By Shohorab Ahamed –

Shohorab Ahamed

This is a response to the article written by Muhammed Fazl, “Are Women To Be Blamed For Rape”

He begins with a quote from the Quran ; “And among His signs is this that He has created for you mates from among yourselves, that you may dwell in tranquility with them; and He has put love and mercy between you…” – [Quran – 30:21]

So the Quran prescribes tranquility, love and mercy between the man and the woman but he goes on to put his own words later to show that tranquility lasts only as long as a man doesn’t see a woman in a thong somewhere. Thus, a man gets aroused seeing a woman in scanty clothes maybe on TV or when he goes swimming and satisfies that arousal by raping another innocent woman or a child. It’s your fault my lady that you wore a thong in Colombo and triggered an unknown man hundreds of miles away to rape an innocent. Woe to you.

Though the Quran has prescribed good things you have some excuse that’s completely man made for committing a crime so devastating. I wonder why this verse was even quoted because it is contradicting the same article he is writing. Maybe because that’s the only verse he could think of in his mission to be known, I mean known to be well versed in his religious scripture, an illness most people have. I wonder what he will quote and write if it was him who was raped by some man who had just watched TV or was working as a server in a hotel.

So let’s get about educating the women in Colombo and other cities that you will find ladies in a short dress walking down a street or wear a thong when going swimming which hardly happens in the town concerned, not the men. Also let’s go petitioning against the west for making movies that has bikini clad ladies in them, also create an awareness campaign in Europe for women, educating them on clothing etiquette and rape in Sri Lanka will stop.

I think that is the most backward, ignorant and bias assessment I have read in a secular society like ours.

He quotes the Quran. Let’s just make a quick assessment of what the books says.

Women are your Tilth

“Your women are a Tilth for you. So approach your Tilth as you wish towards goodness. And be aware of God and know that you will meet Him, and give good news to the believers.” – Quran 2:223

This verse is addressing the man and tells him that women are your Tilth. The word Tilth or “Ĥarthun Lakum” means a cultivation, where you were born or grown from and where your future generations or children will be conceived. Many “MEN” have understood this to mean as your cultivation where you plant your seed and that you can use them as you like.

In fact it is in the contrary wherein the woman is elevated to possess her due respect and men are required to give that due respect. Man must remember that he was born of a woman (Tilth), and that every human is born of a woman and your children will be born of a woman. Thus, give due respect, remember God and you will be answerable to him. In a world where women’s rights are questionable, this verse gives the men a clear warning and an understanding of her status.

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and keep covered their private parts, for that is better for them. God is fully aware of what you do” – Quran 24:30

Your scripture tells you to lower your gaze my male friend. Thus I wonder why the writer does not directly tell his fellow males to lower their gaze instead. Maybe because he is a male too and has the lions pride never to let his kind down.

Just take a look at these numbers from the grave crimes abstract of 2013.

Compare with a crime like Hurt by a Knife and the numbers will devastate you. Only about 11% of the rape plaints are filed while almost 40% of the other crime is filed while only 2 cases are pending with the AG for Hurt by a knife crimes. This is a shame.

Most of the Rape/Incest crimes are not even recorded due to various factors. One of them being the rapist is a relative and the family themselves try and hide the crime in fear of shame. But here what we see are numbers of recorded cases, only 1.7% of the criminals are unknown and still we can’t seem to convict the known. 108 Hurt by knife cases ended in a conviction while only 7 rapists were convicted. There is a problem with the state, the justice system and the law.

These victims don’t even know that they can request for closed quarter questioning where they can explain the crime with no shame, but there is no one to tell them that. They are questioned in front of many and the village girl will die of shame to talk openly. If you have any concern, go and do something about that rather than commenting on how women dress and their effect on the male’s libido that makes them commit these crimes. In that case a country like Germany that has had one of the most violent pasts with genocide and war, along with their heavy rock and roll culture and violent movies etc. should have more deaths via gunshot wounds and racist attacks than any other country. But Lo, they are the sixth in rape rates in the world. The rabbit hole runs deeper than that, of course not understood nor explored by this shallow writer.
Your Quran states my friend that it is not the clothing that matters most, it is your righteousness. Propagate that first.

“Children of Adam, We have sent down for you garments to alleviate your bodies, and feathers; and the garment of righteousness is the best. That is from the signs of God, perhaps they will remember.” – Quran 7:26

“O mankind, We created you from a male and female, and We made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Surely, the most honourable among you in the sight of God is the most righteous. God is Knowledgeable, Expert.” – Quran 49:13

The assumption that in a conservative country like Sri Lanka, when you dress in a bikini and a man sees you he gets aroused and takes it on an innocent woman somewhere is false because then, a secular country like America where a bikini is nothing but nobody’s business should have no rape at all, well they are ranked number one in the world. It is a fact that a woman in a bikini very rarely gets raped and this kind of public thoughts spill fuel on the fire.

This writer also talks about women showing their cleavage or leg to attract the most eligible man out there and that they end up attracting the wrong men who are attracted only sexually etc. What does that have to with rape? Vidhya that he quotes I am sure did not have that problem and it shows that the writers problems in his mind and heart found an opportunity in this article to blame the women for the perversions in men’s mind and heart. It’s a cheap trick.

*Shohorab Ahamed – Author of “Measuring the Cloth with the Yardstick” & “Ill marry you too”

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