Before I get to the story in the headline, a brief preface:
Like so many of you, I've had the incredible privilege of being part of election 2008, first as Hillary Clinton's Internet Director and then - as part of Hillary's team - doing everything possible to help elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
And like so many of you, I shed tears when Obama was declared the winner, the long nightmare of Bush's presidency at an end and a new era at hand with a president who commands respect, who understands the issues, who is disciplined and dignified, who will begin healing the deep wounds of the past eight years.
I've been an online activist since 2001 and November 4th was a day to reflect on how much the netroots have achieved, something I wrote about recently. With 2000 and 2008 as bookends, I realized how focused many of us have been on all things Bush, doing our best to protect the country we love from his radical administration.
Going forward, there will be more work than ever for the online community, especially considering that we'll have a networked presidency. From a personal standpoint, now that Bush is on his way out, one of the things I want to spend more time writing about is the horrendous mistreatment of women and children around the globe.
Speaking of which, Vanessa Valenti posted a truly horrific story on UN Dispatch, a blog I've helped edit since early 2005 and where I'll be concentrating most of my writing in the months to come:
Last week, 13-year old Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow was stoned to death in Somalia by insurgents because she was raped. Reports indicate that was raped by three men while traveling by foot to visit her grandmother in conflict capital, Mogadishu.
When she went to the authorities to report the crime, they accused her of adultery and sentenced her to death. Aisha was forced into a hole in a stadium of 1,000 onlookers as 50 men buried her up to the neck and cast stones at her until she died.When some of the people at the stadium tried to save her, militia opened fire on the crowd, killing a boy who was a bystander.
I hope we can all work with the incoming administration to begin creating conditions in which we can banish this barbaric and malevolent behavior from our planet.
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this report is horrible!
We have crazed people right over our border. Last week a Mexican boy (8 yrs old) was kidnapped by drug dealers and had acid injected into his heart! It barely made the news and those bastards are within walking distance here.
I would like to hear from recenty poster Mr. Salimi regarding this barbaric and insane act by Muslims acting in accordance with Kur'anic teachings.
As an unabashed tree-huggi
I am disgusted and horrified.
And the Saturday night hangings of blacks with ropes from trees through American history has no relationsh
Violence exists independen
Blame for that violence inaccurate
For all the Muslims who live decently and respectful
Violent behavior, in this case extreme misogyny, will always seek a rationaliz
The truth, that cruelty reveals an inner coldness and lack of empathy, doesn't emanate from religion, but from that coldness.
There's a point where the defense of the indefensib
WHAT??? On top of being raped, she was married at 13? 13? 13?
It drives its members into insanity.
My personal prejudice: I would make an exception for Ch'an and Zen, and maybe some other Mahayana streams.
But NO exception for Nichiren and Pure Land.... sorry.
P.S. I am also down with my homeboy Lao Tzu :-)
I love Bill Maher, generally, but this is what he just doesn't get, and what you apparently don't get: It's not "religion" that causes these things; it's depraved human nature using religion as an excuse to commit various crimes and atrocities under its banner. If it weren't this excuse, it would be another, and if you think banishing religion will end this sort of thing, you are seriously deluding yourselves
So many countries are religion-r
Like ours.
What an unbelievab
I feel sick. Knew I shouldn't read about this when I saw the story a while ago. Just like I won't read about the Afghani females blinded by acid in the other hideous story here at HP.
Tragic!
If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city. -- Deuteronom
This is the same book of Bronze Aged Myths that was used to justify the passing of Prop 8. It's time to chunk these horrible books out the window!
More to the point, for me, it is time to keep these books from guiding policy in a multi-reli
As far as why the men were not stoned, we don't really know, but don't automatica
The people in the planned coalition government were political leaders, not religious fanatics. The coalition government would have acted to PREVENT these atrocities