“You would be hard pressed to find any story on Lubna al-Hussein that didn’t mention Shariah or “Islamic Law”

That’s because the justification used by the prosecution in Sudan is based on (their interpretation of) “shariah” and “Islamic law.” I guess my bottom line criticism with this article is this: You rightfully find troubling the framing of this debate with Western media sources. The essence of Islam does not permit flogging of women for wearing pants, and yet this is how it is represented. Fine. However, what are the roots of this framework and articulation? Is it the Western biased media who are framing the reality? Or, as I maintain, is it really the ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISTS who are framing the issue, and articulating it quite well, and the media who are, as a consequence, ratifying this articulation?

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@dude: Its a day of absurd comparisons, isn’t it?

“I’d prefer flogging.”

Really? Get flogged first, then we’ll talk. USA prisons are legitimately fucked up, but do any kind of first hand independent research on the conditions of USA prisons versus flogging and you will see this comparison is absurd.

“Why don’t we focus on the African Americans who commit crimes in much higher proportion than they represent in the population? Isn’t it their fault that there is racism against them?”

Wow.

Just… wow.

You’re comparing Islamic fundamentalists who torture women to Black Americans. Nice. I’m sure the African American community would really love to hear that comparison.

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything more absurd and racist since I watched Fox news.

First off, Black americans do not commit more crimes than White americans. They are in prison disproportionately. There’s a difference.

I understand the point you’re trying to make, being that a more useful exercise in defeating fundamentalism is to look at the root causes of the fundamentalist expansion (e.g. socioeconomic causes.) One could make a legitimate comparison between the socioeconomic roots of extremism in general (Black extremism and Islamic extremism.) Maybe.

But to argue that torture is acceptable under less than ideal socioeconomic/political circumstances is really troubling. It implies that Muslim societies are not ‘advanced’ enough to abolish torture. That they are not smart enough to deal with their disadvantage without torture. That torture is unacceptable, except for them.

I’m holding Muslim societies to the same standards as every other standard. I don’t really give a flying fuck what your circumstances are. You don’t flog people wearing pants. K?

And aother POV… some Islamic scholars say that pants are not considered hijab…I agree that we should not beat a woman for wearing pants, but if its the law in that country, and she is a muslim she is obliged to follow that law.

That said, there is an important, in fact vital role for identifying the discriminatory tone of popular reporting on the issue. I (and I imagine the writers of this site) believe in the powerful political impact of popular culture. It envelops our lives and frames how we comprehend politics in a myriad of ways.

So the hackneyed ‘but you mock the Great West on this site’ tone of your comments I find a bit annoying.

Dunno. Having seen some of the ridiculously long sentences passed around in the US, and the treatment of prisoners in some prisons, I know that if I were found guilty of some of them, I’d prefer flogging.

There are worse things than corporal punishment.

For some people (like you and the writers here) it seems that any criticism emanating from the west and directed at anyone else is prima facie invalid because of the source regardless of the facts.

This is a blatantly false statement.

@Rochelle”
Why don’t you turn your attention to the people who actually commit such atrocities?

Because the purpose of the site is explicitly to critique media representations of Muslim women.

It is not the goal of MMW to criticize atrocities (although I’ll grant it does happen by the contributors on occasion).

Yes, and just a few MMW posts ago, it was explicitly pointed out that this is a problem in certain non-Muslim societies in certain parts of Africa (with an example given). And therein you’ll find remarks about why the deeper reasons for this problem are not Islamic.

I”’m sorry but we don’t live in 1959 United States. There were lots of things wrong with 1959 United States. Whats your point?”

I think Fatima’s point, ,which you clearly missed i might add, is that the SAME patricarchal demands on women and thier bodies occured in a western country, even though the societal repercussions were different. Flogging is flogging, yes, but women it`s just a different style of the same crap. to say otherwise is just plain lying.

The people at whom you should be pissed off is not the Western media who ask such questions but the Islamic fundamentalists who create the reality in which these questions are raised in the first place.

I’m sick of hearing criticisms about Western media relating to atrocities in the Muslim world. Why don’t you turn your attention to the people who actually commit such atrocities? Aren’t they the ones giving Islam a bad name? Aren’t they the ones eliciting Islamophobia and racism? Aren’t they the ones who are trying to dominate Muslim culture, excluding all other Muslim voices, like yours and mine, who know that pants are allowed in Islam?

I understand your concerns and skepticism that the Western media cares about Lubna al-Hussein or if its really a cover for Islam-bashing. But the root of the problem is not the Western media, BUT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE FLOGGING LUBNA IN THE FIRST PLACE!!!!

Articles like these come off as apologetic, because the focus of blame is on the REACTION of the situation, not the situation itself.

I’m sick of the apologizing for the actions of these people. The situation happened, and its disgusting. That’s not to say that disgusting things don’t happen in the West, but that point is irrelevant. I’m tired of hearing “well human rights abuses happen everywhere so we shouldn’t care when they happen in Muslim countries.” Bullshit. There is nothing that can justify the act of flogging a woman for wearing pants. Shit like this happens everyday — whipping, stoning, honor killing, and so on — and I’m so tired of critiques like this that minimizing the problem by either comparing it to the West or arguing that it does not represent Islam. It’s a serious problem. And it should be MORE appalling to Muslims because it gives their religion a horrible reputation.

And bless Lubna al-Hussein for using her privileged position to bring attention to other women at risk for the same fate.

Finally, I would just like to say that comparing Lubna al-Hussein’s flogging to the ban of hijab in France is absolutely ludicrous and insulting to all the women who are flogged or imprisoned for wearing clothing of their choosing. The hijab ban in France is WRONG, but let’s face it — women don’t get whipped if they don’t abide. My cousin was beaten by basij in Iran for showing a strand of hair so please do not throw salt on that wound by minimizing it through sophistry.

I’m sorry but we don’t live in 1959 United States. There were lots of things wrong with 1959 United States. Whats your point?

“Uh. France and Turkey have banned hejabs in public institutions. Germany does not allow them in most public institutions”

1) Turkey is a majority Muslim country so I don’t know how this relates to the amorphous “West”.

2) France is one country and its ban is not universal and only applies to public institutions. I’m not going to excuse France’s ban but its hardly an example of this brutally oppressive West that is commonly portrayed on this site.

3) Now who is “lumping” countries in together by the way.

“these accomodations have come after a 400% rise in violence and discrimination against the very people that are sometimes getting accepted.”

These accomodations are also a direct rebuttal of this caricatured west that is oppressive of Muslims that is portrayed on this website.

For what its worth, in my country, Canada, Jews are still the largest target for hate crimes despite being less numerous than Muslims.

“The problem is not the fact that people are exposing this bastardization of Shariah law, it’s that western news outlets are not really concerned with al-Hussein or the Qatif girl. It’s with the fact that they crow over these stories, they proudly proclaim that this is “barbaric” as in “those Muslims are barbaric”,”

Aren’t we quick to impute motive to the entire media and finish people’s sentences int he process. Where in the article linked to does the author call the Islamic world barbaric? Nowhere. What from the article could possibly cause you to think that no one is really concerned about the girls? Nothing. The fact is YOU DON’T HAVE ANYTHING. You’re playing the faux victim role and imagining these grand conspiracies against Muslims and the “Muslim world”. You impute hostile and incompassionate motives in a blanket manner in the EXACT same way as someone who thinks all Muslims are violent people who want to kill westerners. You’re no better than them.

What is your solution? Ignore the stories? The fact is that flogging people for wearing pants is “barbaric”. I don’t care if its Muslims, atheists, jews or buddhists practicing it. Its wrong and should be exposed. This whole playing the victim game that is so common on this site it getting pretty lame.