true? If you admit that those things happened, and we have hard evidence to prove they did, then I don't think you have the right to call me paranoid

In fact, after that performance, you'd have to be in cloud cuckoo land to believe anythign the media told you before double checking first.


colditz, I just meant i's ironic that the US friendlies up to misogynistic regimes when it suits them and whips up a fervour of hatred against other regimes, which aren't as bad by far. Iranian women can drive, leave the house, work, study abroad. I think some are in politics. Why is the US invading there instead of a country where women are not allowed to do all those things?

[Sakura]

If Amnesty says its true then it is. I am just accutely aware of the fact the West is itching to invade IRan, while ignoring the sadistically misogynistic Saudi Arabia. Saudi has trafficked women prostitutes, images of women singers, CD covers and magazines objectifying women and at the same time women are not allowed to show their face.
Iran at least is not hyppocritical. Saudi women get a double whammy.

[TheBossofMe]

Sakura - sorry it took me a while to post on this - making the most of Thailand with a weekend at the beach! Just wanted to post one thing for you, which is Amnesty's page/s on Iran - its not as free as some would suggest. In particular, an atrocious and worsening record on women's rights (BTW, many of those women abroad have specifically left to avoid persecution). None of which is a reason to invade them, but I had to disagree with the "its not as bad as Saudi" theme - for many people living under extremely oppressive conditions in Iran, they probably see it as just as bad. Iran's not that oppressive if you play ball with the govt, very oppressive if you don't. So, in my book, I think its a pretty hypocritical regime in place there.

www.amnesty.org/en/region/iran

Let me know if you want some more reading matter on Iran - one of my closest friends in London escaped Iran after being tipped off that she was about to be arrested for daring to be a human rights lawyer.

[Sakura]

Thanks, TBOM. I don't want to defend Iran's subordination of women. I just want the western powers that be to be honest about their intentions there, that's all. I find the US's cozying up to Saudi to be stomach-churning.

[TheBossofMe]

Yup, you and me both!

Thought you might be interested - finding out more about the global experience of women seems to be one passion we share!