Afghan 'Rape' Law Could Jeopardize European Involvement: NATO Chief

BBC NEWS :

Nato's head says it could be difficult to persuade European countries to contribute more troops to Afghanistan because of controversial new laws.

Read the whole story: BBC NEWS

Comments

[PSM42]

BBC latest - extremists -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7982146.stm

[Melanie226]

I really wish the Russians would have taken care of this country 30 years ago. It would have saved us a lot of time, trouble and billions of dollars. I also suspect that the lives of the people of Afghanistan would be better today had Russia been successful.

[RadioUnderdog]

Karzai has to quit making decisions that revert Afghanistan to the dark ages if he wants to avoid NATO abandonment. This law is insulting to avery soldier fighting there.

Check out my take on this development at http://www.radiounderdog.com

[malicetwdnone]

Isn't this the same country where our military leaders were supplying the warlords with Viagra so they'd stop fighting against us? And now there is suddenly outrage?

[CosmicSpaceTurtle]

Wow, good thing we "liberated" Afghanistan...

This just goes to show you how ridiculously flawed the foreign policy ideals of George W Bush were. We shouldn't have even invaded Afghanistan in the first place, although given the blood lust in the aftermath of 9/11 I suppose it was politically unavoidable. The truth is the Afghan government of the time had nothing to do with the planning of 9/11 and we should have confined our military response solely to terrorists, and we never should have occupied the entire country. You can not force democracy and freedom on an entire culture through guns and bombs.

Afghanistan is simply at a different cultural place than the West is. It's unfortunate for women who live there, except hope that the international outrage causes them to reverse the law in an attempt to save their image. Real cultural change will come to Afghanistan at some point, but it will come from within, not be imposed from a foreign military. We might not see that time, but it will happen eventually. Cultures change slowly, not over a span of ten years.

[coultersnemesis]

poor women...American women should become much more involved in stopping these sisters' misery..my heart aches for them :(

[Whinger]

This disrespect for women's rights is absolutely appalling and unacceptable!

[essbird]

It gets worse. On the linked BBC page is another link to a video where a teenage girl is publicly flogged by Taliban for "illicit relations". They made her brother hold her down. The man was an electrician who came to her house to repair wiring, says he did nothing, but was forced to marry the girl.

Whew!

[lochnessmonster]

Agreed...this is very close to becoming the law of the land. I heard today on NPR that all tht is left is for it to be published. The law has been passed and the "president" has signed it into law. We should pull our troops out today.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

I'm glad. They - Afghanistan - should be isolated and ostracized until they actually evolve into human beings. If we can't save THIS generation of women, perhaps we can save the next.

[RIXX]

Yet another American who thinks the human were evolved when America was born.

[AngieMom57]

Oh, so "saving" is the challenge. Think again. Try educating and just fyi young men and young women, regardless of nationality, are easily addicted to the new weapon of mass construction; don't believe me? Just ask Steve Jobs or Bill Gates.

[essbird]

We tried the isolation route, remember? That's what got us here. Osama didn't isolate them too.

[coultersnemesis]

why abandon these young women now? Education is key. support from the US via education, computers...tough to know whether they will be put to good use, though

[peterg76]

The war (theoretically) was to overthrow the Taliban, not to substitute one incarnation of the Taliban for a second one.

[coultersnemesis]

very sad.

[Melanie226]

That's what the official word was supposed to be. However, the war was really about placing a government in power in Afghanistan that would allow free reign over a large natural gas line that was supposed to be under construction. Remember, Bush & Co. didn't do anything unless it meant someone would be able to get rich (i.e. lack of presence in the Darfur crisis).

[RIXX]

I don't like certain laws in US..., CHANGE IT!!
Would you?

What laws will be made in Afghanistan is Afghan people's problem. Their land, their people, their beliefs, their religion, their values....

They have no obligations to go according to your beliefs and definition of Marriage, rape and human rights. Your boys are dying for your cause and your imperialism. Get your OBL if you can and go!

[JoeBlough]

Our soldiers are dying over there.

[Joethepauper]

Yes they are. Now they are dying to protect Draconian laws that oppress an already oppressed female population as well as dying for a pipeline. It was never about "freedom". Are we all on the same page now? Are we starting to see what I pointed-out almost a decade ago? Nobody listens to me, yet I have been consistently correct about everything for over a decade. Putting a Unocal executive in charge wasn't a clue? The first year of record-breaking poppy crops wasn't a clue? If the 7th year of record-breaking poppy crops didn't clue anybody in, they must be clueless. I could have stabilized Afghanistan in a year if I had the power at my disposal that Bush did. Now, I don't think the problem can be solved. There was a window of opportunity, but Bush missed it and broke the window (along with the rest of the house). Bush actually caused the destabilization of an entire region (and I'm not even referring to Iraq, that's another region altogether), a very important region in the coming years.

[coultersnemesis]

democratic peace theory

[Hirnlego]

Is there a religion which actually is not against women?

[AngieMom57]

"Truth is the highest Religion."

[coultersnemesis]

it took long enough for the Enlightenment to hit Europe...how long till it hits the ME?

[theubermensch]

No, even some certain progressive groups and scientific circles view them as inferior. Don't worry it's only 2009, give it another two-thousand years or so.

[ConcernedAboutRFuture]

No. It is/was designed to control them and make them subservient.... mostly by the perverts that can't control themselves around them.

[Joethepauper]

Atheists LOVE women! Atheists RESPECT women. It is in the best interests for women to become atheists if their religion doesn't respect them. Our God isn't male or female. My God in particular is the sun. It supplies all the energy on this planet, therefore, it is God's representative, in a sense.

[CosmicSpaceTurtle]

I'm not aware of any Buddhist beliefs which discriminate against women.

[TheBlackCat]

Yes but Buddhism is really a philosophy and NOT a religion in the traditional sense. It has no claims of divinity, and it doesn't rule you and strip away your free will and brainwash you.

That's why I converted to it from Catholicism (shudder)

[theubermensch]

So, Bush's guy Karzai, wants to legalize rape. They want to kill gays in Iraq, too. The shoe thrower gets three years. So, countries that hate gays, woman's rights, freedom of speech. Huh, sounds like Bush, Cheney and the GOP's dream. Almost sounds like the U.s. today. Hate crimes against gays and rapes against women are constantly left unpunished. Remember what billo said, it was her fault. Again, end the wars and fix America before you say these guys need to be better. Wow, in the year 2009 we are really making progress. Palin in 2012 would only top off the progress.

[Eidolas]

Uh, Bush isn't President, try again.

[Melanie226]

True, but he was when he drug us half-assed into Afghanistan.

[TimDanMick]

"And its 1,2,3 what are we fighting for,
Don't ask me I don't give a damn,
Next stop is Afghanistan"

All join in. You all remember the tune! The characters might change but it's the same old tune.

[AngieMom57]

I'll sing your song if you'll sing mine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7yAO-QCSWA

[historymatters]

Amazing - NATO countries are stepping up and saying they won't put their troops' lives on the line to protect governments that violate human rights. Wish the U.S. could do the same.

[NYC123]

Is this what it takes for Nato, the Europeans, to stop intervening and invading third world countries? Just by passing a law that allow husbands to make love to their wives? That is comical! You know what Dr. Laura would say to a woman that does not want to make herself available to her husband? " Dr. Laura: “Just do it. Once you are into the sex act you'll loosen up and enjoy it." I have heard the good Doctor say those exact words! And my take, “goes for men too!”
Question what does the Bible say about the Marriage Bed? The Bible says very clearly that both a husband and a wife should make themselves available to the other (per their mate's desire)!
Only we, Americans and the Euopean leadership (i.e., I for one do not include the European people think this law is a big deal, but, if it stops a war – they’re all for it!), would think this law would be considered rape! But we love our porn, trophy mistresses, boy toys and our vibraters!
Interesting the fact that the Afghan people want no part of our Western ways, or our Christian faith to the point that Muslin converts to Christianity are put to death, Nato and our American leaders for some reason can live with that!

[chaos4700]

You know, pointing out that you are a frequent listener to Dr. Laura and that you agree with her... really tells us everything we need to know about the wellspring of your opinion.

[NYC123]

What a senseless argument! Oh you like Dr. Laura!

[TimDanMick]

We treasure liberty not imposition. You can't see the liberty you have been blessed with just as you can't see the air you breathe. Don't have contempt for something so precious and so fragile.

[NYC123]

I do not know what that statement means, obvious some liberal nonsense. Liberties and freedoms is not a free flowing open faucet with feces and lice, which seems to me is what you are pontificating!

[Joethepauper]

Afghan marriages are arranged (usually between a much older man and what we would consider a "tween"). Furthermore, without readily available access to clean water, Afghan men don't bathe regularly. The husband is not likely to allow the wife to attend school, most likely would make her wear a Burqua, and not allow her to leave the house without a male relative. He has no choice anymore anyway, because it would be against the law for two of the three.

Considering all that, would you be in favor of having a thirteen year old cooped-up without being allowed outside, not allowed an education, so that when the fifty year old husband comes home (smelly), she should just comply? How do they enforce that law anyway? If they arrest her (or worse), the husband still doesn't get it. I'm sure that guy in Austria would love this law.

There is no comparison between Western marriages and those of the second and third world. I think, if posed the same question (above), Dr. Laura would oppose this law (if she's worth anything at all).