ADULTERESS EXECUTED BY TALIBAN

Clinton and Karzai – (AP)

Why would a woman be accused and convicted of the “crime” of being an adulteress? Well, an accused adulteress was recently executed, and the Taliban is being credited for carrying out her sentence of death.

Recently, a news report of the Taliban being credited for the execution of an adulteress broke from Afghanistan. The story does not confirm she was actually guilty of the sin (a/k/a a “crime” in most of the middle east) of being an adulteress. The Yahoo News story reports:

At least nine shots were fired by one of the men with an AK-47 at close range, the three-minute video showed.

“Murdering a woman who did not even have a voice for defending herself is a sign of cowardice, and such a crime is unforgivable in Islam and the country’s laws,” Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a statement, vowing to bring the killers to justice

“We are still looking for people who were involved in this brutal act,” Parwan Gov. Abdul Basir Salangi told CNN.

Salangi told Agence France-Presse that authorities are searching for those responsible “but the Taliban, including the killer, have fled to the mountains.”

According to Salangi, the 22-year-old woman identified as “Najiba,” was married to one Taliban commander and accused of adultery with another. “Within one hour they decided that she was guilty and sentenced her to death,” he said.

A throng of men surrounded the site to witness this execution of an adulteress, clapping, shouting and celebrating at the death of this woman. Of course, this is also an area where a raped woman is considered an adulteress. Men in the village nearby were interviewed about the brutal execution. They were enraged, highly incensed and declared the Taliban will not overcome them with such fear tactics. They are ready to fight. They took this one personally. A couple of those men who where interviewed stated they live in a very peaceful section of their country, and find it unacceptable that the Taliban has encroached on the land.

 So, what is an adulteress? In the religious community, adultery is infidelity within a married couple. One party is sexually unfaithful to the other. Hence, an adulteress is a woman who is stepping out on her man. If America followed the rules of the Taliban, it would seem there would be an execution of an adulteress on an hourly basis within our country. Though we are addressing the women who cheat on their husbands, if we also take into account female victims of rape who would be considered “sinners,” then more women would be executed of the crime of being “an adulteress.” It’s all about having a vagina. The statistics tell us that 1 out of every 6 women in the United States will at some time become the victim of an attempted or successful rape. The same statistic carries over into our military, and today’s reports suggest perhaps they are even higher within the ranks of enlisted men and women. According to the Taliban law, each of these women would be instantly executed. Some refer to this as femicide.

Woman executed as an adulteress

And what does the execution of an adulteress look like? The report describes that she was wrapped in a shawl. I saw an article just a day or two ago that displayed the wrapping technique used for a woman who was about to be stoned. She would be wrapped and bound like a mummy, stood up and stoned to death. That is not the method the Taliban used. The man with a high-powered rifle took aim and began shooting repeatedly into her head and body. The bullets cut her to bits. I understand a 3-minute video is online for viewing. I will not post it here. I draw a line there. Sensationalism has no place in such as this, and only serves to perpetuate the actions that were taken by terrorists.

 America, do we take too lightly the freedoms we have? When we Boomers were children, any female who was “caught with another man” soon became an outcast. She was ignored, ridiculed and gossiped about. Many chose suicide or abortion—or both. Today we live by a different set of rules. I’m not saying I agree with them all, but I AM saying we don’t see an execution of an adulteress taking place in America, and none are displayed on the evening news. Don’t take your freedom for granted.

 Carolyn S. Hennecy recently received a certificate as Designated Victim Services Practitioner through completion of a 40-hour course conducted by the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Florida. She is recognized nationally as an expert survivor spokesperson on domestic/intimate partner abuse and violence, sexual assault and child molestation and abuse.

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