This is copy from an article in yesterdays paper. It has probably been reported worldwide - stuck a chord with me. Sorry its so long but its worth reading through -
" Mukhtar Mai, a Pakistani woman who was brutally gang-raped by order of a village council as retribution for an alleged crime of her younger brother, got married last week.
The press celebrated the nuptials worldwide. The story that began as a horrific honour rape was now giving us a Bollywood ending, worthy of the screenplay that is brewing.
That is, depending on who's telling the tale.
Her nightmare began in 2002 when her 12-year-old brother was accused of having illicit relations with a young girl from a rival clan, the Mastoi.
As retribution, hundreds of villagers watched as Mukhtar Mai was dragged screaming into a mud-walled house where men raped her. Forced to wait outside, her father and brother finally covered her half-naked body with a shawl and guided her home through the crowd.
Eventually, investigations revealed three Mastoi initially molested her brother. The accusation against the boy was an alleged cover-up for their crime.
Most in her traditional village assumed the unmarried woman would commit suicide from shame. "In this area, there is no law and no justice. A woman is left with one option, and that is to die," she told the Guardian.
But not this woman. Instead, Mukhtar made a ground-breaking choice to seek justice. Despite death threats, she shocked Pakistan and received worldwide attention for her bravery by taking her case to Pakistani courts. She was put under police protection for fear of assassination.
Here is where her fate turned yet again. With money awarded by the Government and garnered by international attention, Mukhtar opened several schools in her village, welcoming girls for the first time.
She made a point of inviting the children of the men who raped her to become students. Illiterate, she enrolled herself. She opened women's shelters and bought a van to be used as a village ambulance. Time magazine called her one of Asia's heroes. Donations poured in.
This was a story we all need to hear, a victim that transforms her pain into a force for culture-changing good.
Enter stage right, our purported happy ending. A year and a half ago, her former guard, an already married policeman, offered marriage. Pakistani men are allowed to take up to four wives. She refused.
Four months ago, he tried to kill himself. "The morning after he attempted suicide, his wife and parents met my parents but I still refused," Mukhtar said.
It was only when he then threatened to divorce his first wife, a grave social ostracism in Pakistan that she relented. "I am a woman and can understand the pain and difficulties faced by another woman," she told the New York Times, "she is a good woman.""
Pretty much the best and worst of humanity in this story.
For Your Interest
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- Shana Moore
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Wow, thanks for posting Sue! I am continually amazed at the highs and lows that humans can reach in thier treatment of one another.
I honour this woman's spirit and determination. Her actions show a forgiveness and moving on in her life that take great courage and resilience.
I honour this woman's spirit and determination. Her actions show a forgiveness and moving on in her life that take great courage and resilience.
Live True, Laugh often
Shana
Shana
- Shana Moore
- Posts: 621
- Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:42 pm
- Location: Virginia
- Shana Moore
- Posts: 621
- Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2007 10:42 pm
- Location: Virginia