Dear Editor,
Al Haj Mujtaba Nasir declared in his letter captioned “Western clothes dehumanize women into sex objects” (08.08.05) “I fail completely to see the connection between orphaned and maimed Muslim children in Iraq and Afghanistan and homosexuality. Even several leaps of the imagination fail to establish a connection.” He then challenged me to elaborate.
Well, Mr. Nasir need not overtax his imagination. Here’s the direct link to the homosexuality he is looking for.
This week, a United Nations special representative for children told reporters that sexual violence against young boys is a problem in the Islamic State of Afghanistan. In what is known as “bacha-bazi” — or “child’s play” — little boys are forced to dress in female attire, dance and perform sexual acts.
The UN representative added, “I can’t think of any country in the world in which children suffer more than in Afghanistan.”
We also learn that child-rape is prevalent in this country. So rape is not an issue of Western clothing, as Mr. Nasir imagines it is.
Recently a 3-year-old girl was kidnapped and gang-raped. I am sure the baby was not dressed as a female tennis player; a style of dress Mr. Nasir thinks opens women to sexual molestation.
“Rapists are roaming around with impunity,” a human rights representative reported. “Women and girls, especially young girls, are the most unprotected people of Afghanistan. They are raped, kidnapped and murdered,” the human rights representative said.
But rape victims, even those dressed in those bee-hive burkhas that Mr. Nasir approves of as fashion, are afraid of coming forward. The reason? Those Islamic Sharia laws that Mr Nasir adores.
News reports say that “in order for a rape to be validated, victims must have four male witnesses to the crime — if not, the victims can be charged with fornication or adultery.” So the rape has to be a public show or it is not a real rape.
A woman, a girl, a baby, or a boy, after being savagely violated by knuckle-dragging men in Islamic Afghanistan can be accused of actually committing a crime and what is the penalty for this crime, tell us Mr. Nasir. Is it death by stoning?
Imagine, innocent Muslim children getting raped and then perhaps stoned to death.
But Mr. Nasir, the General Secretary of CIOG, despite making strenuous mental leaps, cannot get his mind around this. He can however write extensively on Islam’s view of consensual same-sex adult relationships.
Totally unbelievable.
Yours faithfully,
Justin de Freitas
