The world knows Mukhtar Mai for her courage in speaking out about the grotesque gang rape she suffered at the hands of a tribal jirga. No judge, social taboo, village leader or military administration could silence Mukhtar’s cry for justice for victims of rape and sexual abuse....
Mukhtaran Mai, an icon of the bravery and courage of the Pakistani women is coming to America to share her story of survival, courage and bravery with the hope that all who hear her would focus their attention on thousands of Pakistani women and children that desperately need help. Without any legal and social safeguards or economic opportunities, the women who have been rendered homeless by the earthquake face the horrific specter of being persecuted by a system that does not prioritize their welfare. There is no system in place to ensure that women left who lost male family members will be safe from sexual violence and societal discrimination.
She'll be speaking on campus at the Red Gym tomorrow (Friday) at 6:30 PM. UW lawprof Asifa Quraishi will do the introduction, and she'll be saying something about her own writing about rape laws in Pakistan and Islamic law. I don't know about Ms. Mai, but Professor Quraishi is one of the best speakers I've ever heard. Her ability to enlighten on the subject Islamic law is awe-inspiring.
MORE: Asifa recomments the alt.muslim site for more information.
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3 comments:
I think the intolerance of tolerance will be the real subject of the event. There are such things as universal values: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I wish I could be there!
-she'll have a fatwa issued against her by the close of her speech. Was it Montreal where there was consideration being given to allowing sharia law to be implimented in the divorce courts when said divorces involved muslims? Maybe it was Quebec. I have trouble keeping up with the latest trends in stoning sinners.
I'd love to hear her speak.
And to think, in this country, people want us to dither over whether to write "he or she" or "s/he" !!!
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